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, Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian, in Asheville NC.
Registration Program Fee: $550
(3-day work study program)
Additional Links
Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian - Asheville, NC
- Martin Community College
- Big Mill Bed and Breakfast - Williamston, NC
- Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian - Asheville, NC
For more information, contact Christy Ramm, Small Business Center,
828-254-1921, Ext. 5857 or e-mail at cramm@abtech.edu.
The Community's College, Dedicated To Student Success
