NEW YORK – With the start of the new school year, many small-business owners are about to become students.
Some are brand-new entrepreneurs who want to learn the basics, such as how to use accounting software. Others are veterans who want to learn new skills so they can expand their business.
Owners who want to learn have a wide variety of options. Traditional options like colleges and universities offer courses, but so do trade organizations and chambers of commerce. Some government agencies also have courses.
Lynette Viviani, who owns a public relations firm, will be going to school this fall to learn more about social media and how to use it for marketing. Viviani has taken classes at the City University of New York’s Business Development Institute. She also has taken courses offered by trade groups.
“You have to go out there and learn new things,” said Viviani, whose company, Viviani Associates PR, is in