Entrepreneurship Academy

Grow America’s Educational Resource for Small Business Owners

Grow America (formerly NDC), a national leader in community and economic development training, created the Entrepreneurship Academy of virtual and in-person classes to assist small business owners.

In addition to increasing the flow of capital to small business owners we aim to bridge the information divide that often excludes minority small business owners. To that end, we offer classes about the fundamentals of operating businesses and acquiring capital through a robust curriculum.

Cash Reigns Supreme Webinar Series
The two-part Cash Reigns Supreme series is designed to teach small business owners the importance of financial statements and how they can be used to make better business decisions. Participants learn how third parties, including lenders, evaluate financial statements to make lending decisions.

Specific topics include:

•   The importance of maintaining current and accurate financial records
•   Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Statements
•   The importance of CASH
•   Determining your company’s cash needs
•   Cash flow statements and cash flow forecasting
•   Accounting terminology
•   Selecting an accounting system
•   Preparing for growth

Cash Reigns Supreme webinar series and accompanying workbook.

The course follows a case study for Bread for Life, Inc. – based on a small business financed by NDC’s Grow America Fund. You do not need to complete the in-class assignment in the Coursebook you can download it from this webpage – but reading the Bread for Life case study before watching the recorded webinars should help you follow along. Having a calculator, pencils or pens and some scratch paper handy will allow you to analyze the case study’s numbers throughout the webinar.

Download the coursebook

Understanding Financial Statements Webinar Series
The two-part Understanding Financial Statements webinar series is designed to teach small business owners the construction of financial statements and how they are evaluated by investors and lenders to determine creditworthiness for capital access.

Specific topics include:

•   The key components of business credit
•   Sources and uses of cash
•   Determining your company’s debt capacity
•   The importance of the Balance Sheet
•   Profit & Loss Statements
•   Lending and loan terminology
•   Preparing for growth

This interactive series uses live case examples to illustrate key concepts.