National program helps entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity
Richard Shok, owner of Charleston based Code One Training Solutions joined 148 entrepreneurs from 36 states, Washington D.C, and Puerto Rico in a graduation last month from the Babson Cohort of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. This national program was created to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing greater access to education, capital, and business support services. The graduates of the program this fall completed the blended online and face-to-face program that delivers intensive entrepreneurship training and practical training from Babson’s business experts and peers, alongside educational teams who teach the 10,000 Small Businesses program at community colleges across the country. The small businesses in this group represent a total of $247M in revenues and over 3,000 jobs from a broad range of industries in manufacturing, construction, retail, services and non-profit organizations. The graduates join over 700 businesses reached through the Babson cohort and over 7,200 businesses served through the program across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and UK.
“We’re proud of our graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative. These entrepreneurs put forth incredible effort to complete this program and we are confident their efforts will continue in growing their businesses. We are excited to watch their many successes,” said Kerry Healey, President of Babson College.
Babson has been partnering with Goldman Sachs and others on the 10,000 Small Businesses program since 2010, and has helped train over 250 faculty and staff who deliver the program primarily at community colleges throughout the United States, as well as through the national blended learning program at Babson College. Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is an investment to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity by providing access to education, capital and business support services.
Starting in September, for 11 weeks, Shok and his cohorts connected with peers and worked together through practical business education delivered through a blend of online and in-person sessions.
“The program is designed to be highly participative, focusing on peer and experiential types of learning – just Babson’s style,” said Babson Professor Patricia Greene, National Academic Director of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and 10,000 Women. “These business owners represent the best of the U.S. economy, growing their businesses, including creating new jobs, in order to continue to strengthen our communities. Nearly 70% of participants increase revenues and 50% create new jobs just six months after graduating.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity that 10,000 Small Businesses program has given me and my business. Through the program I was able to strengthen my entrepreneurial skills, understand new strategies, and to develop long lasting relationships with business owners in a global network of program alumni.” Shok said. “As a local business owner, I am now tasked with putting these skills into action by creating new programs, hiring more staff, and making our community a safer place to live and work.”
Code One Training Solutions, LLC is an American Heart Association training center that provides lifesaving education in CPR and first aid for over 11,000 people each year. Based in Charleston, Code One operates training facilities in South Carolina, Georgia, Connecticut, and Massachusetts with travel teams of instructors that provide training at client facilities throughout the United States. More information about Code One’s Charleston center and available training programs is at www.CodeOneWeb.com
About Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is based on the broadly held view of leading experts that greater access to this combination of education, capital and support services best addresses barriers to growth for small businesses. 10,000 Small Businesses is guided by an Advisory Council on which Babson President Kerry Healey serves and is co-chaired by Goldman Sachs chairman and CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein, Bloomberg L.P. founder, president and CEO, and 108th Mayor of the City of New York Michael R. Bloomberg, Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City’s Dr. Michael Porter. The National Urban League and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are also represented on the Advisory Council, among other groups.
To apply for the 10,000 Small Businesses business and management education program, please visitwww.10KSBapply.com.
About Babson College
Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.