TCTC helping Small Businesses start-up

Help is available to small business owners in the Upstate of South Carolina.  Through a partnership, Tri-County Technical College is offering classes to help small business owners succeed. “We have an excellent Small Business Start-up Program.  We work closely with SCORE, the Clemson Small Business Development Center and Mountain Lakes Business Development Corporation.  We work together and offer a three-hour class as an entry-level course and we do not charge for it.  But it gives you a quick overview of the different topics a small business needs to understand before they do a start-up.” Sandra Strickland is the program director for Tri-County Technical College’s Corporate and Community Education Division.  After the initial start-up course, participants can continue their education with an immersion course, explains Strickland. “After someone attends the Small Business Start-up we offer something called Business Immersion, Start, Run, Grow and it is more in depth.  We have small business mentors who teach each session, it runs for ten weeks.  With each session, they might have a different presenter that has expertise in that field.  They will cover everything someone needs to know to complete their business plan and then throughout the process they have access to free small business mentoring.  They also receive software where they can enter in their business plan.” Upon completion of the ten-week course, Strickland says small business owners will be ready to succeed. “By the time they finish the class they will have a completed business plan and that is the number one thing that someone getting ready to start a small business needs.  Individuals that are in business need to continue to have a business plan.  So this particular course is great for both someone starting-up a business or someone who’s in business that has not been doing a business plan.”  For more information on the small businesses classes offered through Tri-County Technical College’s Corporate and Community Education Division, call (864) 646-1700 or visit www.tctc.edu/learn.