Chamber of Commerce has class
Wally Gallian

Your Chamber of Commerce is offering a series of free classes for aspiring entrepreneurs. The classes are designed to provide necessary information to anyone running their own business or those planning to launch a new business. Five classes will be held on Tuesday evenings beginning April 10th. Call the Chamber now at 478-237- 6426 to get your seat in this valuable session.

The classes will be held at the Chamber building on the square and are open to members and non-members. If for some reason you are a businessperson in Emanuel County and not a Chamber member, join now. The small investment for membership will pay for itself many times over.

The first class is a crucial first step for someone considering starting a small business. This first session is called simply, "Starting Your Own Business." Discussion topics include the traits of successful entrepreneurs, market research, legal structures, estimating start-up costs and cash flow projections, financing alternatives, failure factors and business planning.

It is well documented that one of the top reasons a business fails is a lack of planning. This first course gives you information to properly plan a new venture.

The second class is entitled "Finding the Money for Your Small Business." This class may be the most important of all. Topics include financing options, bank loans, SBA guaranteed loans, non-bank lenders, private investors and the myths and realities of grant funding. Just as crucial as getting financing is learning how to calculate your financing needs, developing financial projections and how to professionally present your proposal. So many people have great ideas that would work in the marketplace, but without a well executed financial plan, they will never get off the ground. There is a manual that goes with the course called "Mastering Loan Proposals."

The third of the five classes will teach you "Secrets of Small Business Marketing Strategies", this session includes maximizing your marketing dollars with creative low-cost and no-cost marketing ideas. You will learn how to get customers in the door, how2 to make the sale, and how to keep them coming back.

Anyone interested in starting or maintaining a small business will certainly want to attend the next session, "Understanding Financial Statements: Managing by the Numbers." Understand the difference between profit and cash flow and getting the most bang out of your accounting buck is the objective in this class.

The last class of the series focuses on sales, "The 25 Biggest Mistakes & How to Avoid Them." Everyone wanting to be in business or anyone already up and running should attend this course. Personally I am not sure what the 25 biggest mistakes are, but am quite sure I have made them all at least once. Attendees will receive a clear, concise easy to use handbook showing you how to identify and correct costly errors.

Congratulations to the Chamber for offering this series of classes promoting small business in Emanuel County. The good folks at your Chamber of Commerce work very hard to help small businesses in our county; these classes are just one more example of their commitment to the betterment of the local business community.--Wally Gallian is publisher of The Forest-Blade and may be reached at wgallian@forest-blade.com

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