Connie Moraw has already started her own business, but she wants help taking it to the next level. Danni Yang recently moved to Temple from China and is still trying to learn the local culture.
Moraw and Yang are among the students who are enrolled in a new entrepreneurship class offered this spring by the Temple College Adult Education and Literacy Department. The target audience for the class is students who are enrolled in the department’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program.
The 10-week class covers such topics as legalizing a business in the state of Texas, creating short-term and long-term business goals, and how to market your business.
“A lot of people want to start a business but don’t know where to begin,” said David Dixon, who serves as a career navigator for the Adult Education and Literacy Department. Rebecca Bradley, director of Adult Education and Literacy, said the class fits into the department’s mission of helping ESL students transition either into higher education or into the workforce.
The class is being taught by Francesca Ramirez, who is a 1997 graduate of Temple College. Ramirez now works for Community Action Inc. in San Marcos, and has taught a similar entrepreneurship class for that organization. Ramirez has started several businesses of her own, including a business called L’Avventura Dolce (The Sweet Adventure) that rents buses for special occasions and takes people on winery tours.
Ramirez said she was inspired to try her hand at entrepreneurship by her aunt, who owns a home health agency. She lived with her aunt in Ohio while she was finishing her undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University.
The class also will have guest speakers such as a representative from the Small Business Development Center that serves Bell County. That representative, Jason Ehler, will teach students how to write a business plan so they can talk to potential lenders in a professional manner. At the final class, everyone will present their business plan.
All the students enrolled in the class have been loaned a tablet computer, and they are learning a variety of Google applications to help them write their business plans and keep good records.
Bradley said her department plans to continue offering the class. Anyone interested in registering for a future session of the class may call 254-298-8632.