Applications now being accepted for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Fall 2014 program

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is now accepting applications for the Fall 2014 program, a $500 million investment to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing them with greater access to education, financial capital and business support services. The program currently operates in 15 markets in the U.S., including New Orleans, through a network of more than 90 academic and community partners. Over 1,200 small business owners have participated and the program continues to expand on a city-by-city basis.

Designed by Babson College, the nation’s top-ranked entrepreneurship school, the curriculum focuses on practical business skills that can immediately be applied by business owners, including negotiation, marketing and employee management.

LRA Member Phil de Gruy of
Phil's Grill in Metairie & New Orleans.

“Being able to identify areas I needed to work on and take steps to get my business on track for growth was an invaluable product of my participation in the program,” said Louisiana Restaurant Association Member Phil de Gruy of Phil’s Grill. “I learned the difference between running a restaurant and running a business.”

The curriculum is organized into nine modules, each of which includes classroom discussion, peer learning exercises, skill building and experiential applications. Classroom activities are complemented by an integrated portfolio of business services, including: one-on-one business advice, legal and financial clinics and networking opportunities.

Criteria to participate in the 10,000 Small Business program are: owner or co-owner of a business; business in operation for at least two years; business revenues between $150,000 and $4 million in the most recent fiscal year; and business with a minimum of four employees.

To get the most out of the program, business owners are asked to invest their time to engage in the following: attend a program orientation; complete 11 convenient learning sessions; participate in out-of-class activities, including completing assignments, attending networking events and business support clinics (approx. 6-8 hours a week); and create a growth plan over the course of the program.

Applications are due by June 16, 2014. For application details, click here. 

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses accepting applications for Summer 2014 class

Program offers practical business training at no cost to participants

The Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) encourages eligible members to apply for the free Summer 2014 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at Delgado Community College. This practical business management education program is aimed at helping existing companies grow revenues and create jobs and is funded through a grant to Delgado through the Goldman Sachs Foundation.

LRA member Phil de Gruy, owner of Phil’s Grill, graduated from the program and has used the knowledge he gain to aid him in his expansion from one location to now three, the latest on Camp Street in the New Orleans Central Business District.

“It’s a really intense business program that teaches you, first and foremost, how to work 'on' your business, not work 'in' your business,” de Gruy said. “I learned how to maximize my restaurant’s position in the market, manage my finances for greater profitability and develop a more accountable and customer-focused staff.”

The best-in-class curriculum was developed in conjunction with Babson College, recognized internationally for its leadership in entrepreneurial business education and focused on offering small business owners a results-oriented program providing the education, skills and means to grow their businesses. If selected, business owners also receive access to a suite of business support services that will help them to develop and implement a business growth plan. Loans are available to qualifying small businesses that lack access to affordable capital or may not quality for traditional sources of credit.

“The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is one that LRA members should seriously consider to help them develop a comprehensive growth plan,” said Stan Harris, LRA President/CEO. “The only cost for the program is the investment of time to attend classes and complete projects. The financial rewards of participating can be substantial.”

Small business owners who demonstrate a commitment to growing their businesses and have been in operation for at least two years, generate revenues in excess of $150,000, and employ at least four individuals (including the owner) are encouraged to apply.

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses accepting applications for 2014 classes

Updated programming offered for early-stage business owners

 

Delgado Community College chancellor Dr. Monty Sullivan announced today that applications are now being accepted for all cohorts of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program scheduled for 2014. The three cohorts (or classes) are scheduled to begin in February, June and September, 2014. The program, aimed at helping existing companies grow revenues and create jobs, is funded through a grant to Delgado Community College through the Goldman Sach Foundation and is no-cost to selected participants.

 

As part of the 2014 schedule, Delgado 10,000 Small Businesses will offer classes designed specifically for business owners who have successfully launched scalable businesses, but who do not yet meet the criteria for the traditional 10,000 Small Businesses program. This session begins in February.
 

Louisiana Restaurant Association member Phil de Gruy, owner of Phil's Grill in Metairie, knew that participating in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program would be an investment in his business's future. He was right! The knowledge de Gruy gained from the intensive business program has helped him maximize his restaurant's position in the market, manage his finances for greater profitability, and develop a more accountable and customer-focused workforce. 

 

 

Last year Delgado Community College and the Goldman Sachs Foundation partnered with The Idea Village to pilot a program geared toward early-stage businesses in the Greater New Orleans area.

 

“Based on the success of this class and a noticeable demand from the local entrepreneurial community, a second cohort for early-stage businesses will be launched in February 2014,” said Carla Coury, 10,000 Small Businesses executive director.

 

Small business owners who demonstrate a commitment to growing their businesses and have been in operation for at least one year, generate revenues in excess of $25,000, and employ at least one person in addition to the owner are encouraged to apply to the early-stage cohort that begins in February.

 

"Being able to identify areas I needed to work on and take steps to put my business on track for growth was an invaluable product of my participation in the program," said de Gruy. "I learned the difference between running a restaurant and running a business."

 

Small business owners who have been in business for two or more years, earn annual revenues in excess of $150,000, and employ four or more employees (including the owner) should apply for the traditional cohorts scheduled to begin in June and September 2014.
 

Since launching the program in 2011, Delgado Community College has served 174 small business owners in the New Orleans/Gulf South region.

 

 

With education programs at community colleges in 10 cities and capital-only programs in 6 states nationwide, the program boasts more than 1700 alumni and a 99 percent graduation rate. Approximately 63 percent of graduates report that they have increased revenues just six months after graduating and 47 percent have created new jobs in the same period. Over 75 percent of all graduates report doing business with one another.

 

 

Delgado Community College works with community-based partners and national business organizations to encourage small businesses to apply for the program and to provide business advice, technical assistance, and networking to program participants. Local partners include Hope Enterprise Corporation, Greater New Orleans Inc., The Idea Village, the Louisiana Small Business Development Center and area chambers of commerce.
 

Participation is free to business owners who are accepted through a competitive application process. 

To download an application or learn more about the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in New Orleans, visit www.dcc.edu/10ksb or call 504-671-5555.