Women's Business Development Center to launch ScaleUp Aurora
The Women's Business Development Center (WBDC) headquartered in Chicago has been selected by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to launch a program in Aurora for small businesses currently generating revenues between $150,000 and $500,000 and ready to grow. Called ScaleUp Aurora, the initiative will continue the WBDC's mission of creating jobs and fueling economic growth.
Funded by a contract from the SBA, the program is a proven entrepreneurship education curriculum for growth-oriented entrepreneurs and will offer one-on-one support, mentoring, access to capital and opportunities to build and strengthen connections and networks.
Through a 12-session business course, which is offered at no charge, participants will gain practical skills they can put into action, including a strategic growth plan with customized action items to scale up their businesses to the next level. Accessing capital is critical for growing businesses, and the WBDC will guide business owners on how to become more bankable as well as provide direct lending opportunities to cohort participants as appropriate.
"At the conclusion of the program, participants will have the tools to grow and access to a professional support network and mentors at no cost," said Emilia DiMenco, WBDC president and CEO. "We are working with current community and economic development organizations in Aurora to enhance and support growth opportunities for small business owners."
In addition to meeting the revenue criteria, applicants must have been in business for at least two years and have at least two full-time employees. Applications are available at www.wbdc.org/EstablishedBusinesses/WBDC-Aurora.aspx.
The deadline to apply for the first cohort is Dec. 15, 2014. The program will begin on Jan. 13, 2015 with a kickoff celebration to be held on Jan. 7, 2015. To better serve the market, the WBDC has opened an office at the Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce offices located at 43 W. Galena Blvd. in Aurora.
A nationally recognized economic development center now in its 28th year, the WBDC provides a continuum of business development services to prospective and established women entrepreneurs including counseling, training, financial, certification and procurement assistance in Spanish and English. To learn more about the WBDC or ScaleUp Aurora, call (312) 853-3477 or visit www.WBDC.org.