Southeast Community College is host to a program for local citizens interested in starting a business.
SCC collaborates with Nebraska Business Development Center, National Business Incubation Association, Service Corp of Retired Business Executives, Nebraska Business Development Center Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Community Development Resources, WasteCap Nebraska, and Alice’s Integrity Loan Fund, just to name a few.
Together with sponsors and a Business Incubation Program, SCC currently supports 15 business startups. Seven are purely online and eight utilize the low-rent facility offered by the college located on North 65th Street in Lincoln.
Over a three-year period, participants are schooled in business law, financial responsibility, administration and management. Most of the program entrants end up with the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Business Administration with an Entrepreneurship Focus. Into the second year of the program students are encouraged to open for business.
Each business start-up is given access to free legal counsel by one of several volunteer attorneys from around the Lincoln metro area.
Students are involved with the entire process of opening their own business; they apply for required permits and look at local demographics thru surveys and consultants. No stone is left unturned to ensure a successful beginning.
The Service Corp of Retired Business Executives provides years of business experience to the fledgling entrepreneurs. These retired executives, many of whom ran successful businesses right here in Lincoln, provide counseling and advice free of charge.
Entrepreneurship Program Director Tim Mitten says, “Our mission is to build communities and businesses. We do it through academics, research and outreach initiative. We want to encourage the Entrepreneurial spirit and work with any entrepreneur at any age.”
The Mission, according to education specialist Linda Hartman, is “To discover and Develop the talents of individuals in order to enhance business and community through the creation and development of academic, research, outreach and support initiatives that encourage the spirit of Entrepreneurship and support Entrepreneurs of all ages.”
Students who want to apply for admission to this program need to follow the general admission procedure for SCC.
Applications for business incubation can begin online at www.southeast.edu/Entrepreneurship