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By Rahkia Nance What began as a hobby for Jamie Brower has blossomed into a full-fledged business with the help of a Broome Community College course. Two weeks ago, the Vestal woman completed her "Doing Business As" paperwork with Broome County and is now the owner of Q Cards, a greeting card business. She is one of the first 14 students who will graduate from BCC's Entrepreneurial Assistance Program, designed to help women, minorities, people with disabilities and laid-off workers start businesses in the Southern Tier. Its classes began in November 2005; the first class will graduate tonight. Some students already had businesses, but others, like Brower, took the class with only dreams of starting a business. Initially Brower suggested that her sister take the class, but realized she would benefit from it, too. "I figured it would be a typical BCC course where you go in, take notes and get a lot of information thrown at you," said Brower, 37. "I didn't expect all the different people from the community." Brower had been selling her homemade greeting cards to friends and family, and at arts and crafts shows for the past five years. A Brackney, Pa., store even began carrying her cards. Though her cards were gaining popularity through word of mouth, Brower said she "wasn't in the mindset" to start a business. "(The class) put me on the path to becoming a real business," she said. Seven of the graduates, including Brower, had started businesses before the class ended, ranging from grant-writing services to residential cleaning to bookkeeping. "We want these people to stay in the community and not to seek opportunities outside the area," said Ginny Robert, the program's director. "We want them to at least create an income for themselves and hopefully to employ some other people." The class was designed to fill a need for comprehensive training for small business, Robert said. Currently small-business owners can receive a 20-hour training course at the Small Business Development Center at Binghamton University. BCC's program is a 60-hour course. "I am really proud of myself," Brower said. "I really committed myself to this, and now I have this completed business plan and I can do something with it."
Friday April 14, 2006 JAMIE BROWER Owner Q Cards Age: 37 Links to community: Donates a percentage of business sales to the Entrepreneurial Assistance Program. If I owned a business ... I have a nice solid foundation having graduated from EAP. The most important things I have learned are to really listen and ask questions. If I were mayor ... I would compile a team to visit other small cities where young professionals happily live. Get some fresh ideas from places that are already succeeding in attracting and maintaining the younger generations.
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