Community Development

Building a Sustainable Rural Business

Have you thought about starting your own business? Perhaps you have already started a new business and now you need to move it up a notch. This business course is a guide to developing a business plan for rural businesses whether it is manufacturing, retail, online or farming.

A business plan helps entrepreneurs demonstrate they have fully researched their proposed business, that they know how to build their product line and provide excellent customer service, that they know how to sell their products and that they know how to manage financial risk.

To develop a detailed marketing plan you must thoroughly understand your business, your target audience, your industry and your company's position in that industry. At the conclusion of this class you will have a written, detailed plan for your business that covers the structure of business, your product, marketing and financing. You will have the opportunity to work with legal, marketing and finance experts so that at the end of the course you will know how to access resources to help you start and build your business.

The course will include presentations on business planning, worksheets to develop the business plan, and guest speakers on core issues such as legal matters and financial risk.

For more information and to find out when the next course is contact Al Kowitz at 684-2588 or akowitz@wsu.edu.

Business Ideas