Small Business Academy to Start Courses Sept. 20

Ventura College’s Small Business Academy, designed to meet the needs of firms with one to 10 employees, will launch a new series of courses next month.

The academy, launched in February with a dozen students, offers eight-week courses covering a variety of business and professional subjects.

Starting Sept. 20 at the college, classes will be held Wednesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. The cost is $215 per student. Instructors are Ventura College faculty members and local business professionals.

Franceen Fallet, the academy’s curriculum director, said topics to be covered include developing a plan or mission statement, organizing a business, selling a service or product, gaining repeat business and financing.

Fallet is a consultant who provides human resource management and training to small and medium-sized companies.

A student in last spring’s series, Maria Arana, proprietor of Arana’s Party Items Etc. in Santa Paula, praised the academy as “a great course. I would recommend it to anyone starting a small business.”

Participants will receive certificates of completion at the end of the session.

For details, call (805) 654-6459.