According to Cathleen Kaiser, statewide training manager for the
Michigan Small Business Development Center at
Grand Valley State University, the flexibility of its new Smart Start Online training program is an advantage to prospective new business owners across the spectrum.
"It applies to anyone who is interested in starting a business and wants to get going quickly," Kaiser says of the six-week, online training program. "If you're working, you need a flexible schedule to be able to make a class, or even if you want to start a business you're probably doing that while you keep your regular job. If you live in a rural area, having an online class is helpful because you don't have to drive a long distance to get there."
Led by certified small business experts with experience in the field, online sessions provide information on business planning, marketing, financing and team building to guide entrepreneurs through the key steps to launching a new business quickly and deliberately.
"We're learning that most folks don't want to wait to very long and want to get started quickly," she says.
Smart Start Online students also have access to Michigan SBDC business consultants in the region to help customize and implement individual business plans.
However, Kaiser says even if entrepreneurs decide not to take the online course, guidebooks and other education materials are available to access for free on the Michigan SBDC website and cover "the nuts and bolts of getting started," like registering a business name and navigating permitting regulations for both commercial and in-home operations.
The first six-week
Smart Start Online program begins March 4, with subsequent sessions held Wednesdays from 11 a.m.-noon and registration costs $99. For more information, visit the Michigan SBDC training website at www.SBDCmichigan.org/training or call (616) 331-7480.
Written by Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of SBDC Michigan
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