Fall business courses offer opportunities
for existing and potential entrepreneurs

 

WATERTOWN, N.Y. – The New York State Small Business Development Center will offer its Entrepreneurship Training Course in two versions this fall to people interested in starting a new business or growing their existing one. SBDC is able to offer free tuition to veterans, military members and spouses through a special program income funding opportunity.

The classroom course will be held over eight weeks on Thursday evenings from Oct. 3 to Nov. 21 (no class Oct. 31) at Jefferson Community College in Watertown. Each week the course will feature different speakers who are professionals in their fields: banking, marketing, accounting, insurance and business law.

A 14-week online version of the course will take place from Oct. 7 to Jan. 10. It covers the same materials in seven modules with videos from local experts, but participants have two weeks to complete each section and work at their own pace and location on their own computer.

The courses are co-sponsored by Jefferson Community College Workforce Development and Business, Jefferson County Economic Development (JCED) and Watertown Local Development Corp. (WLDC).

Cost of either course is $195. Both courses are open to everyone in the North Country.

The purpose of the Entrepreneurial Training Course is to provide guidance and support to individuals interested in starting or expanding a small business with timely information on tax laws, social media trends, etc. The course takes entrepreneurs through all aspects of starting and running a small business and features speakers from professional fields such as accounting, law, insurance and advertising. The course also includes a one-on-one discussion with an SBDC adviser to discuss each participant’s specific business project.

The course will cover how to check credit reports and how to address any related problems. Attendees will learn what goes into a business plan, what types of loans to apply for, what types of insurances are recommended as well as information on contract agreements, marketing, the micro-enterprise loan program and bookkeeping.

Upon successful completion of the course, qualified participants starting or operating a business locally will be eligible to apply for a low-interest, micro-enterprise loan of up to $40,000.

North Country residents have access to a number of funding sources, including JCED, WLDC, Lewis County Economic Development, Development Authority of the North Country (DANC) and Adirondack Economic Development Corporation (AEDC). Two other loan programs include the New York State Excelsior Growth Fund Smart Loan and the North Country Veteran Business Loan Fund (through AEDC).

Pre-registration with payment is required, by cash, credit card or checks made payable to SBDC / JCC. Call the SBDC at (315) 782-9262 or send your registration to: SBDC/JCC, 1220 Coffeen Street, Watertown, N.Y. 13601. There will be no refunds after the class begins unless the course is cancelled. The deadline to register for the classroom version is Sept. 30.

For the online course, the registration deadline is Oct. 2 and can be paid by a credit or debit card at https://oct19onlineetc.eventbrite.com or by calling (315) 782-9262. If participants are veterans, military members or spouses, they should not pay online but should call the SBDC directly to register.

This program is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.

 

(New York State Small Business Development Center)