IEDC Course: Entrepreneurial and Small Business Development Strategies

This course is held in partnership with the International Economic Development Council.

This multi-faceted course explores the core aspects of entrepreneurial and small business development including value-add partnerships, technical assistance programs, financing, business incubation and more. Entrepreneurs and small businesses stimulate job creation, develop crucial innovations in both products and services and promote the diversification of the economic base. In this course, you will learn the financial and managerial tools economic developers use to create a climate that encourages entrepreneurial and small business development. Also, practitioners will examine the barriers they face and how communities can leverage their economic development resources to build highly integrated networks to help businesses thrive in the global economy.

Course Highlights:

• Identifying and addressing the needs of entrepreneurs
• Defining urban v. rural-focused entrepreneurial and small business strategies
• Managing technical assistance (e.g., economic gardening) programs
• Development and management of business incubators
• Understanding federal and state government resources (e.g., SBDCs)
• Financing programs including micro-lending, venture capital, and angel networks
• Creating a technical assistance tracking system to measure job growth and etc.