Entrepreneurship Center ShoreVenture Program To Help Eastern Shore

Small Business Owners Unleash Their Potential and Realize Their Dreams

(Easton, MD) - Continuing its effort to help Eastern Shore entrepreneurs and small businesses prosper and grow, the Eastern Shore Entrepreneurship Center (ESEC) will continue its ShoreVenture entrepreneur training series with the expansion the FastTrac® NewVenture™ program at Wor-Wic Community College in January 2013. FastTrac® NewVenture™ is an intensive ten-week course that teaches individuals interested in becoming entrepreneurs how to start a business. Collaborating partners include Maryland Capital Enterprises, Small Business Development Center, and SCORE®,.

The next FastTrac® NewVenture™ session will take place at Wor-Wic Community College in Salisbury one evening a week starting January 24 through March 28, 2013. The program is provided at a reduced cost of $195.00 per participant with a full 100% refund upon satisfactory completion of the program. The refund motivation is the result of grant funding from an area foundation that seeks to encourage individuals to start businesses and help improve the region’s economy and job opportunities.

To date, the FastTrac program has provided more than 300,000 entrepreneurs with the tools and support to enhance and expand their business.

“80 percent of past participants said that they would recommend the FastTrac program to other Business owners,” said Mike Thielke, executive director of ESEC. “FastTrac NewVenture participants not only leave the course with an executable plan to start their business, they also obtain a strong support network of fellow entrepreneurs to share resources, ideas and insights.”

During the course, start-up entrepreneurs create and develop an actionable plan for a business. Members of the Lower, Mid-Shore, and Upper Shore chapters of SCORE® as well as other successful entrepreneurs and experienced business coaches, help facilitate the weekly sessions as well as provide one-on-one assistance and expertise to explore and evaluate new business growth initiatives, such as the introduction of new products and services.

To be eligible to attend the FastTrac NewVenture program, individuals only to have an idea of a business concept and interested in exploring the possibility of starting a business. Participants also need to make a commitment to attend ten sessions – 30 classroom hours in the evening over the course of ten weeks – and complete all course assignments.

For more information and to apply for ShoreVenture courses, please visit www.ShoreVenture.com or call 410-770-9330.

ESEC is a nonprofit organization that works to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem on Maryland’s Eastern Shore through technical assistance, training programs, and improved access to capital.

Maryland Capital Enterprises provides services to self-employed small business owners who are committed to their businesses, but who otherwise lack the collateral or credit history that virtually denies them access to conventional loans and other financial products.

The Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is dedicated to helping individuals establish and expand their business. We accomplish this by providing a variety of management and technical assistance programs designed to help aspiring and existing small business owner.

SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and has been mentoring small business owners for more than forty.