The Small Business Success Series is offered in Gilmer every spring. It covers making the decision to go into business, insurance requirements, legal business choices, taxes, business plans and financing, marketing, bookkeeping and much more.

The classes are taught by local business owners, attorneys, CPAs and bankers, so not only do you get advice from experts in their fields, but also experts in Gilmer.

“If you are looking to start a small business or learn how to successfully operate a current business, this course is for you,” said Brad Bunt, director of the Kilgore College Small Business Development Center.

“After 14 years of this course being offered in Longview, many people have found the guidance and direction to successfully operate a small business. This course has a high success rate among small business owners,” said Bunt.

Along with the Small Business Success Series, the Kilgore College Small Business Development Center offers a variety of services to the community, including business counseling and the Business Information CEnter. The BIC is a free resource designed to assist small businesses with information on vital aspects of owning and operating a small business.

The Gilmer classes are an 8-week course on various topics of interest to small businesses.

The course is designed to help the person who is already in business, or one who wishes to begin a business.

The course is a step-by-step approach to gain the valujable knowledged needed to begin operation and keep the operation running as smoothly as possible, Bunt said. He described it as a practical approach, rather than a theoretical or academic approach.

The course was designed by Bunt and Sandra Russell, CPA, of Sandra H. Russell, P.C. A certificate of completion will be presented to each student completing all eight courses.

Meetings will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday nights at the Gilmer High School Career and Technology Building, Room 104, at 850 Buffalo St., starting on Feb. 26.

The Gilmer 8-week agenda includes:

• Week 1—Making the Decision to Go Into Business, Tuesday, Feb. 26, Henry Troell, Certified Financial Planner, ChFC.

• Week 2—Insurance Requirements/Choosing the Legal Form in Which the Business Will Operate, March 4, Larry Clemons, CIC/Owner, Brown, Cook & Taylor Insurance; Dwight Brannon, attorney at law.

• Week 3—Planning for a Tax Savings, March 11, Daphne Grimes, CPA.

• Week 4—How to Prepare a Business Plann, March 25, instructor to be announced.

• Week 5—Financing a Small Business, April 1, instructor to be announced.

• Week 6—Bookkeeping Basics, April 8, Daphne Grimes, CPA.

• Week 7—Marketing Your Small Business, April 15, Gary Hegar, owner, Country Mail, Inc.

• Week 8—Beginning Your Business: Start-Up Overview, April 22, Virgil Conner, counselor, Kilgore College SBDC.

Cost of $99 includes eight weeks of instruction, a 298-page entrepreneurial startup guide and all course materials. A limited number of scholarships are available.

To receive more information on this and all SBDC training programs, call the SBDC at (903) 757-5857.