Entrepreneurship Course for Baby Boomers Coming to Portland

Kauffman FastTrac and AARP to help those over 50  pursue their entrepreneurial dreams

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland-area residents aged 50 and over soon will be able to learn how to more effectively turn their entrepreneurial ideas into business success thanks to a new program from Kauffman FastTrac ^® and AARP. “FastTrac NewVenture ^™ for the Boomer Entrepreneur” is specifically designed to help Baby Boomers who are considering entrepreneurship to hone their unique strengths, experience and expertise in order to start their own businesses.

The 10-week course will meet one evening per week beginning on Sept. 16 at the Avita Business Center, located at 5257 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Portland. In an outreach to its membership, AARP is offering $500 scholarships to 60 aspiring entrepreneurs who were born prior to 1965. Participants may register online at http://avitabiz.affiliate.fasttrac.org/program-event-detail.aspx?peid=Ug3yRTw940epCipDt0lWbA .

  “We believe there is pent-up demand for entrepreneurship education among more mature audiences,” said FastTrac Vice President Michele Markey. “Whether they’re pursuing a lifelong passion, shoring up their retirement accounts, or utilizing skills and experience in a new way, boomer entrepreneurs make big contributions to our economy by creating new businesses and, in turn, new jobs.”

Research shows that since 1996, Americans between the ages of 55 and 64 had a higher rate of entrepreneurial activity than those aged 20 to 34, averaging a rate of entrepreneurial activity roughly one-third larger than their youngest counterparts. To meet these changing demographics, FastTrac NewVenture for the Boomer Entrepreneur is uniquely tailored to help those aged 50 and over:

• Develop a business concept.
• Determine the viability of the business idea.
• Outline the critical steps to launch a successful business.
• Define the company brand.
• Identify potential sources of funding.
• Learn how to manage business functions and develop a culture.

“We’re pleased to partner with Kauffman FastTrac to better serve our members interested in expanding their entrepreneurship business skills,” said Joyce DeMonnin, the outreach director for AARP Oregon. “Through this coursework, they will acquire new insights and tools, explore available resources, and expand their networking opportunities to start and grow successful businesses.”

Kauffman FastTrac is the leading global provider of learning curricula that equip aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with the business skills and insights, tools, resources, and network to start and grow successful businesses. Kauffman FastTrac was created by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation in the United States devoted to entrepreneurship. Visit www.fasttrac.org for more information.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as health care, employment and income security, retirement planning, affordable utilities, and protection from financial abuse. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org.

 

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