Business startup training to resume this month

Knowing the ins and outs of starting or expanding a new business is integral to long-term success. Making sure entrepreneurial hopefuls are educated in those areas is the goal of a popular local training program that churned out hundreds of startups in Southeast Missouri last year.

Operation JumpStart, a series of business trainings offered by the Douglas C. Greene Institute for Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Southeast Missouri State University, is getting ready for another stint this month. The seminars help people who want to start their own businesses decide whether theirs "is a go or a no-go," said Steve Dunn, a training coordinator at the institute.

"Sometimes they find that their idea won't work, or what they sell won't sell," he said. "And that makes it worth it to know."

The trainings generally are held in a 36-hour course, separated into several sessions over a month or two, though the institute is offering a shorter, 24-hour course starting Oct. 27.

Other trainings include "How to Start a New Business" from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 22 and "How to Write a Business Plan" from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 3.

In 2013, up to 200 new businesses opened as a result of participants' work in the program, according to numbers provided by the institute. The businesses were begun by people from a 24-county region in Southeast Missouri. A small number also came from Southern Illinois.

Topics and skills learned range from pricing, competition and marketing to legal structure and cash flow management. The end goal is developing a feasibility plan to start or expand a business, according to a news release from Southeast Missouri State University. Individual counseling with a professional business development consultant also is included.

John Mehner, president and CEO of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber encourages formal training for local entrepreneurs, regardless of the age or size of their businesses.

"There are always things you can learn ... things you can improve on," he said. "Something we see, in which business owners turn to the chamber for help, and it frustrates them and us, is when they wait and come to us when a problem they have has already gone too far. It's much better to stay ahead of things than end up in a bad situation, because as a business owner you are hesitant to ask what to do."

For that reason, the chamber partners with the institute and other organizations to support business-related trainings, Mehner said.

Costs for the institute's trainings vary from $40 to $99. Registration and deadline information is available by calling the institute at 651-2929 or emailing gervin@semo.edu.

eragan@semissourian.com

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