If you’re a woman with a strong desire to get into business for yourself, there’s an opportunity to gain the POWER to do just that. In fact, if selected, you’ll become part of a unique group of entrepreneurial women in the region to gain that POWER thanks to the Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance.
In this case, the POWER is an acronym for the Promoting Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs Program.
Since 2013, more than 25 female entrepreneurs have graduated from the that WBC program armed with the resources and skills necessary to launch and grow a small business.
POWER is an 11-week program available to female entrepreneurs residing in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties who have an idea to open or grow an existing small business. The program offers a comprehensive curriculum focused on the success and sustainability of entrepreneurs at various levels. Courses include business planning, financing, operations planning, and marketing. Regional business professionals, many who are entrepreneurs themselves, teach the classes.
Applications are now open for POWER 2018 and can be downloaded at the link below. Female entrepreneurs interested in applying for this year’s program have until Friday, March 2, 2018, at 4:00pm, to submit their completed application.
The POWER Selection Committee will review completed applications received by the deadline. Individuals meeting the criteria will be invited for a personal interview to discuss entrepreneurial goals. POWER 2018 is accepting up to ten entrepreneurs.
POWER 2018 begins on April 10, 2018, and runs through June 21, 2018. Classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 5:30 to 8:00pm, at the Cornerstone Alliance offices located at 80 W. Main Street in Benton Harbor. The fee is $175. At the end of the program, each participant will have a completed business plan that they will pitch to a panel of local business leaders.
2016 POWER alumna, Erin Bennett who owns Final Design, a custom kitchen and bath design business in St. Joseph, says, “The Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance has encouraged and inspired my dream of opening a kitchen and bath showroom. Going through the POWER program gave me the knowledge and tools to grow my business from a home-based design business into a thriving storefront. I cannot thank them enough for their invaluable support.”
For more information on POWER 2018, contact Dubelsa Mata at (269) 925-6100 or email her at dmata@cstonealliance.org. You can download an application at the link below.
http://files.constantcontact.com/b53cb4c9501/a8177c24-297e-44b6-8d99-a5906dc64e77.pdf
Cornerstone Alliance Small Business Services provides technical, business and financial assistance to small businesses with emphasis on income disadvantaged and women owned businesses. The Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance and Microloan Program are funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
