The workshop is designed to provide information on available business resources and deliver practical, hands-on training covering key elements of business practice. Workshop segments will include information on how to start and operate a business, growing an existing business, marketing strategies and resources, financing and other available resources within the Commonwealth.

Although the workshop is offered at no charge, advanced registration is required. Registration information can be found at http://www.rvarc.org/entfair/entexpress/expressregister.html. Please join us to learn why Virginia is among the top states for business. Lists of other Entrepreneur Express Events to be held around Virginia can be found at http://www.vastartup.org. The workshop is FREE but advanced registration is required.

The success of this program is made possible by the collaborative effort of numerous agencies including local, regional, state and federal representation who have partnered with the Virginia Department of Business Assistance. This partnership has allowed the leveraging of resources, the reduction of costs for Virginia and a unified support for entrepreneurs across the state. Their willingness to work collectively has allowed individuals to participate at no charge in practical hands-on training covering key elements of business success. This is your opportunity to network with nearly a dozen resource providers that can help you start and grow your business within the Commonwealth.

Since launching this program in October 2006, over 1,000 entrepreneurs have taken advantage of this workshop series in Southwest Virginia. Today, it is Virginia's signature business outreach program in every part of the state. Several organizations are partnering to offer this event as part of a series of workshops supporting entrepreneurial efforts throughout the Commonwealth, including the Virginia Department of Business Assistance, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, SCORE, the Virginia Economic Developers Association, the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions, the Virginia Business Incubator Association, the Virginia E-Commerce Technology Center; the Virginia Community College System and the Virginia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. For more information contact the Southwest Regional Enterprise Center at 276-236-0435 or Sandy Ratliff at 276-676-3768.