Starting a business? Find the right training program

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There are more start-up training programs than ever before. But where do you turn to find the one that best matches your entrepreneurial profile? Here are some tips.

After a lot of thought, you’ve decided to quit your job to finally make your dream of starting a business a reality. Your experience means that you probably don’t have the same needs as new graduates. But do you have all the knowledge required to manage your business?

“The offer has evolved over the last few years and now allows all types of entrepreneurs to gain the necessary tools through training in a format that suits them,” notes Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, who created a directory of start-up training programs in Québec through its Info Entrepreneurs service.

Entrepreneurship: from A to Z!

If you have no idea how to conduct a market study or write your business plan, you will likely benefit from a training program that will support you and teach you the basics of starting a business.

For example, the 330-hour Attestation of Vocational Specialization (AVS) Starting a Business is offered online and throughout the province in several vocational centres and other organizations associated with entrepreneurship. Funded by the Québec Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur, this program is a financially interesting option.

Several organizations have also developed their own training program, in a variety of different formats. For example, the École d’entrepreneuriat de Québec created the intensive six-month Creation program offered in the evenings for those who want to set up their business project in six to twelve months.

For its part, the Académie de l’entrepreneurship in Longueuil opted for a weekly evening course formula for its start-up program.

Highly targeted training programs

If you are already well on the road to implementing your entrepreneurial project, but could use help with certain specific concepts, there are a variety of available targeted training programs.

For example, the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal offers several short training workshops on topics such as filing taxes as a self-employed worker, marketing on Facebook, and the legal aspects of HR management.

“In general, an entrepreneur signs up for this type of training to meet an immediate, concrete need,” explains Michel Leblanc.

Organizations that support entrepreneurship generally also offer these types of training programs, like the École des entrepreneurs in Montréal. It offers various workshops on, for example, shareholder agreements, financing growth, and setting up crowdfunding campaigns.

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