Cumberland, NJ – Starting from the end of June, LAEDA will be delivering its business education programming in Cumberland County. We are proud to partner with the Cumberland Empowerment Zone Corporation (CEZC) for trainings in Vineland, and the Bridgeton Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) for trainings in Bridgeton. 

On June 27th, Jiao Xu, Program Manager of the LAEDA Business Services Center, gave an impassioned seminar titled “Turning Your Hobby Into a Business” at the Sheppard House in Bridgeton, aimed at those makers and crafters who have a product that they have been making and selling, and how to take that hobby to the next step. This was an abridged version of the eight-week official “Turning Your Hobby Into a Business” curriculum. In attendance were a diverse mix of industries – beauty, photography, healthcare, and landscaping. The interactive session introduced the concepts of product development and process, marketing, sales channels, and bookkeeping. The course serves as an introduction to best practices that anyone can implement, even if they are simply making something at home. This event was the first in a series of 5 that we’ll be providing to Bridgeton all the way through the end of this year. 

Another one of LAEDA’s long-time partners, the CEZC, also hosted us earlier this month on July 11th for a training on credit and credit management for entrepreneurs. Business owners and the general public gathered to learn more about credit, its importance, why it fluctuates, and what we can do to maintain or improve our credit. Financial literacy is important not only to entrepreneurs, but every living being. And it is LAEDA’s goal, through these trainings, to spread awareness and accountability when it comes to personal and business finances. The next upcoming training in this series will be centered around networking for small businesses, to be held on August 15th from 6-8PM at the CEZC office.