Philadelphia offers numerous resources for entrepreneurs; however, some outshine others, such as The Wharton School. Not only does Wharton train their students to enter the business world with the knowledge and skills necessary to run a successful company, but they also reach out to existing small businesses and support their endeavors. Wharton has created the Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs, which
“supports and seeds innovation and entrepreneurship globally through teaching, research and outreach to a range of organizations through its many programs, initiatives and research centers. At the same time, Wharton students and alumni are helping to build entrepreneurial enterprises around the world and impacting virtually every industry.”
Wharton truly understands that it is not only important to teach students to be business savvy, but to also nurture the community that they will be entering upon graduating. That being said, one of the many resources that they offer is the Wharton Small Business Development Center, that has
“assisted more than 20,000 small businesses in the greater Philadelphia area as part of its dual mission to provide one-on-one management consulting and affordable business training to entrepreneurs. Most of the Center’s business consultants are recruited from Wharton’s MBA and undergraduate programs. Business training comes in the form of more than 65 courses each year taught by staff and industry experts, many of whom are entrepreneurs themselves.”
I strongly recommended that you take a look at their classes, online resources and one-on-one consulting opportunities. For example, Wharton offers a two session program for “early stage entrepreneurs” that is lead by instructors for only $25 (an invaluable investment). This program offers entrepreneurs the ability to ask questions relating to their business, customized packets of research, assistance in creation of a business plan, review and assessment of the plan, etc. For more information about this program and a calendar of sessions, visit http://whartonsbdc.wharton.upenn.edu/coursedetails.asp?course_id=1
Thanks to Wharton, Philadelphia may soon be known as The City of Business Love.
Alexis Siemons is a freelance writer and creative business consultant living in Philadelphia. She has a passion for language and explores it in her blog, The Lexicon . When not using both hands to feverishly type, she balances a teacup in one while working on her tea blog.
