South Suburban College Partners with SCORE on Small Business Workshops

Deborah Bayliss | As of Friday, January 23, 2015

Once a small business is up and running, developing a "branding" campaign is key, however, that is sometimes easier said than done. That is why South Suburban College’s Business & Career Institute and SCORE are offering free business workshops geared for entrepreneurs and owners. 

Coming up with ideas for a business is the easy part; executing the idea requires business acumen and strategy.  Most entrepreneurs focus more on the ideas and less on how to organize for action, according to SCORE representatives. 

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South Suburban College is offering a two-part workshop–Taking Your Business Idea from Concept to Reality–Jan. 21st and Jan. 28th at the college’s Oak Forest Center, 16333 S. Kilbourn Ave. Attendees can attend one or both of the free workshops geared towards helping their business grow and can also take advantage of the networking opportunities.

SCORE (Service Corp of Retired Executives), an organization made up of business experts with first-hand knowledge about the demands of new business development, provides workshops, mentoring and consulting to small businesses. SCORE experts volunteer their time to help people who are considering going into business and need help to make it happen.

The two-part workshop–Taking Your Business Idea from Concept to Reality–is offered Jan. 21st and Jan. 28th at the college’s Oak Forest Center, 16333 S. Kilbourn Ave.

Attendees can attend one or both of the free workshops geared towards helping their business grow and can also take advantage of the networking opportunities.

Registration and networking at SCORE workshops begin at 8:45 a.m., with instruction and discussion to follow from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 

The first session is intended to stimulate ideas into business actions.  Attendees will receive information on how to examine and develop an action plan document.  The second session the following week is an open panel discussion of selected summaries, also intended to stimulate business thinking. 

Entrepreneurs however, need to be aware of unscrupulous lenders when searching for funds to start their business.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel addressed the issue by with the launch of a new campaign to help business owners avoid predatory lending practices.

In recent months, Business-to-Business (B2B) lending companies like Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) have accelerated their marketing efforts, resulting in numerous small businesses taking loans they cannot afford, according to information provided by the mayor’s office. The City’s new campaign is designed to help educate small businesses on MCAs and inform them about city programs like Capital Access Centers (CACs) and the Chicago Microlending Institute (CMI) that offer financial counseling and affordable loans.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and their success is important for Chicago’s economic future,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Access to capital is a priory for our small businesses, but it has to be affordable and we need to ensure that businesses understand what programs are available to them and how to protect themselves as they grow.”

In Oct., 2014, the City established Capital Access Centers (CAC) to help small businesses better understand all of their loan options, and also improve their credit in order to obtain a more affordable loan. The CACs can connect businesses to the right lender and also serve as an advocate in the lending process. CAC works primarily with small businesses seeking loans between $25,000 and $250,000.

For more information, please visit the City of Chicago website at www.cityofchicago.org/businessloans.

To register for the small business workshops at South Suburban College, please call Carmen Garcia at (708) 596-2000, extension 2663.  For more information, email NBurrows@ssc.edu.

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