Mountain BizWorks will offer its eight-week Foundations Business Planning Course beginning Monday, March 5, 6-9 p.m. in Hendersonville, N.C.
Since 1989, Mountain BizWorks has trained more than 6,000 entrepreneurs, assisted in the creation of more than 1,300 locally owned businesses, and loaned more than $5.5 million in western North Carolina. These big numbers are made up of individual small business owners who have worked hard over time to find success. One example is Carol Lynn Jackson of Manna Cabanna in Saluda.

Jackson first came to Mountain BizWorks in 2004 with the idea of starting a roadside produce stand. After taking the Foundations Business Planning Course, she implemented the steps of her business plan and opened a produce stand.
Then in 2008, Carol Lynn returned to Mountain BizWorks with a vision of growth. After reworking her plan, her new goal became clear: to open a permanent location. When the Red Caboose on Main Street in Saluda came up for lease, she jumped on the opportunity and gave her customers a shopping environment located on the shaded deck of an old train caboose. Today, Manna Cabanna offers selections of products such as local vegetables, eggs, meats, cheeses, honey, jams and jellies. On Wednesdays in the summer, you can even buy fresh shrimp from Edisto Island, S.C.
The same course that helped Carol Lynn is open to all aspiring and existing business owners in Western North Carolina. The eight-week Foundations Business Planning Course helps entrepreneurs develop a focused business plan. Participants evaluate and estimate start-up and overhead costs, determine profit goals, project cash flow, develop marketing plans and learn about necessary licensing and record keeping. In addition, agriculture-related ventures receive special guidance and information specific to their industry.
Registration is now open for the foundations course beginning on Monday, March 5. To learn more and register, contact Adriana Chavela at adriana@mountainbizworks.org or 828-692-5826.
For more information about Mountain BizWorks, visit www.mountainbizworks.org.
– article submitted
by Jo Ann Miksa-Blackwell