Cal Powell
Director of Communications for the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences

Aspiring home business owners across the state can now receive free training through workshops offered by University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences Extension agents.

The 90-minute workshops, called “Is Starting a Home-Based Business for You?,” are a new initiative aimed at helping aspiring entrepreneurs start their own businesses and are offered in collaboration with the UGA Small Business Development Center.

“There’s a huge demand for (home business education),” said Michael Rupured, assistant to the dean for FACS Education. “Our vision is to empower these individuals to put their ideas to work.”

The initial workshop is free, and a follow-up workshop that provides instruction on writing a business plan, is also available.

Jackie Ogden, a UGA Extension agent in Chatham County, said she received a “very good response” at the initial workshop in late August. Attendees included a mother-daughter team interested in selling a baked product, artists, jewelers and catering and videography enthusiasts, among others.

“They are getting the very basics of owning a business and seeing if it’s right for them,” Ogden said. “They learn about the rules and laws and regulations and also (are) determining what their passion is, what their product is or what service they want to provide.”

Rupured said agents have been encouraged at the camaraderie that already has formed among the workshop attendees.

“When they get together in these classes, they’re forming these little support groups where ‘We’re going to help each other do this and we’re going to encourage each other and make this happen and be each other’s cheerleaders,’ ” he said.

For more information on the program, visit the FACS Extension page at www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/econ/startabusiness.php Additional information can be found at the Georgia Small Business Development Center website at www.georgiasbdc.org .