HARLINGEN EDC TO SPONSOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING
HARLINGEN EDC TO SPONSOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING
The Harlingen Economic Development Corporation announced today it will sponsor a new training program for entrepreneurs. FastTrac® is a practical, hands-on business development program designed to help entrepreneurs hone the skills needed to create, manage and grow successful businesses.
“Small business is the backbone of the Harlingen, Valley and national economies,” according to Ernesto Silva, Harlingen EDC president. “The Harlingen EDC wants to make sure the needs of small business are being met,” he continued.
Developed by the Kauffman Foundation, FastTrac® is the leading entrepreneurial learning program in the nation. Since FastTrac® was established in 1994, over 300,000 entrepreneurs have been trained through the program.
The International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at the University of Texas at Brownsville has been certified by the Kauffman Foundation to conduct the training. The highly interactive training will conducted in ten sessions of three hours each.
The training is geared to entrepreneurs at all levels, from people who have an idea for a new business to people who have an existing business that is positioned for growth. Topics include exploring entrepreneurship, identifying and meeting market needs, setting financial goals, planning the product/service, researching and analyzing the market, building the organization, planning for a profitable business, monitoring cash flow and seeking funds and implementing next steps.
The training will be held in the evening for ten consecutive weeks to make it more convenient for entrepreneurs. Dates and times for the training will be announced later, but the Harlingen EDC hopes to begin the classes in April.
To make the program more affordable for budding entrepreneurs, the Harlingen EDC will provide one half of the $700 cost for each person taking the training. People interested in the program must apply by calling John Sossi or Ruben Ceballos at (956) 882-4119 or e-mailing them at john.sossi@utb.edu or ruben.ceballos@utb.edu. Each ten week class will be limited to ten people to insure individual help for the entrepreneurs.
The FastTrac® training is one f several new programs for small business initiated by the Harlingen EDC. Last summer, the Harlingen EDC formed a Small Business Committee consisting of board members Terry Gray and Desi Martinez, the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce, the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, UTPA’s Small Business Development Center, UTB, Harlingen’s Downtown District, the City Planning and Zoning Department, the Harlingen Community Improvement Board and the Harlingen Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Another new program began last December. The Harlingen EDC agreed to provide $50,000 to Accion Texas, a non-profit lending institution, to write-down interest costs for small business loans for Harlingen businesses to two percent.
-30-