News

In the last semester a group of 12 students from St. Augustine College participated in a "Small Business Coaching, Management and Green Practices Training" offered by the Institute for Workforce Education (IWE). These students received their certificate of completion for the program. The purpose of this training is to enhance student's knowledge and expose them to real life situations in the fields of accounting, business, marketing and business management. 

They recently graduated this semester with their Associates degree in Business and/or Accounting and were offered the opportunity to participate in our intensive Coaching program. Obtaining an opportunity to grow professionally and learning best business practices.

Like a soccer coach, a small business coach hmorales@iwe.staugustine.edu works on bringing out the best that is already inside the businesses or the team. Small business coaches focus on the "bigger picture" by helping the entrepreneurs reaching their goals for their business and keep them motivated to move forward on their vision, and achieve their long term goals.

As an analogy, the small business coach will help the entrepreneurs understand how their soccer team is performing, and help them determine what's holding them back from winning, or playing along to win the next game.

The net result of small business coaching is that coaches help create a business plan to move forward and the businesses provide support to execute the plan.

Students in this training have the opportunity to learn, small business marketing, branding, strategic planning, workplace security, green practices and how to start a business. They learn time management skills and better marketing techniques.  The focus of small business coaching is to get a project done that will enhance the businesses based on its needs, as well as time constraints and deadlines.

As one small business coach mentioned to a small business owner "I could offer my advice and expertise when you need it, motivation and brainstorming when you are stuck, and vision to build your business to the highest potential".

In the picture, some participants of the "Small Business Coaching, Management and Green Practices" that graduated in May 2011. 

From left to right: Estela Apac, Guadalupe Ceniceros, Roberto Espino, Jose Garcia, business graduate, Viviana Gonzalez, Raul Hernandez, Heliodoro Jimenez, Crystal Lopez, not included in the picture Elia Montes, Franklin Batista, Gloria Feliciano and Julia Farfan.

If you are interested in becoming a Small Business Coach please contact Honorio Morales at hmorales@iwe.staugustine.edu or St. Augustine College; Career and Transfer Center, 1345 West Argyle, Chicago IL 60640, phone 773-878-3780.