PORT ANGELES — Enrollment is open now for the Plan for Success class to be offered in Sequim beginning next month.
The 10-week business planning class is offered by the North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council (NODC), a nonprofit based in Port Angeles that serves as an economic development district for Clallam and Jefferson counties.
The class is designed to help local entrepreneurs evaluate and plan for a business start-up or expansion, said Karen Affeld, executive director.
It was offered earlier this year in Port Angeles. This series will begin Sept. 10 and meet from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. each Tuesday for 10 weeks at the First Federal branch in the Sequim Village Center at 1201 W. Washington St.
Tuition is $240 per business, which includes a business planning workbook.
“Because our mission is to empower the North Olympic Peninsula to pursue and invest in its own economic and environmental destiny, we are delighted to offer a class that gives local entrepreneurs the tools they need to be successful,” Affeld said in a press release.
The class takes entrepreneurs through all aspects of owning and growing a business, including legal structure, targeting and marketing to customers, cash flow projections, funding sources and accessing capital, Affeld said.
One or two key topics are addressed each week; class participants have interactive discussions with presenters and peers.
At the end of the class, participants will have a completed business plan, Affeld said.
The course instructor, Jim Williams, holds a master’s in business and is focused on sustainable, resilient, regional businesses.
Williams is an ex-Arthur Andersen management consultant, former senior consultant/managing director for WDHB Consulting Group and a Small Business Development Council (SBDC) business consultant.
He was owner of Best Friend Nutrition, a health food store for pets in Sequim, for 14 years until he sold the business in 2017.
Williams teaches a similar class at the Jefferson EDC in Port Townsend.
NODC is offering these classes using financial support from the Port of Port Angeles and Craft3, a non-bank community lender serving Oregon and Washington.
First Federal is making the classroom space available at no charge.
Dr. Jessica West of Clinicare LLC in Port Angeles took the class offered earlier this year.
“Jim’s class gave me the tools to formulate a detailed business plan that helped me acquire a working capital loan from Craft3,” West said.
West acquired the more than 30-year-old walk-in clinic on Front Street in Port Angeles from retiring David Kanters, ARNP, in July.
“The knowledge and skills imparted through classes like Plan for Success are a critical step in accessing capital,” said Erika Lindholm, senior business lender in Craft3’s Port Angeles office.
“I’m thrilled to partner with NODC and the Port to make this resource available to emerging small businesses.”
Sponsorships are being sought for scholarships for entrepreneurs who successfully complete the course.
For information about becoming a sponsor, contact Affeld at 360-477-1593 or karen@noprcd.org.
To register for the course, visit https://planforsuccess.brownpapertickets.com.
For more about NODC, see http://www.noprcd.org.
For more about Craft3, see www.Craft3.org.