Music lessons: how can this nonprofit rock camp for girls keep rolling? The experts compare notes

Entrepreneur, Dec, 2002 by Nichole L. Torres

NEED A CRASH COURSE IN ENTREPREneurship? Check out the online classroom at the SBA Web site (www.sba.gov/classroom), where you can learn all about the ins and outs of starting and running your own business. According to James O'Connor, director of the Office of e-Small Business at the SBA, "The [class] is comprehensive and easy to use."

This free, interactive class offers specific sections ranging from basic start-up information--such as deciding what kind of business to launch--to detailed lessons on accounting and cash flow. More than just a series of articles, the class reads like an interesting textbook--complete with charts and quizzes at the end of each section.

O'Connor also notes that the class has already received rave reviews from organizations such as SCORE and small-business schools across the nation. Formed as a joint effort with My Own Business Inc. (www.myownbusiness.org), a nonprofit entrepreneurial education organization in Los Angeles, the 12-session class will soon feature chat auditoriums and interaction between students and business experts.

This online class is pioneering what O'Connor hopes will be a big step forward for entrepreneurial education at the SBA. "We hope to create an [entire] e-learning portal," he says. For more information, call (800) U-ASK-SBA.