Workshops help potential start-ups explore new ideas

Two community members were in class on Friday, June 3 for the Vermont Small Business Development Center’s (VSBDC) Start Your Own Business Workshop at the Springfield Regional Development Corp. conference room.

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2016-06-04 / Front Page Workshops help potential start-ups explore new ideas By Tory Jones Bonenfant toryb@eagletimes.com SPRINGFIELD — Two community members were in class on Friday, June 3 for the Vermont Small Business Development Center’s (VSBDC) Start Your Own Business Workshop at the Springfield Regional Development Corp. conference room. “People love it,” said Debra Boudrieau, area business advisor for VSBDC, on Friday. “It’s really a no-nonsense class. It really helps you know if the time is right.” The course is offered every six weeks in several locations throughout Vermont, and class size varies from a few participants to about 10 at a time, according to Boudrieau. Starting Your Own Business is designed as a “step-by-step guide” for starting a business in Vermont for the first-time business owner, she said. “For $99, it is an investment in yourself, and in your idea,” Boudrieau said. The four-hour workshop is for people who are not yet in business, but are considering starting their own business. The course helps people decide whether the time is right — or not — to invest in a new business, looking at several factors such as savings already built up, the business idea, funding, and other factors going on in the person’s life, such as a recent home purchase. “You could have a great idea,” but the timing may or may not be right, she said. The workshop will help determine if a local market would exist for the business, and if the person is financially ready to start it up, Boudrieau said. That person may decide that they are ready to go ahead, or to wait and save up more money before launching the business, she said. Boudrieau said that she is based in Windham and South Windsor counties, but that there is a class in place somewhere in the state nearly every week. People from New Hampshire are also welcome to attend. Participants in the workshops do not need to be residents of the town they take the workshop in, she said. The registration fee of $99 includes all material, including a start-up workbook in PDF and hardcopy, and also includes continued advisor services through VSBDC. “It’s a great way to explore your idea,” Boudrieau said. “Once you [complete the workshop], all advising is confidential, one-on-one, and at no cost.” The workshop will also help the potential business owner evaluate the idea, identify target customers, and learn how to register a company name, write a business plan, and apply for financing and tax numbers. Vermont Small Business Development Center, a partnership program with the U.S. Small Business Administration, is a nonprofit partnership of government, education and business, organized to help Vermont small businesses succeed. To register for a workshop, visit www.vtsbdc.org and click on the “Training” tab. For more information, email Heather Gonyaw at hgonyaw@vtsbdc.org.