Business Education Program for Women Entrepreneurs Now Accepting Applications

If you’re a woman who wants to start a business, or if you know a woman longing to be an entrepreneur, it’s time to start making those dreams a reality! Applications are now being accepted for an intensive program of education, business planning, and business counseling for women who want to start their own businesses. The program is offered by the Inland Empire Women’s Business Center, a program of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State San Bernardino in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and sponsored by Citibank. “It’s Your Time: Entrepreneurial Training Series for Women,” offers women education, business counseling, and individual support to help them develop a workable business idea. Participants selected for the program must attend a minimum of 13 workshops, work individually with a business counselor for at least two hours, and write a business plan. The cost to participate is based on income, and ranges from a minimum of $25 to a maximum of $130 for all program services. The program is open to women living in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Three graduating participants will be selected to receive an award to help launch their new ventures. “We know there are women in the Inland Empire who have great business ideas,” said IEWBC director Nicole Kinney. “This program will help them evaluate those ideas and learn how to turn them into a viable business through education, focus, and accountability. Business counselors and mentors help participants focus on the essential elements of business planning and offer real-world experience to guide them through the start-up process.” Applications for “It’s Your Time” are available at the IEWBC website at www.iewbc.org, and must be completed and submitted by Friday, Jan. 8, 2016 at 5 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted. Program orientation for qualified participants will be held on Feb. 8. Participants will have until May 13 to complete the program requirements. The Inland Empire Women’s Business Center, 3780 Market St. in Riverside, is a program of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State San Bernardino. Housed in the College of Business and Public Administration, IECE, which administers the program in collaboration with the U.S. Small Business Administration, is inland Southern California’s leading organization dedicated to supporting and promoting entrepreneurship. The IEWBC provides business counseling, training and mentoring designed for women business owners. The Inland Empire Women’s Business Center hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday by appointment only. For more information, visit the IEWBC website at www.iewbc.org or contact Nicole Kinney at (909) 890-1242. Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, CSUSB is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually. CSUSB is listed among the best colleges and universities in the western United States, according to The Princeton Review, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report and Money Magazine.