May 1, 2007 — Would-be and beginning entrepreneurs have a new tool available for free: an online training course offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The SBA has introduced the program to help people learn "the fundamentals of starting a small business," according to a news release from the agency. It's called the "Small Business Primer Strategies for Success," and it's accessible by going to sba.gov and clicking "New FREE Online Course."
"The Small Business Primer is a self-paced assessment tool that focuses on three key areas to help small business owners: (1) determine their business readiness, (2) provide an overview of basic small business principles and (3) introduce them to key SBA resources for small business counseling and training," the news release said.
"The assessment tool is highly recommended and useful for those who have considered starting a business or thought about what it takes to be successful as an entrepreneur."
The SBA offers "a virtual campus of business courses, training, education resources, learning tools and information assistance" at www.sba.gov/training. The training includes an interactive assessment tool to help people decide whether they're ready to start a business, and demonstrates "the key steps of business startup," according to the news release.
The business topics reviewed include business planning, legal aspects, financing and marketing. In addition, the course provides links to more than 40 targeted resources and small business tools, such as a business-plan template and an automated balance-sheet guide. The course also offers direct access to online counseling through SCORE, as well as to other SBA resources partners, including the Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers and SBA district offices.
Anyone who completes the training can receive a course completion certificate from the SBA.
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