Rowan-Cabarrus to offer FastTrac program

CONCORD — The Small Business Center at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) will offer the award-winning FastTrac New Venture entrepreneurship program at no cost to displaced workers, beginning March 22. The three-week class will meet at RCCC's Cabarrus Business & Technology Center, in Concord.

Designed for individuals who are serious about starting a small business, the 36-hour FastTrac New Venture course provides real-world tools to help participants develop a business concept and move quickly toward a successful business launch.

Course topics include identifying and reaching a target market, setting financial goals, planning a product or service, and building an effective team.

"The hands-on activities that help participants focus on their particular business idea is the key to the program's nationwide popularity," said Barbara Hall, director of the Small Business Center.

FastTrac New Venture is a program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. Kauffman and the Deluxe Corporation Foundation are donating the program for job seekers in 12 North Carolina counties as part of Gov. Beverly Perdue's economic and workforce recovery initiative.

RCCC will offer the course from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Monday and Wednesdays, March 22 – April 7. Applications are on-line at www.fasttrac.org, or contact Barbara Hall at hallb@rowancabarrus.edu for more information.

The Small Business Center at RCCC is a community-based provider of education, training, counseling, information and referral, assisting entrepreneurs with business ideas and existing small business ventures.

The SBC offers numerous seminars with support from the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce, Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce, the City of Kannapolis, the Rowan Business Alliance, the Small Business & Technology Development Center, and Historic Downtown Salisbury.

SBC seminars cover a broad range of small business topics, including business start ups, business financing, marketing, internet business, business growth and development, taxes, recordkeeping and customer service.

For more information about the SBC and its programs, call RCCC at 704-216-3512, send e-mail to sbc@rowancabarrus.edu, or see the SBC website at www.rowancabarrus.edu/sbc/.