New Ventures to help with starting a business

    Starting Sept. 15, Maine Centers for Women, Work, and Community will offer a free 12-week course in business planning.     If you are a new entrepreneur or business owner in the start-up stage, New Ventures will help you create a written business plan from start to finish with feedback from facilitators and fellow entrepreneurs.
    The class will meet each Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Houlton Higher Education Center from Sept.15 through Dec. 15.
    Erica Quin-Easter, trainer for the New Ventures class, said “Creating a written business plan is the key to building a sustainable, successful business and making your business idea ‘shovel-ready’ for banks and other lenders. The New Ventures training will help you research and write your business plan, get comfortable promoting yourself, and launch your business with the tools you need to succeed.”
    The New Ventures Entrepreneurship Training is open to entrepreneurs of all ages, incomes, and business sectors. Men and women are welcome. There is no fee for the training. Class size is limited to 15, and an application and interview are required.
    Applications are due on Thursday, Sept. 10, and individual interviews will be scheduled following the class orientation on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Interested applicants are also strongly encouraged to attend the Introduction to Self-Employment workshop on Tuesday, Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Houlton Higher Education Center.  
    To register for the class or  more information contact Quin-Easter, at 764-0050 or Erica.quineaster@maine.edu.