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The city of Blaine and Western Washington University’s Small Business Development Center are offering five scholarships to local Blaine businesses for Launch and Build Your Business, a course dedicated to helping local residents start a new business or grow their existing business.

The class is being held through Whatcom Community College's Community and Continuing Education program, and will feature self-paced online content and bi-weekly live workshops facilitated by Jennifer Shelton, director of the SBDC at Western, and Heather McKendry, program manager of the Northwest Innovation Resource Center. Classes begin September 24^th, and last through December 3^rd.Ìý

The program is intended for those who would like to learn the basics of running a small business. Content will include the fundamentals of successfully managing a business and the development of a complete and effective business plan. Enrollment in the course includes three textbooks, access to Palo Alto Software’s Start, Run & Grow Your Business Curriculum online, a six-month subscription to Business Plan Pro’s LivePlan program to create a business plan, and six in-person class sessions.

To be eligible for a scholarship, businesses must be based in Blaine or must plan to open in Blaine. Businesses must be full-time operations and not a hobby business. Businesses can apply by filling out and returning the scholarship application form, available from ²ÝÁñÉçÇø’s Small Business Development Center.

How to Apply:

Scholarship applications can be obtained through ²ÝÁñÉçÇø’s Small Business Development Center, located at 115 Unity St. Ste 101, Bellingham, WA, via phone at (360) 778-1762, or email at SBDC@wwu.edu.Ìý

Western Washington University’s Small Business Development Center is part of the most comprehensive small-business alliance in the U.S., with more than 1,000 active SBDC programs across the country. Western’s SBDC receives support from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Whatcom County, the Port of Bellingham, and the City of Bellingham. Since 1983, Western’s Small Business Development Center has given back to the business community and helped to shape the economic future of Whatcom County by providing free, confidential advising, technical assistance, and research to business owners and managers in an effort to help businesses thrive.