The Economic and Business Engagement Center will be having another LaunchU Startup Training class at Southeast.

The three-week course begins March 26. Enrollment can be done online at engage.semo.edu by filling out an application.There is also a partial scholarship sponsored by Isle Casino Cape Girardeau. The class, limited to 20 students, is $175, but $99 with the scholarship. Scholarships are first come first serve.

LaunchU helps local entrepreneurs get on the right track with developing a feasible business plan. It's a need the instructors at the center have noticed since its opening in 2006.

LaunchU helps provide entrepreneurs a business background they might not have based on their experience.

At the end of the course, students will be given the opportunity to win a $500 cash prize by giving a five- minute presentation of their idea and business plan and holding a question-and-answer session in front of a panel of professionals who score and decide on a winner.

Gabrielle Penca, the project coordinator at Economic and Business Engagement Center, handles marketing and training efforts, as well as secures sponsorships and recruits participants.

“It’s a time commitment both in class as well as outside of the class,” Penca said.

They also have guest speakers who are experts in marketing, accounting, legality and capital access.

These professionals help with important information and provide the students with one-on-one coaching. This is also a networking opportunity for students.

There are also counselors who work with the small business development center to give students one-on-one counseling to help shape their ideas and test them to make sure they are feasible before they begin the class.

Since opening, the Engagement Center has updated its plan for students to succeed by adding the Live Plan Tool, a cloud-based business planning software. It helps students formulate their plans and work from home.

Jocelyn Anderson, a LaunchU graduate and business owner of Bloom Studio & Gifts in downtown Cape Girardeau, took the course in 2016 after hearing about it from her husband.

“I’ve always wanted to own my own business, and I just got to the point where I was ready to start putting together an actual idea, and I knew I needed a business plan, but I just didn’t know what all the components were that I needed,” Anderson said.

Anderson thought this class was beneficial in many ways, from the one-on-one experiences to the professional guest speakers.

“That was really helpful because the accountant and having lawyers, that was just something I didn’t know anything about. I also left that class having contacts with those professionals if I wanted to utilize their services,” Anderson said.

For Anderson, the Engagement Center was not just a launching class; it was a continual support system because she knows if she ever needs extra help when it comes to business, they will be there to help. She recommends this class to anyone looking into starting a business.

“If you are wanting to start your own business, it’s just a great launching point even if you don’t see your business plan through,” Anderson said.