ENROLL NOW FOR BEDC’S SPRING ENTREPRENEUR TRAINING PROGRAM

BROOKLYN, NY, January 27, 2005—Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) will begin its 14-week Entrepreneur Assistance Program on Tuesday, March 1, 2005. Classes are scheduled from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. every Tuesday evening until May 31, 2005, and will include one all-day Saturday workshop.

All sessions will be held at BEDC’s office, 175 Remsen Street, Suite 350, downtown Brooklyn. The cost of the program is $235, which includes all materials. Advance registration is required. To register, call BEDC at 718-522-4600 ext. 17.

Current and aspiring entrepreneurs are invited to enroll in this intensive, hands-on course, which will provide participants with the skills and knowledge that are critical to producing a good business plan and operating a successful business. The program accommodates the beginning entrepreneur as well as experienced business people who wish to refine their skills.

S. Edward Rutland, executive vice president of Matlock Advertising and Public Relations and president of Jupiter Marketing, a training firm, will be the program’s instructor. Industry professionals with an expertise in scheduled topics will be guest speakers.

The program topics will include:

• Developing your business plan;
• The marketing plan: defining your market;
• Organizational structure;
• Accounting, bookkeeping, and taxes;
• Understanding financial statements;
• Personal financial statements and credit review;
• Business certifications;
• Site selection and real estate issues;
• Insurance issues, and,
• Financing options for small businesses.

More than 700 individuals have graduated from the Entrepreneur Training Program since BEDC began offering it more than 11 years ago and many have gone on to start successful businesses.

Graduates include the former editor-in-chief of Essence Magazine, Monique Greenwood, who is CEO of Akwaaba Enterprises, Inc., which operates inns in Bedford Stuyvesant, Cape May, NJ, and Washington, DC, and owns restaurants and real estate in Bedford Stuyvesant; Loren Michelle and Gregg Stegeman, co-owners of Naturally Delicious, a catering business in Brooklyn; Paul North, owner of Your Office U.S.A., an office suite franchise in Brooklyn; Caylin Sanders, founder and president of EscapeMaker.com, an Internet travel company; Ann McCormack, who started a nonprofit organization called the East River Theatre Company, and Joe Alameda, who with his family owns Perfect Corner Custom Picture Framing, located on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens.