Houston Community College, in partnership with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is offering Greater Houston small business owners access to a practical business and management education. Accepted applicants will receive a scholarship from the Goldman Sachs Foundation. The scholarship covers the full cost of tuition and program materials.

In order to receive maximum benefit from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses education curriculum, business owners are required to:

  • Attend a mandatory program orientation
  • Attend 11 pre-scheduled learning sessions
  • Commit an additional 6–8 hours per week of out-of-class activities to work on your business. This includes completing assignments, attending networking events and business support clinics
  • Develop a tailored plan for growth prior to graduation

How You Could Benefit From This Program

Participants in the 10,000 Small Businesses program at Houston Community College will benefit from a highly practical, business entrepreneurship education that was created with Babson College, a 10,000 Small Businesses partner recognized internationally for its leadership in entrepreneurial business education.

Practical Business Education: Participants receive a practical business and management education delivered through a partnership between Houston Community College and leading business schools. While enrolled in the program participants develop a customized growth plan for their business.

Access to Capital: Participants are given the opportunity and tools to position their businesses to access loans.

Business Support Services: Participants receive one-on-one business advising from dedicated professionals to help them develop a strategic and tailored plan for growth. Additional support services are offered to participants through partnerships with national and local business organizations, professional services firms and the people of Goldman Sachs.

The curriculum focuses on developing skills that business owners can apply immediately to address the issues most critical to growing their businesses, including:

  • Identifying and evaluating business opportunities;
  • Understanding and managing the competitive business environment;
  • Analyzing financial statements and using them to make management decisions;
  • Accessing financial capital; and
  • Leading a growing business.

Peer learning is critical to the 10,000 Small Businesses classroom experience and, as a result, coursework is highly collaborative and draws upon the real-world experiences of participating small business owners. Participants will be placed into small Growth Groups and work with their teammates for the duration of the program to explore, practice and implement the knowledge and skills they develop and to seize new business opportunities and overcome common challenges to business growth.

In addition to the classroom experience, the 10,000 Small Businesses program will:

  • Provide one-on-one advisory services to help business owners to develop and implement their tailored Growth Plans;
  • Help participants drive growth by preparing their businesses to apply for financing; and
  • Provide networks and mentors to help participants focus on their most critical business issues and increase business capacity.

Locations and Schedule
The upcoming class schedule for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at Houston Community College will begin in June 2013 at the Spring Branch campus located at 1050 W Sam Houston Parkway N, Houston Tx.

The program consists of 100 hours of instruction in addition to evening sessions such as networking events, legal and financial clinics and other business assistance activities.

To view a full list of key dates click here.

 

Who should apply?

  • Applicant must be an owner or co-owner of a business
  • Business in operation for at least two years
  • Business revenues between $150,000 and $4.0 million in the most recent fiscal year
  • Business with a minimum of four employees

 

Questions?

If you’re interested in more information about the 10,000 Small Businesses education program or applying for a 10,000 Small Businesses loan: