County ED has entrepreneurship seminar

VW County Economic Development information

Late last week in the Van Wert County Board of Commissioners’ conference room, an introduction to entrepreneurship seminar was held free of charge for county residents.

The class is offered by the Ohio Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Rhodes State College and will be conducted regularly through the Van Wert County Economic Development Office.  The free seminar is an introduction to recognizing the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur, assessing personal and business aptitude, and business planning.

Future courses will be scheduled to aid with developing and writing a business plan, establishing organizational structure, filing with the Ohio Secretary of State, education on sales tax and vendor licensing, bookkeeping, and securing financing.

Kathy Keller, certified business advisor and director of the Small Business Development Center at Rhodes State, presented the seminar.

Shelia A. Custer, independent distributor and future small business owner, said she was thankful to the county for providing this service. Custer said she had missed the presentation in Allen County and was able to attend here in Van Wert.

Future business owner Dawn Marshall, who has worked with the SBDC, commented that she would attend any classes made available to them. “We met Craig Brown (SBDC associate) and he was an excellent resource,” Marshall noted. “The SBDC in general has been a great resource to have in the acquisition and development of our new business.”

The SBDC can also assist businesses such as Marshall’s in becoming certified as a woman-owned business.

Van Wert County Economic Development Director Sarah Smith said that it is the county’s goal to make available as many possible resources to local residents to start and grow their businesses here in Van Wert County. Smith is also working with Keller to expand the information into county schools with the SBDC’s youth program.

For more information on attending one of the classes, contact the Van Wert County Economic Development Office at 419.238.6159 or email Smith at sksmith@vanwertcounty.org.