WEV’s Self-Employment Training Program to Begin in September

For residents of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, fall means getting back into the routine: vacations are winding down and children are returning to school. For a number of people, September also may signify the realization of a lifelong dream: the joy, hard work and thrill of owning a business, with the help of Women’s Economic Ventures’ intensive Self-Employment Training Program.

WEV’s comprehensive 14-week, 56-hour Self-Employment Training program is targeted to women (also serves men) and provides guidance on how to start, operate or expand a business.

Participants leave the course with a business plan, including a marketing plan, a cash flow projection, an operations plan and a core network to help sustain the business. The program is offered in English and Spanish, and provides week-by-week training in the most important aspects of organizing, financing, marketing and managing a small business.

Topics include finances, marketing and sales, public relations and advertising, legal and insurance issues, record keeping and how to write a business plan. After the 14-week course, SET graduates emerge with the most important tools and resources they need to start or grow a business. There are now more than 1,000 businesses throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties owned and operated by graduates of WEV’s Self-Employment Training program or recipients of small-business loans through WEV.

The Self-Employment Training course is offered twice each year, with classes starting in February and in September. The class runs for 14 consecutive weeks, one night a week for three hours, and includes two full Saturdays. Classes are taught in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and Ventura.

Participants considering the course are required to attend a free one-hour orientation workshop. The orientations offer a complete overview of all of WEV’s programs and services, as well as what will be accomplished through the course.

For more information, call 805.965.6073 or visit www.wevonline.org.

Marjorie Wass of SurfMedia Communications represents Women’s Economic Ventures.