Sixty-two percent of Americans dream of being their own boss, according to a 2018 Vistaprint Study. Despite such high interest in being self-employed, few people make good on these dreams. A handful of perceived obstacles often stand in the way of new entrepreneurs; many are unsure how to manage a new venture’s finances, while others are not as willing to put in the time required to get a new business off the ground. However, lack of know-how is perhaps the most significant barrier of entry between any American and the dream of owning a business.
Here at Elevate, our mission is to encourage new businesses’ innovation while connecting existing organizations with resources to grow. Entrepreneur Katie Haifley is the first Elevate member to utilize ‘The Elevate Lake Land College Initiative’, a key element to the programs offered here at Elevate. The Lake Land College initiative is “designed to provide students with the background to launch and then effectively manage a growing business enterprise successfully.”
Katie says she developed a solid base of business know-how from Lake Land College courses in marketing, accounting, legal, and others relating to entrepreneurship. Her interest in business started when she was young. She enjoys the opportunity to be her own boss, accesses her creativity, and get paid to do something she loves.
When asked how she would encourage potential members of the program to join, Katie remarked, “Go for it, use Elevate because they can help you answer questions you didn’t even know you had!” Utilizing ‘The Lake Land College Initiative’ allows Katie to overcome the ‘know-how’ obstacle present in entrepreneurship while also bypassing any financial concern associated with gaining the knowledge to become self-employed.
Through the ‘Lake Land College Initiative’, Full Members of Elevate are eligible for a 27-credit hour business development certificate tuition waiver through Lake Land College. 15 tuition waivers are made available to Elevate on an annual bases, 5 of which are reserved for graduates of the Class-E Program.
Contact Elevate today or schedule a tour and see if you could be the next member of Elevate to receive a tuition-free business development certificate through Lake Land College.
Contact Us for More Information
Class-E is, “an entrepreneurial development class that aims to educate Coles County high school juniors and seniors.” Click Here to Find Out More!