Applications for the second offering of the “Help Me Help You” (HMHU) program for small business owners and entrepreneurs at Tusculum College are now being accepted.
The certificate program, in its first year, is supported by Tusculum College and the Greene County Partnership. The first program session is wrapping up in December and the spring semester program will be open at no charge to 25 participants, with classes beginning in January.
“Help Me Help You” is a free small business support program consisting of ten sessions offered through the college’s main campus in Greeneville and will run from January 19 through April 12. The sessions will be held on Thursday evenings from 7-9 p.m.
The Help Me Help You course has been a perfect Christmas present for my business,” said Warren Verity, a participant in the first course and the owner of a local photography studio. “Two big take aways from the class are first, being able to talk through and discuss the business plan in detail. And, second, the HMHU team has been there for me, encouraging, leading, being understanding and providing a much needed kick in the back side. Each team member has had my best interests at heart.”
According to Luis Zamora, a junior business and economics major from Santiago, Chile, the program provides a huge opportunity for students and local small business owners to work and grow together both personally and professionally, all this thanks to community partners that have picked up expenses in order to allow the program to become established. Zamora, who received the award of Academic Freshman of the Year in 2009-10 and the Duffield Award in 2010-11 for being the student-athlete with the highest grade point average, has created the program along with Rodrigo Gimenez, in partnership with the University of Chile (Santiago, Chile).
The program, operated by Tusculum College’s business students and the Bonner Leader Program, is committed to helping its participants increase their profits, create a business plan, expand their network and improve their practical and interpersonal skills through a variety of unique, globally tested activities.
According to Zamora, in addition to the other benefits, each business person joining HMHU will become connected to a network of thousands of small businesses from all over the world through HMHU’s global network.
“The HMHU Program has been a great experience for our business, said Lynette Price, who along with her husband, Eric, owns the Creamy Cup and who participated in Session 1 of the program. “The class came along at the perfect time for us because we were in the process of rebranding our business. Even with our business backgrounds, the program has benefited us by giving us the opportunity to reexamine our methods.”
The final deadline for application is December 31. Please be prepared to provide your name, contact information, the name of business and to provide a brief summary about the applicant, business operation and product or service.
“HMHU was created by young people who believe that we have the capacity of making the change we want to see in the world,” said Zamora. “Because of this, our goal is to help as many entrepreneurs as possible.”
The program has the full support of Tusculum College administration, as well as the School of Business, the Center for Civic Advancement and the Office of Institutional Advancement. The program is also being sponsored financially in its first year due to generous donations from Scott Niswonger, Tom Ferguson and Atmos Energy Corp. Because of this community support, participants in the first year of the program will not be charged a fee.
Through the 10-week program, sessions will focus on market definition, cost administration, pricing, marketing and sales strategies, body language in business, financing, legal issues, negotiation, networking and business presentations.
Registration and additional information are available by calling 423-636-7304 or by emailing lzamora@HMHU.org.