May 25, 2004

Small Business Development Center offers small business training in Enterprise

Enterprise-area entrepreneurs looking to take their business skills to the next level will benefit from a weekly training program scheduled to begin June 7 at Enterprise-Ozark Community College .

The program, called NxLeveL Business Start-Up Training, is designed to teach the practical business skills needed to start, develop or strengthen business ventures, according to Janet Kervin, Director of the Small Business Development Center at Troy University , one of the sponsoring agencies.

“The strong point of NxLeveL is that you learn things at each session that you can apply to your business the next day,” Kervin said. “NxLeveL will show you how to build a comprehensive business plan.”

In addition to the Small Business Development Center , NxLeveL is sponsored by the Enterprise Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Ozark Community College and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Sessions will be held on Mondays from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in WA 120 on the EOCC campus. Call the Small Business Development center at 334-670-3771 to register.

The cost of the program is $150, which includes the cost of the textbook, workbook and resource guide. Training is provided over 10 weekly sessions. Seating is limited and reserved for the first 25 registrants.

“The fee for NxLevel is usually $500, however, we have received a grant from the Small Business Administration Defense Economic Assistance Program to offer the training a greatly reduced price,” Kervin said.

Graduates of the program attest to its effectiveness. One participant from Ozark said, “The class provided a balanced overview of all of the areas my associate and I need to consider to grow and redirect our service business.”

A Dothan resident who took the course in 2001 said, “Of all the business courses I have ever taken, the NxLeveL course best embodied the many facets of business in a clear and concise way that, for the first time, starting a business has become more of an idea, but something I see as doable.”

The program is designed to teach the skills needed to create, develop and strengthen successful business ventures. It was developed by the Western Entrepreneurial Network at the University of Colorado at Denver and the curriculum and training materials are based on feedback from entrepreneurs in 36 states who have taken similar courses.