ASSETS Elkhart County to offer entrepreneurship training course in January 2008

GOSHEN, Ind. – You may have heard the saying, “People don’t plan to fail; they fail to plan.” Failure from inadequate planning presents a sobering reality for many new business enterprises. Whether someone wants to start a business, be self-employed as an artist, a computer consultant, a baker, a bed-and-breakfast owner or an electrician, or strengthen an existing business, a good business plan and advice from experienced business owners can mean the difference between success and failure.

ASSETS Elkhart County offers practical, experience-based training and support for entrepreneurs interested in starting or expanding a business. The next class is scheduled to begin on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008, and will take place in Goshen. The cost for ASSETS training is $50-$350 depending on household income.

Since its beginning in the fall of 2003, ASSETS Elkhart County has trained more than 100 entrepreneurs and many successful businesses have been developed, launched and strengthened. The ASSETS program was founded by Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), a Christian, nonprofit organization dedicated to working with entrepreneurs in communities around the world.

The program integrates training with individual coaching, assistance in arranging loans, networking opportunities and mentoring. Courses consist of a 12-week, 23-session series of practical classes that walk the entrepreneur through the process of planning for a business launch or for strengthening an existing business. Two-hour classes are held two evenings a week and are taught by community business leaders, professionals and college faculty who help entrepreneurs apply business concepts to the specific needs of their own businesses.

ASSETS has built strong alliances with community development organizations, local chambers of commerce, financial institutions, donors and an emerging ASSETS alumni group.

The ASSETS board of directors includes Jim Alvarez, chair; Chad Horning; Merritt Lehman; Steve Martin; Shelley Moore; Greg Ota and Andy Rohrer. Significant contributions toward ASSETS Elkhart County and its students have been made by members of the Michiana MEDA chapter, key community individuals and several financial institutions.

The program is offered in partnership with the Goshen College Business Department (although the program is not designed for college credit, nor is prior college experience required in order to register). According to Alan Weldy, chair of the Goshen College Business Department, “ASSETS instructors share the importance of a high standard of ethics and values of community responsibility in their business practice. The desired results include independence and empowerment of entrepreneurs, through economic, community and personal development.”

To request more information or a registration packet for ASSETS, call (574) 535-7451 or e-mail assets@goshen.edu.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

###

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.