Starting a new business or growing an existing one is a demanding and tough job. The real secret to success is an eagerness to learn and having access to knowledge, experience and expertise of others.
The New Jersey Council of County Colleges and the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) developed the Entrepreneur Certificate Program (ECP). This 33 1/2 hour program gives entrepreneurs and existing small business owners an opportunity to learn how to successfully start and expand business operations.
The ECP allows small business owners the flexibility to complete the curriculum at their own pace, on a course-by-course basis. The courses and workshops offered will familiarize entrepreneurs and small business owners with business plans, legal issues, marketing strategies, financial statements, small business taxes and small business record-keeping systems. Take one course to improve your knowledge and enhance your skills, or take all courses and receive an Entrepreneur Certificate.
Individuals who successfully complete this program** will receive an official certificate issued by Brookdale Community College or Ocean County College and the NJSBDC Network.
ECP Curriculum:
Business Start-up Workshop
(6 hrs · 2 Sessions)
If you are an entrepreneur who is planning to start or has recently started a small business, this course is for you. Examine the legal forms of ownership, how to register the business, setting up bookkeeping records, taxation, and understanding financial statements, money needs, payroll, insurance and licensing. Fee includes textbook.
Financing A Small Business
(3 hrs · 1 Session)
Interested in starting a business or expanding an existing business? Need financial assistance? This workshop will address these issues by providing information on determining money needs, SBA loans, venture capital, working with local banks, use of a business plan to secure financing, and services
A Business Plan
(3.5 hrs · 1 Session)
Even the most skeptical banker can be persuaded positively with a convincing business plan. Comprehensive plans include sales forecasts, market identification, resources, personnel, cash flow, and income projections. Learn how your finished plan should look, what to include, which language to use, and what information to present and in what format. Fee includes workbook.
Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
(15 hrs · 3 Sessions)
In this 15 hour comprehensive overview, learn about the marketing process, essentials of effective marketing, and the marketing mix as well as the elements of target marketing, market segmentation, types of competition, databases, and internal analysis. Identify how to position your business in the market by developing a marketing plan that focuses on goals and strategies. Discover how to effectively analyze the current marketplace in creating valid pricing. Investigate creating a customer database to manage your business and explore developing a marketing mix through advertising, promotions and sales.
Record Keeping for Small Businesses
(6 hrs · 2 Sessions)
Gain an understanding of primary financial statements, including their development, their use, and effective methods of analysis. With hands-on instruction in business and accounting software programs, participants will learn the general accounting cycle and how it reflects business transactions.
For more information: contact our office or call (732) 842-8685.
** 100% Attendance Required