WEDA's programs and
services are divided into three categories: Business Development and
Management, Wealth Building, and Customized Training and Licensing and
are designed to meet the learning, language and cultural needs of its
clientele, as well as the objectives of the organization's supporters
and community stakeholders.
Business Development and Management
- Atlanta Microenterprise Initiative (AMI)
WEDA's
The
Atlanta
Microenterprise Initiative (AMI) – is a
comprehensive, 14-session workshop that helps emerging and new
entrepreneurs learn how to start and manage a successful business, as
well as how to determine funding needs and write a detailed business
plan. Topics covered throughout the workshop series include business
licensing and regulation; marketing, including primary and secondary
research and analyses; business taxes, tax credits and other
incentives; bookkeeping; sales/business development; operations;
contract and equal employment opportunity laws; presentation
skills; and business technology and e-commerce. Class fees
are determined by household income and family size. You must attend
the AMI Orientation in order to be considered for this program.
- Iniciativa para Microempresas de Atlanta (IMA)
IMA is the Spanish-language version of AMI with
topics, objectives and deliverables identical to those of AMI.
- Impuestos Ahora! (Taxes Now!)
Delivered entirely in Spanish, Impuestos Ahora! is a mobile, small
business taxpayer workshop offered on a semi-monthly basis at a variety
of locations throughout the Atlanta, GA metropolitan area. Topics
covered include what constitutes taxable income; compliance and
reporting by business structure (including a discussion of tax forms and
schedules); penalties for tax avoidance; and the importance of obtaining
an Employer Identification Number. Start-up and expansion resources for
small businesses also are discussed.
The Non-Profit Workshop – is designed for social
entrepreneurs that want to establish non-profit businesses and is
delivered in 3 sessions. Session
I: Non Profit Legal Considerations,
discusses the legal and related aspects of forming and
maintaining a non-profit organization. Session
II: Grant Writing Research is delivered in a computer lab and
interactively discusses the grant writing research process and aims at
demystifying common misconceptions about grants and free money for
businesses and non-profits. Session
III: Non
Profit Panel Discussion is a non-profit roundtable where emerging
social entrepreneurs can ask questions to leading figures in the
non-profit sector. Sessions
I & II are presented 3 times a year; Session III is presented once
a year.
WEDA offers one-on-one technical assistance on the
full complement of business disciplines, from basic start-up and
expansion issues like writing a business plan, establishing a
bookkeeping system, developing customer interaction methodologies and
loan packaging, to more complex issues like succession planning,
benefits administration and municipal bid package preparation.
WEDA's technical assistance is provided by a team of
third-party business consultants and is available to any entrepreneur,
regardless of whether they are enrolled in a WEDA
program. Non-WEDA clients, however, are required to pay
for services based on the provider's regular fee schedule.
WEDA is a technical assistance provider for SBA's
Community Express Loan Program. Through a partnership with SBA's Georgia
District Office and Oakland, California-based Innovative Bank,
WEDA originates and packages SBA-guaranteed business loans of
up to $250,000, including those made under the "SOHO" (Small Office /
Home Office) initiative, which provides micro-loans of up to $15,000 to
start-up and expanding businesses. Under the Community Express program,
WEDA
delivers monthly orientations to prospective applicants and provides
technical assistance and related follow-up to loan recipients.
Entrepreneurial Workshops- Provide topical
discussions on a wide variety of subjects related to the new and
aspiring entrepreneur, ranging from "Brand Strategies for Small
Businesses" to " Business Etiquette 101" and
"Business Financial Management" Workshops are presented
periodically
Wealth Building
The Economic Life Skills Series focuses on women's personal financial
management and wealth-building needs, including:
Participants receive training and assistance to develop the skills
necessary to identify and prioritize financial objectives, plan for
short-term, long-term and contingency needs and create and adhere to a
budget.
The ins and outs of retail and consumer credit are covered, along
with strategies to help participants learn to control debt and manage it
wisely.
Fundamental investment principles like risk-reward, basic investment
categories (i.e. stocks, bonds, mutual funds) and market mechanics are
covered in addition to strategies that can be used to help meet
long-term issues like retirement and funding for children's educational
needs.
Customized Training and Licensing
- WEDA-On-Demand provides customized training for medium-
to large-sized groups on the full complement of business /
entrepreneurial and personal financial management disciplines.
- WEDA-Learning licenses its proprietary classroom training
curriculums for use by other organizations that wish to offer such
training. Train-the-trainer sessions are also available.
For inquiries or comments, please e-mail
inquiries@WEDA-atlanta.org
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