Small Business Owners Have Many Learning Options - Blizzard Sector

**NewsDude** · 08-08-2008, 03:40 PM

An entrepreneur who's mystified by accounting or putting a marketing plan together can get some help, and soon, with the arrival of the fall semester. Schools, colleges and universities around the country offer a variety of courses aimed at small business owners, and many cost little or nothing.
Some of the courses are given on campus, while others are online, and in most cases, they aren't part of a degree program. And there are plenty of learning opportunities beyond higher education -- chambers of commerce and trade associations may also offer classes, and Web sites aimed at small business owners can help owners get at least a grounding in a variety of business topics.
Many who take courses became entrepreneurs after working for someone else for years. They have a great deal of knowledge about the services or products that are the heart of a business, but someone who spent 10 years in information technology often knows little about marketing, and someone who worked in a public relations agency usually finds accounting to be almost a foreign language.
How much money or time an owner wants to commit to learning depends on his or her educational needs, location, finances and schedule. Some decide to pursue MBAs on weekends, while others grab a quick three-hour class here or there to help them pick up the basics.
Dave Horsley had worked in the automotive industry before opening Horsley Hot Rods in Boise, Idaho, in early 2007, and found after starting the business that he needed marketing help. He was already working with a mentor through the Small Business Administration, learned about courses offered through the SBA-sponsored Small Business Development Center at Boise State University and decided to take a four-hour marketing class, "Six Steps to Massive Growth in Your Business." The tuition was $25.
"They talked a...

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08-08-2008, 03:40 PM	#1 (permalink)
NewsDude Status: *** Elder Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: News Office Posts: 1,884** Tournaments Joined: 0 Tournament Wins: 0 Spent time on board: 0:05:24 Hours Rep Power: 4	An entrepreneur who's mystified by accounting or putting a marketing plan together can get some help, and soon, with the arrival of the fall semester. Schools, colleges and universities around the country offer a variety of courses aimed at small business owners, and many cost little or nothing. Some of the courses are given on campus, while others are online, and in most cases, they aren't part of a degree program. And there are plenty of learning opportunities beyond higher education -- chambers of commerce and trade associations may also offer classes, and Web sites aimed at small business owners can help owners get at least a grounding in a variety of business topics. Many who take courses became entrepreneurs after working for someone else for years. They have a great deal of knowledge about the services or products that are the heart of a business, but someone who spent 10 years in information technology often knows little about marketing, and someone who worked in a public relations agency usually finds accounting to be almost a foreign language. How much money or time an owner wants to commit to learning depends on his or her educational needs, location, finances and schedule. Some decide to pursue MBAs on weekends, while others grab a quick three-hour class here or there to help them pick up the basics. Dave Horsley had worked in the automotive industry before opening Horsley Hot Rods in Boise, Idaho, in early 2007, and found after starting the business that he needed marketing help. He was already working with a mentor through the Small Business Administration, learned about courses offered through the SBA-sponsored Small Business Development Center at Boise State University and decided to take a four-hour marketing class, "Six Steps to Massive Growth in Your Business." The tuition was $25. "They talked a... More...