Ins and Outs of Franchising Covered at SBA-AARP Sponsored Workshops on Aug. 29th

(DES MOINES, Iowa) – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and AARP are collaborating to present two free franchising workshops for prospective small business owners on August 29, in Urbandale and West Des Moines. The workshops will be presented by Blake Martin, a franchise specialist with FranNet and a mentor with the SCORE Omaha Chapter.

The workshops will introduce attendees to the ins and outs of opening a franchise, to the necessary research to determine the best franchise option and to the facts and fiction of the franchisor/franchisee relationship.

The series is offered under SBA and AARP’s Summer of Encore Mentoring initiative targeting entrepreneurs over the age of 50 who want to start or grow their small businesses. The partnership, which began in 2012, has educated and trained over 475,000 existing and promising encore entrepreneurs nationwide.

Surveys have shown that 63 percent of Americans are planning to working during retirement and small business ownership is an attractive option. The events will help to connect entrepreneurs with mentors from SBA’s resource partner network of Small Business Development Centers, SCORE Chapters, Women’s Business Centers and Veteran’s Business Outreach Centers that offer counseling and training at every stage of a business.

The workshops are open to all interested entrepreneurs. To Register: Contact Lori Hackney, Economic Development Specialist - (515) 284-4118 or lori.hackney@sba.gov

Time/Place
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Urbandale Chamber of Commerce, 2830 100th Street, #110, Urbandale, IA 50322

noon - 1:30 p.m.
West Des Moines Council Chambers, 4200 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines, IA 50265

The identical workshops are free, but register is required.  Please identify which workshop you'd like to attend when registering. Light refreshments will be provided.

Co-sponsorship Authorization # 16-6010-123. SBA’s participation in this cosponsored activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.