WANT TO BE YOUR OWN BOSS?
ENROLL NOW FOR BEDC’S ENTREPRENEUR TRAINING COURSE

BROOKLYN, NY, August 1, 2005—In September, Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) will offer its Fall Entrepreneur Assistance Program to provide current and future business owners with the skills and knowledge that are critical to producing an effective business plan and operating a successful business. Classes will begin Tuesday, September 13, 2005, and will be held from 6:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. every Tuesday for 15 sessions.

All classes 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.

The intensive, hands-on course accommodates the beginning entrepreneur as well as experienced business people who wish to refine their skills.

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.

S. Edward Rutland, executive vice president of Matlock Advertising and Public Relations and president of Jupiter Marketing, a training firm, has served as the program’s primary instructor for more than five years and will assume that role again in the fall class. Industry professionals with an expertise in scheduled topics will be guest speakers.

Several graduates of the program submitted business plans this year for the Brooklyn Public Library Business Library’s 2004-2005 Annual PowerUP! Business Plan Competition. Out of the 67 business plans, one of BEDC’s Entrepreneur Assistance Program instructors, Sydney Wayman, was named the first place winner, and three other graduates from the program won Merit Awards or Honorable Mentions.

More than 800 individuals have graduated from the Entrepreneur Training Program since BEDC

began offering it more than 12 years ago and many have gone on to write effective business plans and start successful businesses.

Other program graduates include Loren Michelle and Gregg Stegeman, co-owners of Naturally Delicious, a catering business in Brooklyn; 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; 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; Joe Alameda, who with his family owns Perfect Corner Custom Picture Framing, located on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, and Allison DeSalvo, who runs World of Song Productions.

BEDC, a private, nonprofit organization, was established in 1979 to stimulate Brooklyn’s economy and create job opportunities for the borough and its residents. BEDC has evolved into a multi-service, business-consulting agency, serving more than 1,000 clients annually and offering comprehensive economic development services. More information is available at www.bedc.org.