By Gwen Green (gagreen@ualr.edu)
Dec. 1, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Military veterans who are aspiring entrepreneurs can take advantage of free small business training from the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center.
Veterans may attend ASBTDC's popular live seminar, "Starting a Business in Arkansas," at no charge, or view the webinar version at ArkansasVeteran.com/start. The program prepares participants for the intensive business planning process by explaining requirements for start-up businesses, keys to success and common pitfalls to avoid.
Instructors from ASBTDC's statewide network of offices lead the three-hour live events. Eleven "Starting" seminars are scheduled around the state in March and April. Locations include Little Rock, Jonesboro, Fayetteville, Hot Springs, Malvern, Nashville, Stuttgart and White Hall. Registration is $30, but the fee is waived for veterans who pre-register. Register today at ArkansasVeteran.com/start.
A shorter webinar of the program is available 24 hours a day online. The Web version, also found at ArkansasVeteran.com/start, is tailored to veterans and features slides and audio narration.
"By offering 'Starting a Business in Arkansas' in person and online, we can assist more active, reserve and retired veterans with their business starts, whether they live in rural Arkansas or serve abroad," said Janet Roderick, ASBTDC state director.
Creating a free ArkansasVeteran.com user account gives veterans access to an additional 20 small business courses at no charge - a $600 value. Focusing on money, management, and marketing, the courses equip potential and current small business owners with real-world tools and information. Go to ArkansasVeteran.com/business/training to get started.
ArkansasVeteran.com is a new Web portal that brings together in one place veterans-related resources, news, information and contacts for active-duty, Reserve, National Guard and retired Arkansas veterans and their families. Launched in January by the ASBTDC, the portal also offers discussion forums, audio and video streaming and content syndication. The project is funded by a grant through the U.S. Small Business Administration's Veterans Assistance and Services Program.
The ASBTDC assists new, existing and innovation-based small businesses. Through a statewide network of seven offices, ASBTDC provides free consulting and market research services plus affordable training to the business community. The ASBTDC is a partnership of the SBA and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business.
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