Free seminars available for entrepreneurs

GOLDSBORO — The Small Business Center at Wayne Community College has scheduled more than a dozen seminars for aspiring and progressing entrepreneurs over the next few months.

Two series will be offered, both of which can lead to certificates. Seminars in these series can also be taken individually.

Completion of all four seminars in the Business Basics series leads to a certificate. They include Discovering Your Unique Position – 6-8 p.m., Feb. 2; The Keys To A Winning Small Business Plan – 6-8 p.m., Feb. 9; Finding The Money For Your Small Business – 6-8 p.m., Feb. 23 and Charting A Path to Success For Your Small Business – 6-8 p.m., March 2. All Business Basics seminars will be held in-person on the WCC campus.

Those who take all six sessions in the Entrepreneurship Academy will be awarded a certificate of completion. Those online seminars are Choosing The Right Legal Structure – 6-8 p.m., March 14; Will My Business Idea Work? – 6-8 p.m., March 21; Small Business Marketing 101 – 6-8 p.m., March 28; Introduction To Business Operations and Logistics – 6-8 p.m., April 4; Understanding The Numbers That Make Business Work – 6-8 p.m., April 11 and Developing A Strong Business Plan – 6-8 p.m., April 18. The link to each online Entrepreneurship Academy seminar will be emailed to the participant after the registration process is complete.

Additional stand-alone seminars, all taught on the WCC campus, are How to Build Good Bookkeeping Habits, 2-5 p.m., Jan. 17 and April 20; QuickBooks Essentials – 6-9 p.m., Jan. 17 and April 20; Think Like a Lender – 2-4 p.m., Jan. 24 and Grant Writing for Non-profits – 2-5 p.m., March 23.

The Boots 2 Business seminar is an entrepreneurial education and training program that provides an overview of business ownership specifically for active-duty military, military dependents and veterans. Multiple in-person, two-day options are available Jan. 9-10, Feb. 6-7, March 6-7, April 3-4, and May 1-2. The workshops are scheduled for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on the college campus.

New for the spring semester is the Agri-Veteran Program. It is a six-week online series designed for veterans and military spouses who want to transition into farming, ranching and agriculture. Participants will cultivate a strategic self-designed action plan to validate their goals, build their farm and engage with a community of entrepreneurs. One topic will be covered each week from Jan. 24 through Feb. 28. Those sessions, set for 6-8 p.m. on Tuesdays, are Legal Structures and Business Framework, Site Analysis and Exploring Your Potential, Understanding Your Market and Customers, Financial Planning for Your Business, Maximizing Your Profits and “Belt-Tightening” and Business Operations and Human Resources.

There is no charge for any Small Business Center seminar. To get descriptions and register for these seminars, go to https://bit.ly/WCCSmallBizSeminars. For more information, call 919-739-6940.

In addition to offering seminars, the Small Business Center provides access to resources and one-on-one counseling for exploring business ideas, starting a business or expanding an existing business. For assistance with new business ventures, expansions, or an existing business, contact the center’s director at 919-739-6941 or wcc-sbc@waynecc.edu.

— From Wayne Community College Public Information