The Wichita State University Center for Entrepreneurship -- in partnership with Butler County Economic Development, NetWork Kansas, Augusta Progress Inc. and El Dorado Main Street -- is launching a new entrepreneurial certificate in Butler County, Kan.

"Growing Rural Businesses" will start in September.

To register, go to www.GrowingRuralBusinesses.org or contact Dave Alfaro, director of Butler County Economic Development, at (316) 322-4242 or dalfaro@bucoks.com.

Designed specifically for rural business owners and entrepreneurs, this two-month program provides hands-on, practical solutions and techniques to grow and modernize business ventures in a rural setting.

"In light of the challenging economic times, every business owner and entrepreneur can improve the performance of their businesses by targeting needed upgrades," said Tim Pett, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship.

The program will include small group exercises, case studies and interactive discussions with peers, facilitators and industry experts.

All sessions are held from 8-11:30 a.m. on Fridays from Sept. 7-Nov. 16, at the Public Safety Facility, 2100 N. Ohio in Augusta, Kan.

The cost is $200 for the 11-week series.

"What an incredible opportunity," said Scott Reinecke of Studio 54 in Greensburg. "Over the years I have looked at getting my MBA, but this is actually better because it is so specific to what we are doing as business owners, and they came out to us." 

"Growing Rural Businesses" sessions

• Entrepreneurial Mindset for Small Businesses - Sept. 7
• The Marketing Plan: The Roadmap for Success - Sept. 14
• Strategies and Skills for Contract Relationships - Sept. 21
• Creating Value for Your Customers - Sept. 28
• The Nuts and Bolts of Advertising - Oct. 5
• Basic Sales Techniques and Practices for Selling - Oct. 12
• Fundamental Tactics and Approaches of Merchandising - Oct. 19
• Developing a Comprehensive Promotional Strategy - Oct. 26
• Getting the Best From Others: The Employee Factor - Nov. 2
• Keeping a Financial Focus: Impact on Marketing and Business Operations - Nov. 9
• Bringing it All Together: Developing an Effective Niche Strategy - Nov. 16

"The focus of this program is to help business owners acquire tools to not only survive, but to flourish in a rural environment," said Alfaro. "It is a very hands-on, immediately useful program that is concise and effective."

"Wichita State and the Center for Entrepreneurship have designed an educational tool that combines significant expertise with practical solutions that will increase the capacity of the business owner to adapt to the changing needs of its customer," said Erik Pedersen, director of Entrepreneurship Communities, NetWork Kansas. "It's a win-win scenario that helps create a more entrepreneurial community."

For more information on the program, go to http://www.wichita.edu/j/?1741.