(The three-part class is being offered in Prineville beginning June 28 | Photo courtesy of COCC)
COCC’s Center for Business, Industry & Professional Development is Bringing an In-Person Training to Prineville Beginning June 28
Writing a business plan can be a daunting task. Sue Meyer knows that firsthand — and knows how to coach entrepreneurs through this critical part of business success.
“The number one thing people say about business plans is they’re afraid,” said the assistant director and instructor of the Small Business Development Center at Central Oregon Community College. As an entrepreneur and business owner since 1994, Meyer realizes how important the plan, and process, can be in shaping business success.
“Business Planning Made Easy” is a class Meyer teaches that eases those fears. The three-part training is being offered at COCC’s Prineville campus for the first time, beginning June 28.
Attendees can start from scratch or bring a sketched-out concept in need of finetuning. “We work with what you have,” added Meyer. “We don’t teach in a linear fashion. Participants can move around the plan structure as needed.”
The business-planning software, included with the cost of the class, makes the experience easy with prompts that guide users forward. It’s an appropriate tool and curriculum for all. “Everyone is welcome, from first-time business owners to those pitching an investor,” said Meyer.
The class helps business owners identify their market and forecast sales and expenses. Existing business owners can better manage their operations, ensuring they have the key elements for a viable, achievable enterprise. Cost is $199; register at cocc.edu/cbipd.
“Business Planning Made Easy” is offered as three, three-hour sessions, either in person on campus or via a Zoom option, on Wednesday evenings on June 28, July 12 and July 26. Between classes, Meyer meets with attendees for one-on-one advising. That personalized attention brings an added dynamic to the class. So does the student connection piece.
“The synergy of working with other students can really add to it,” said Keri Podell, program manager at the college’s Center for Business, Industry, and Professional Development. “Participants see what works for others, and create a network that extends beyond the class.”
Meyer’s class is offered through the Small Business Development Center, which about a year ago was integrated into COCC’s new Center for Business, Industry, and Professional Development, a regional workforce resource. The center combines the college’s established small business program with a range of skill-building courses, trainings, licensing and certifications offered throughout Central Oregon on campuses and via Zoom.
For Jake Guynup, who until recently owned Prineville’s Grocery Bandit, COCC’s small business classes helped him increase profitability and ultimately sell his discount and liquidation grocer business. “I had worked in or been around various other businesses but never fully managed one, so I needed to focus on pretty much every aspect of the business,” he said. “I’m surprised by how much poor and mediocre advice and information I had from other people and small business owners. Business is hard enough with good advice and information — with poor information, it’s brutal.”
Explore COCC’s full range of noncredit business course offerings and industry-specific resources at cocc.edu/cbipd, or contact cbipd@cocc.edu or 541-383-7575.
