NxLevel class helps entrepreneurs with fundamentals of new business

The Nevada Small Business Development Center's NxLevel program continues to be a major tool for business entrepreneurs.

Nxlevel, a 13-week class offered by the NSBDC, provides business knowledge in a variety of topics to aspiring or current entrepreneurs.

Topics range from learning to market a business to management of the business.

Each week, guest speakers who are experts on a topic are brought to discuss their expertise.

This spring's course will offered on Wednesday evenings from Feb.

11 through May 5 at the University of Nevada, Reno's William Raggio Building.

The course fee is $350, which covers course materials and one-on-one counseling between students and instructors and guest speakers.

The NSBDC's state training director, Kathy Carrico, who oversees the NxLevel program, said the program would normally cost somewhere around $1,500.

The NSBDC is able to offer NxLevel at a low rate because it receives a $25,000 grant from Citibank to support the program.

Carrico said a record 30 students completed the course in its most recent session last fall.

In recent sessions, the program was offered in locations in Reno, Carson City and Winnemucca.

However, this time around, it will only be conducted the UNR campus because of a small turnout of registered students at the other locations.

The program will also be geared more to existing entrepreneurs as opposed to previous courses where the main focus was learning to start a business.

Carrico said that a number of entrepreneurs were enrolling in the course because they were simply overwhelmed by the aspects of running their business.

Carrico added that the NxLevel curriculum, which is also offered in 40 other states, is updated every two years to keep pace with advances in the business world, such as technological innovations and changes in business law.

Carrico said that the money spent taking the NxLevel will turn out to be a great investment in company's future She noted that it is also a excellent networking opportunity for students.

"If you invest a bit of time and money (right now), then that money is almost certain to eventually come back to you," Carrico said.

For more information about Nxlevel, contact Kathy Carrico at the Nevada Small Business Development Center at (775) 784-6879 or go online at www.nxlevel.org or at www.

nsbdc.org.