Living Your Dream
Real-life experiences for people thinking of starting
a bed and breakfast or a restaurant business.
For many people thinking of starting a new business, few opportunities exist to learn first-hand how to market, operate, or expand the business without placing substantial capital at risk.
The North Carolina Community College System’s Small Business Center Network (SBCN) recently awarded a number of grants to community colleges to develop innovative entrepreneurial training programs. The Small Business Centers at Martin Community College (MCC) and Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (A-B Tech) received a grant to develop a Small Business Micro Incubator project called “Living Your Dream.”
A-B Tech and Martin Community College are now partnering to offer a new program, “Living Your Dream”, that will providereal-life experiences for clients thinking of starting a bed and breakfast or a restaurant business. In addition, the program will generate income for existing businesses and help stimulate growth in North Carolina’s hospitality and tourism industry.
The program, “Living Your Dream,” will establish a network of model businesses that will expose Small Business Center clients to actual work practices, principles, and problems.
Business mentors will be selected based on a formalized credentialing process. Applicants will be screened to ensure they are committed to pursuing a career in one of the available hospitality/tourism business models in the “Living Your Dream” program. The current model available to do a 3-day intensive work study program is The Big Mill, a bed and breakfast located in Williamston, NC. The current restaurant model is offered by locally owned, Savoy, in Asheville NC. Savoy has been recognized for "Excellence in Service" in the Southeast by Sante Magazine, Savoy has been voted Asheville's "People's Choice" for best restaurant at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce's Annual Culinary Showcase four straight years in a row, and consistently sweeps the Best of Show awards.
Registration Program Fee: $550
(3-day work study program)
Additional Links
Savoy - Asheville, NC
For more information, contact Christy Ramm, Small Business Center,
828-254-1921, Ext. 5857 or e-mail at cramm@abtech.edu.
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