City of Auburn and Auburn University partner to offer free workshops for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs

Aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners are invited to upcoming workshops hosted by the City of Auburn in partnership with Auburn University Outreach’s Government and Economic Development Institute, or GEDI, and the Auburn University Harbert College of Business. There are two free workshops to choose from: a single, half-day option; and a five-week, one hour each Monday Zoom series.

The Entrepreneurship Pop-up Workshop is Thursday, Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In this half-day, in-person workshop, small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs can learn to: develop or fine-tune their value propositions, identify market potential, develop a business model, address risks, expand their network of partners and more. Morning refreshments and a working lunch sponsored by AuburnBank will be included. This program is free and is possible in part because of the Auburn University Economic Development Administration, or EDA, University Center Program and the Auburn Chamber of Commerce.

A five-week strategic planning series geared toward current small business owners is offered beginning Monday, Jan. 31. Each Monday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., participants can remotely log in to a virtual workshop that provides a deep dive into strategic planning. This series is interactive and allows for discussion of customized strategies specific to each entrepreneur’s business. In this series, participants can expect: an external analysis (in general, and of industry and competitors); an internal analysis (of the business’ resources and capabilities); evaluation of competitive advantages and business-level strategies, cooperative strategies and external relationships; as well as implementation plans and other fundamentals. This free program is brought to you by Auburn University Harbert College of Business, the City of Auburn and funded by an EDA CARES Grant to the Auburn University EDA University Center Program.

Space is limited, so  participants are encouraged to reserve their seat now. To register for either of these opportunities, visit auburn.edu/outreach/gedi/eda by Tuesday, Jan. 25. For questions, contact 334-501-7377 or cmyers@auburnalabama.org.

Both of these entrepreneurial programs will be led by LaKami Baker, PhD. Baker is an associate professor in Auburn University’s Department of Management and holds the Russell Foundation Professorship in Entrepreneurial Studies in the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University.

David Mixson will be leading the pop-up Workshop with Baker. Mixson currently serves as associate director for the Government and Economic Development Institute at Auburn University. He also serves as Auburn’s EDA University Center director.