Get the Facts Before Starting Your Own Business

It’s the American dream—having your own business, being your own boss, setting your own hours. But before you take the plunge (or before you get in too deep in a business that you just started), you need to do some serious self-reflection and homework.  

That’s why the Mercer County Office of Economic Development and Sustainability has teamed up with UCEDC, a statewide small business lender and training provider, to offer an intensive six-week workshop for start-up businesses (those in the idea/planning phase or in operation less than a year).  The next session of Entrepreneurship 101 will run from May 20 through July 1 at the Dempster Fire Training Center in Lawrence. 

Participants will be guided through a real-world assessment of their business idea and market feasibility as well as their own ability to handle the demands of business ownership. The steps to opening a business in New Jersey, choosing a legal structure, developing a business plan and establishing cost, revenue and cash flow projections will be addressed in a variety of interactive exercises.

“Being a business owner is hard work and this workshop is equally demanding,” said Erich Peter, UCEDC Director of Training. “But we’re going to work with you both in and outside of the classroom to make sure that the class material is relevant to your specific needs. And, we stick with our graduates for 12 months, providing mentoring and counseling services.”

Entrepreneurship 101 is a component of UCEDC’s Entrepreneurial Training Initiative, an ongoing small-business training effort, offered in partnership with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.  Sessions for start-ups and established businesses are held throughout the state.

Registration is now open for Entrepreneurship 101. Complete information can be found on the UCEDC website at www.ucedc.com or by calling 908-527-1166.

—Mercer County