CARIBOU — An expert on business start ups and entrepreneurial endeavors will be in Caribou and Houlton on Tuesday, Sept. 10 to speak with would-be business owners about the benefits of the Top Gun Prep program of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development. The workshop is sponsored by the Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC).
Don Gooding, executive director of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, vice chair of the Maine Angels and instructor of Innovation Engineering at the University of Southern Maine, will hold an hour-long session at the NMDC Boardroom beginning at 10 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m. at the NMDC office in Houlton at 39 Bangor Road.
Top Gun Prep is a series of online classes, starting on Sept. 18, which will cover products, business models and companies, innovation engineering for entrepreneurs, customer development, start-up market research, entrepreneurial marketing, revenue streams and business model innovation, financials for entrepreneurs, financing your business and final pitch night to potential investors. There will also be networking opportunities and other assistance available to participants.
Officials with NMDC say that the course is particularly well suited for entrepreneurs building scalable innovation-based companies as well as those building small or micro-enterprises. The content will combine important basics with advanced concepts. College students contemplating entrepreneurship will get a great start; while more experienced entrepreneurs will be connected with some of the leading-edge thinking on how to build large, successful, ground-breaking companies.
In addition to tuition, all books and materials will be at no cost to residents of Aroostook and Washington counties.
Funding for the program was secured through USDA Rural Development and the Northern Border Regional Commission.
To attend a meeting with Gooding or for a Top Gun Prep application, contact Rod Thompson as soon as possible at 498-8736, or by e-mail at rthompson@nmdc.org.
