Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

February 15, 2007 issue

Free Start Your Own Business Workshop Series Begins March 20

Registration Deadline March 15

Have you ever thought about starting your own business, but did not know where to start? Working for yourself can open a new world of possibilities, including financial independence, flexibility in scheduling and the ability to make a living doing something that you enjoy.

The Watauga Entrepreneur Development Partnership (WEDP), a program designed to support and develop local entrepreneurs, small businesses and the community, is hosting its fifth Start Your Own Business workshop series to boost aspiring and existing entrepreneurs in the Watauga County area.

The workshop series is FREE to participants and is open to anyone wanting to start or grow his/her own business. All workshops are held from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Appalachian Enterprise Center located next to the new Health Department off of the Poplar Grove Connector. You must attend all three workshops to complete the series. The registration deadline is March 15.

For more info, contact Chilton Rogers at 828-262-6662 or Joe Furman at 828-265-8053, or email ARDI at ardi@ardi.appstate.edu.

Register online at www.ardi.appstate.edu/abc/register.php or pick up a brochure at area businesses, banks community centers or grocery stores and fax the registration section to 828-262-6553.

Two of ASU’s Walker College of Business entrepreneurship professors developed the course material and will lead the following workshops:

Tuesday, March 20 – Business Idea Development: Evaluate the pros and cons of entrepreneurship and focus on business idea development. Participants will create and assess various business ideas according to their skills and interests, along with how the ideas align with the needs of the community.

Tuesday, April 3 -- Key Elements of Running A Business: Learn about the key components of running a business such as production, marketing, finance, planning and risk analysis and begin developing your own business strategy and plan.

Tuesday, April 24 – Making It Happen!: Put knowledge, ideas and skills to work to start your business. Participants will learn how to assess markets with the help of existing entrepreneurs and community leaders. Each participant will be paired with a mentor from the EFC who will review and give constructive feedback on business plan drafts.

The Watauga Entrepreneur Development Partnership is comprised of Watauga County, Appalachian Regional Development Institute (ARDI), ASU Walker College of Business, the Watauga Entrepreneur Facilitation Committee (EFC) and the High Country Business Network (HCBN).

The WEDP was started in July 2004 with a grant from the Rural Economic Development Center as part of a demonstration project to promote entrepreneur and small business development in rural northwestern North Carolina. The goals of the project were to create a culture of entrepreneurship by establishing a support group of existing business people and service providers to act as mentors, to offer a free series of workshops to increase self-employment and small business development, and to provide an ongoing network structure.

The Entrepreneur Facilitation Committee was formed to meet the first goal of the project. It consists of local businessmen/women, accountants, bankers, service providers and others who can offer a considerable amount of knowledge, resources and contacts from their real-life work experience to workshop participants. Members of the EFC include Joseph Miller from Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff and Jason Triplett of Wachovia Bank.

Since fall 2004, four successful workshop series have facilitated the development of aspiring entrepreneurs and their business ideas. Each workshop has produced around 20 ideas ready to become actual businesses.

The High Country Business Network provides an ongoing network structure across eight counties that allow people involved or who want to be involved in the business community to exchange ideas and expertise that in turn will foster a culture of entrepreneurship in northwestern North Carolina. Bi-monthly networking events are rotated across the eight-county region, and each event features a networking session and presentation by a leader in the business community. Approximately 75 people attended the January 2007 event held at Bo’s Bodacious in Lenoir featuring a presentation by Jason Richardson of Bo’s. The next event in March will be in Wilkes County, and details will be announced.