By: David Ormerod, MBA, SCORE Small Business Counselor and Agent, NYLife Securities
LLC
There are many things to know about building a successful small business—from marketing
and tax issues, to technology, finance, human resources management and more. Most
entrepreneurs don’t have expertise in all of those areas. That’s why individuals
interested in starting or expanding a business have been tapping into training programs
at a record pace.
For many business owners, learning opportunities and training programs are becoming
vital steps to planning, launching and growing a business. During one recent 12-month
period, a record 2.5 million people sought help from one of many U.S. Small Business
Administration (SBA) training and assistance programs.
Seeking help is simply smart. No business owner can be adept at every aspect of
operating successfully. Plus, conditions change, so keeping yourself informed is
vital to long-term success.
The single most popular program in America is probably the SBA Small Business Training
Network/E-Business Institute, which registers nearly a million users at its Web
site each year. The Small Business Training Network is a Web-based conglomerate
that can link you to online courses, workshops, publications, learning tools, information
resources and access to electronic counseling and other types of technical help.
For details on the Small Business Training Network, go to the main SBA Web site
at www.sba.gov and click on “Training.”
Free online courses are offered on about 75 topics in areas such as business startup,
growing your business, home-based business and re-engineering your skills. Sample
titles include: Growth Strategies; Analyzing Profitability; Building Your Brand;
and, Understanding Business Insurance.
Local SBA-sponsored training events are offered nationwide. These range from breakfast
talks on local economic conditions, to brown-bag networking lunches, loan seminars,
startup workshops and free business assessments. Click your state on the Web site
map for a calendar listing dates and event details in your area. In addition, dozens
of top colleges and universities offer business training courses you can take online.
Most of these require a fee.
To learn more about training opportunities your small business, contact SCORE "Counselors
to America's Small Business." SCORE is a nonprofit organization of more than 10,500
volunteer business counselors who provide free, confidential business counseling
and training workshops to small business owners. Call the Greater Woodinville Chamber
of Commerce at (425) 481-8300, or 1-800/634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you,
or find a counselor online at www.score.org.
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about Train Yourself for Small Business Success