The Coconino County Community Services Department’s Basic Business Empowerment (BBE) program, which trains potential entrepreneurs with the fundamentals of jumpstarting their own business, is taking applications for the next series of courses that begin Saturday, Jan. 11.
Since the program began in 2007, 225 participants from throughout the county have completed the small business training course and 58 business new businesses have opened their doors.
“This program has been a success since it first began,” Community Services Assistant Director Norma Gallegos said. “By assisting emerging entrepreneurs, we are helping each of them to invest in the local economy and successfully serve the communities in which they live.”
The department is certified to offer small business development training using the Kauffman Foundation’s Operation Jump Start Curriculum. The program provides a step-by-step process in which participants learn how to create a feasibility plan defining their product or service and how to set up an LLC, analyze the local market, to project future cash-flow and profits for a three-year period of time.
Coaching through the BBE program continues for participants after graduation, as needed. Upon completion of the program, participants will have a completed business plan, which is ready to be presented to a lender, private investor or grantor.
Some participants may also be eligible for the Individual Development Account (IDA) program. Contact Gallegos at 928-679-7455 for more information about the IDA.
For additional information regarding the BBE program, contact program coordinator Kim Crugnale at 928- 679-7458. Classes begin January 11, 2014 and class size is limited.
