Entrepreneurial Training Program at Kentucky Highlands
Purpose: To develop an entrepreneurial culture in the local area and to provide budding entrepreneurs with the “core” skill sets needed to build a sustainable venture. Courses will cover strategic and operational issues that all entrepreneurs face. The goal is to equip attendees with practical knowledge and toolkits for the development and operation of their company.
Instructors:
Bob Wilson has been involved in multiple start-up ventures over a 30 year period and has developed and managed programs that have worked with over (150) start-up companies.
Jim Carroll has experience as a manager and trainer with Fortune 500 companies, and recently sold a company he founded and ran as its CEO for 12 years.
Todd Fisher has over 30 years of experience in engineering, product development and commercialization and has lead technology based businesses for a Fortune 50 company as well as small start-ups.
Course Overview: Five sessions over a (5) month timeframe
- Breakfast Sessions – 8:30 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. , breakfast provided
- Third or Fourth Thursday of each month starting August 27th, 2009
- Location 362 Old Whitley Rd, London, KY (south of Hwy 192)
- Limited to (1-2) people per company – Session limit of (20-25) attendees
- No Charge for attendance, but registration is required.
Schedule:
- August 27, 2009 – From Idea to Execution: How to move a good idea to a profitable venture.
- September 24, 2009 – Show Me the Money: Where is the money to fund a business and how do I get my share?
- October 27, 2009 – The Small Business Tool Shed: Products and Services that will help you run your business more efficiently and profitably.
- November 19, 2009 – Driving Sales in the Fast Lane of the Information Super Highway: How you can leverage the web in today’s market.
- December 17, 2009 – Extreme Makeover, Small Business Edition: How to revitalize and reinvigorate your business strategy.
Registration:
Course Descriptions:
Course 1: From Idea to Execution: How to move a good idea to a profitable venture – It is said that 8 out of 10 new businesses fail. While it is true that there are many unforeseen obstacles on the way to building a successful business, entrepreneurs who plan properly and seek help have a much better success rate. In this course, we will explore the “idea lifecycle” through the stages of planning to deployment, and then discuss the indicators that validate the idea’s success.
Course 2: Show Me the Money: Where is the money to fund a business and how do I get my share? – Bank Financing, Angel Funding, Venture Capital, Grants, Economic Stimulus… You hear and read a lot about money available for small businesses, but getting your hands on it can be challenging if you don’t have a plan. We will discuss the various options for raising capital for new and existing businesses including the pros and cons associated with each source. In addition, we will share some ideas on how you can improve your chances with potential funders. We will also introduce some of the sources of capital that exist in Southeastern Kentucky.
Course 3: The Small Business Tool Shed: Products and Services that will help you run your business more efficiently and profitably – Successful companies are always on the hunt for ways to run their businesses more effectively. During this course, we will discuss different management areas that can be effectively outsourced or supported by third-party tools. We will take a look at several popular tools that many Small Businesses utilize including QuickBooks, MS Office, MS Project, Client Relationship Management (CRM) software and payroll services.
Course 4: Driving Sales in the Fast Lane of the Information Super Highway: How you can leverage the web in today’s market – The internet has opened vast new markets to many small businesses, which have now become big businesses as a result. To take advantage of these markets is not, however, a “Build It and They Will Come” proposition. In this course, we will review strategies that can allow you to leverage the internet to promote your business. We will also provide some practical advice on the tools needed to create a web site, the content that is important to be included on a site and options for deploying a site.
Course 5: Extreme Makeover, Small Business Edition: How to revitalize and reinvigorate your business strategy – Executing a creative yet sound Business Strategy is critical to a business’s success. The Strategy provides a road map for you, your employees, partners and investors – all who are important to the health of your business. As critical as this Strategy is, it should also be reviewed and changed as internal and external factors impact your business. During this session, we will review some of these internal and external factors and how they may cause your strategy to change. We will also introduce some techniques for conducting a Strategic Planning Session that can help you form or change your strategy. With the New Year upon you, this will be a timely session for getting 2010 off to a fresh start.