ATTENTION: Registration for classes may close up to fifteen (15) days before the start date. If you have any questions regarding your registration or the status of your class, please reach out to the Non-Credit Registration Desk at (609)570-3311 or email ComEd@mccc.edu for further information. It is also suggested that you do not purchase textbooks untill seven (7) days before the start date of a class to ensure the class is running. Please be sure to check your email up to three (3) days before the start of your class for potential updates.
Entrepreneur-to-Owner Learning Path
🚀 Got a business idea? Ready to make it real?
Go from concept to thriving business with 3 power-packed phases designed to equip you with the knowledge, tools, and mentorship needed to succeed!
Why Follow This Path?
- Progressive learning: Start with the “why” and “what” of your business, then move to “how” to run and expand it.
- Expert guidance: Tap into successful local business founders, plus corporate-level executives for well-rounded insights.
Note: Each phase/course may be taken individually for career development.
🔥Phase 1: Launch Your Vision
Master the art of entrepreneurship & craft a winning business plan with guidance from local startup heroes.
- Primary goal: Help aspiring entrepreneurs develop a viable business idea and create a detailed business plan.
- Target audience: People at the very early stages - those exploring ideas or just getting started.
- Key feature: Emphasis on learning from real-world experience. Classes include guest speakers who’ve successfully launched local businesses.
Intro to Entrepreneurship is your launchpad: great for people with a spark of an idea, needing a roadmap, mentorship, and community connections.
introduction to entrepreneurship
Turn your business idea into a thriving business!
Turn your business idea into a reality! This dynamic, hands-on course introduces the core principles of entrepreneurship while guiding you step-by-step through the process of creating your own business plan. Sessions feature expert guest speakers with real-world experience - successful founders from local ventures like Triumph Brewing Company and Sourland Mountain Spirits - who will share valuable insights into launching and growing a small business.
You'll also gain practical knowledge from specialists in small business law, marketing, financing, and more. Whether you're just beginning to explore entrepreneurship or ready to take the first steps toward launching your own venture, this course provides the tools, mentorship, and inspiration to move forward with confidence.
Course Overview:
- Discover the fundamentals of entrepreneurship
- Explore business ideas and validate your concept
- Learn how to craft a detailed, actionable business plan
- Engage with local entrepreneurs and subject matter experts
- Build your foundation in marketing, law, and finance basics
Introduction to Entrepreneurship is your launchpad: great for people with a spark of an idea, needing a roadmap, mentorship, and community connections.
Offered: Fall
Cost: $275
For further information: comed@mccc.edu
🔥Phase 2: grow your business
Learn to run, grow, and scale your business with expert strategies from Fortune 100 pro.
- Primary goal: Equip current business owners (or those who’ve just launched) with the skills to operate and grow a business.
- Target audience: Those who've already started or are in the process of launching and need operational expertise.
- Key feature: Taught by Fortune 100 executive, it delivers high-level, strategic tools and frameworks for day-to-day business success.
Small business best practices
Continue your entrepreneurial journey with an Essentials Toolkit!
Whether you’re looking to file your paperwork or are a few months into the process, this course gives you the foundation and momentum to turn your LLC into a thriving venture. Going beyond basics to cover core operational, financial, and strategic skills that are often overlooked—but vital, you’ll walk away with an Essentials Toolkit—a set of step-by-step, practical strategies that you can immediately apply to your business venture.
Led by award-winning Fortune 100 executive and startup expert Dr. Loralyn Mears, you'll gain critical knowledge and real-world tools needed to successfully run and grow a small business. These are the skills that business owners need most and typically learn only through experience – but who can afford to make all those mistakes?
Designed for small business owners, in this interactive course you’ll learn how to:
- Manage your finances with confidence
- Use digital tools to streamline operations
- Boost productivity and lead through uncertainty
- Master the essentials of sales and marketing
- Build sustainable, scalable systems
Small Business Best Practices is your growth accelerator: ideal for those already moving and needing proven systems, strategy, and leadership skills to sustain and scale.
Offered: Spring/Summer/Fall
Cost: $195
For further information: comed@mccc.edu
🔥 Phase 3: Master the money game
Develop practical skills to secure funding, track income, manage expenses, and create financial records.
- Primary goal: Empower business owners with the financial skills needed to secure funding, manage cash flow, and make data-driven decisions.
- Target audience: Entrepreneurs and business owners ready to take control of their numbers.
- Key feature: Provides hands-on training in budgeting, financial reporting, and capital raising.
Grant Writing Workshop
Grants are more competitive than ever. To succeed, you need proven strategies to navigate reduced funding availability!
With Dr. Loralyn Mears at the helm - a highly rated instructor with extensive experience in grant writing, business development, and startups - this hands-on workshop provides actionable strategies to secure funding in today’s challenging landscape. Whether you're starting or refining a proposal, you'll learn essential techniques for crafting compelling submissions.
Learn how to analyze successful proposals, write persuasive narratives, and create strong budgets through case studies and interactive sessions. Gain insights on aligning organizational goals with funder priorities and adapting to the evolving grant and government contract environment.
Bring your in-progress grant for expert feedback and personalized guidance.
Offered: Spring/Summer/Fall
Cost: $399
For further information: comed@mccc.edu
"I feel much more comfortable with grant writing essentials now and much better skilled at analyzing and critiquing grant language and structure as well." (Student testimonial.)
"Instructor is very knowledgeable and engaging. Highly recommend!" (Student testimonial.)
Foundations in Bookkeeping/Accounting
This comprehensive course lays the foundation to proficiency in the bookkeeping process: understanding terminology and concepts, recording and analyzing transactions, summarizing the effects, and preparing financial reports at different intervals (Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly). With practical insights from an experienced instructor, this course covers journal entries, debits and credits, and how bookkeepers translate ledger data into financial statements. Students will explore the role of software in managing accounts and, with an emphasis on hands-on experience, the instructor will use real-world scenarios and examples to help students apply their knowledge to their careers. Ideal for aspiring accountants, small business owners, or anyone wanting to improve financial literacy, this course focuses on accuracy and detail to support effective financial decision-making and is the first step towards earning your AIPB Certified Bookkeeper credential.
Offered: Fall
Cost: $1,075
A textbook is required. The instructor will provide details on the first day of class.
For further information: comed@mccc.edu
Bookkeeping Certification Prep.
Required: On-the-job bookkeeping experience or 1 year of college accounting or successful completion of the Foundations in Bookkeeping course.
This comprehensive program provides essential training in bookkeeping to prepare you for the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB) four-part Certified Bookkeeper (CB) national certification exams. Aligned with the AIPB CB syllabus, this career-focused course builds upon fundamental bookkeeping principles to help you manage financial records accurately and with confidence.
You’ll explore key accounting concepts and practices, including the language of business, transaction analysis, and the use of T accounts. The course covers the General Journal and General Ledger, adjusting and closing entries, and the full accounting cycle. You'll also gain hands-on knowledge in managing sales, purchases, payroll, and cash transactions, as well as payroll taxes and reporting requirements. Additional topics include accruals, deferrals, and the preparation of financial statements.
Offered: TBD
Cost: $
Textbook/s: Required and available from: steve@aipb.org
For further information: comed@mccc.edu
Note/s: To become a Certified Bookkeeper (CB) -
Requirement 1: Pass the 4-part national certification exam.
Requirement 2: Demonstrate 2 years’ on-the-job experience as a bookkeeper. This can be completed after passing the national certification exam.
Requirement 3: Sign a Code of Ethics.
To Register for Prometric Tests:
1. Complete the Application for the Certified Bookkeeper (CB) Designation, available in the student handbook.
2. Send the completed form, including payment, to: daniela.jarath@aipb.org
3. After AIPB receives the Application and payment, the student will get their test ID to register themselves for their Prometric tests. (Further details will be provided to enrolled students by the instructor.)
Entrepreneur? Job seeker? Looking to grow your career?
Our courses are your launchpad to success!