What a concept! College programs help entrepreneurs' ideas to become realityChris McGowan, a 31-year-old software developer, turned an idea into eTravelogue.com, a road trip-planning Web site. And with the help of an entrepreneur business class he took at North Shore Community College, his Web site is in the process of becoming what he hopes will be a profitable business. "My short-term goal is to turn the site into my full-time job,'' he said. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 10 million people in the United States were self-employed in 2004. North Shore Community College and other Boston-area colleges have courses designed for the self-employed, specifically those who run or are considering running their own business. McGowan enrolled in NSCC's Planning the Entrepreneurial Venture course. "The class teaches you what you need to plan and start a business,'' he said. ``It also goes over funding options.'' According to Dianne Palter Gill, dean of corporate and community education at North Shore Community College, the class is offered as a free half-day seminar in September, October and November. McGowan said the course taught him how to apply for a Small Business Administration loan, which is government-backed. If the borrower were to default, the government would pay the difference. "Without the class, I would have had a difficult time getting funding (to start eTravelogue.com),'' he said. McGowan also learned how to develop a relationship with the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center. The MSBDC is a federal- and state-sponsored program designed to provide counseling and training for small businesses throughout the state. Last year, the program helped companies raise $50 million, according to Margaret Somer, director of UMass Boston Small Business Development Center & Minority Business Center. The UMass Boston SBDC is one of six small business centers in the state. Others include Boston College, Clark University, Salem State College, UMass Dartmouth and UMass Amherst. Somer said the program helps a company raise money and design a business plan. The program also offers business workshops and courses. Approximately 30 work shops are held each month, she said. Somer said courses are open to everyone. ``Last year we had 640 people enrolled in the (UMass Boston SBDC) program,'' she said. ``We've doubled every year for the last four years.'' Rick Reeder, a 57-year-old architect from Winchester, used the UMass Boston SBDC to launch So Works, a business that designs and builds bollards. Bollards are a form of perimeter security intended to stop vehicles from passing through an area, but allow for pedestrian access. "Our unique pitch is to design contemporary and modern-style bollards,'' he said. Reeder is one of four people involved in the project. "After Sept. 11, (2001), the (Fleet Bank headquarters in Boston) asked me to design security for the interior lobbies,'' he said. ``Then they asked me to design security for the perimeter (of the building).'' Reeder designed his own bollards and found three other people to build them. After his success at Fleet, he was presented with a second job offer. "I said, `I think we've got something here,' '' he added. ``Let's form a company and run with it.'' Reeder said he enrolled in a program on quick books to learn how to use accounting software. Although he doesn't plan to do his own accounting, Reeder said he wanted to understand the process and terminology. "We really hope (So Works) will turn into a successful part-time job,'' he said. McGowan hopes for similar success with his site and urges people interested in starting a business to seek out courses. "You don't necessarily need (a business degree),'' he said, ``but it wouldn't hurt.'' Gibbs College offers business courses for students who are working toward an associate's degree. "Our value is in our tradition of academic excellence,'' said Ida Zecco, vice president of admissions at Gibbs College. ``We have small classes, academic mentors and a great student services department.'' Zecco said most students enrolled at Gibbs are looking for job placement within a company. Still, Zecco said the classes form the ``foundation of knowledge to run any business.'' Zecco said the school offers day and evening classes. Courses begin four times a year - once in January, April, July and October. "If you want to run a business well, this is a degree that will help you do that,'' she said. Palter Gill said NSCC also has classes in accounting, financial software and bookkeeping on the computer, among others. Courses are offered at NSCC campuses in Lynn, Danvers and Beverly (Cummings Center). From the Boston Herald
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