Classes to help Tempe small businesses being offering in February

Tempe small business representatives and those considering becoming entrepreneurs may benefit from two classes being offered in February.

Tempe’s bi-monthly entrepreneurial training class, offered in partnership with the Maricopa Community Colleges Small Business Development Center, is designed to help people decide whether owning a business is the right choice.

The class, “Should I Start a Business,” will be held the third Tuesday of every other month beginning February 16 at 4:30 p.m. in the Don Cassano Room of the Tempe Transportation Center, 200 E. Fifth Street, near Forest and College avenues. A light rail station is adjacent to the building. Parking will be validated for the garage on Fifth Street and Forest.

The class will be oriented to individuals with limited entrepreneurial knowledge and will focus on the basics of establishing and running a business such as:

• Four parts of a business plan
• Business structure options
• Business finance options
• Marketing strategies
• Research and feasibility studies

The class costs $10. Register at http://www.azsbdc.net/events.aspx

Those already in business may want to sit in on a free webinar by Friedman Association, Prepare Your Microloan Program for Competitive Funding and Greater Impact in 2010.

According to Friedman Association, microlenders and Community Development Financial Institutions Funds (CDFI) are front page news today as demand for capital from the Small Business Association Microloan Program and CDFI Fund is at an all-time high.

One consequence of the recession has been to tighten underwriting standards and focus on portfolio management. Now, businesses see new demands at both ends of the spectrum – increasing numbers of unbanked and underbanked small businesses that could previously access conventional financing and which may not fit the traditional client profile.

The webinar happens Tuesday, February 9, 2010 and February 16th. Details are available online at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/483712985

Have other questions? Call Economic Development Specialist Micah Miranda at 480-858-2218 or email micah_miranda@tempe.gov. For more information on doing business in Tempe, visit www.tempe.gov/business.

Source: City of Tempe

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