Riverside, CA – Applications are now being accepted for an intensive program of education, business planning, and business counseling for women who want to start their own businesses or expand an existing business. The program is offered by the Inland Empire Women’s Business Center, a program of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State San Bernardino in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and sponsored by Citibank. 

“It’s Your Time: Entrepreneurial Training Series for Women,” offers women education, business counseling, and individual support to help them develop a workable business idea or improve an existing business. Participants selected for the program must attend a minimum of 10 workshops, work individually with a business counselor for at least two hours, and write a business plan. The cost to participate is based on income, and ranges from a minimum of $25 to a maximum of $130 for all program services. The program is open to women living in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Three graduating participants will be selected to receive an award to help launch their new ventures.

Applications for “It’s Your Time” are available at the IEWBC website at www.iewbc.org, and must be completed and submitted by Friday, Jan. 20, 2017 at 5 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted. Program orientation for qualified participants will be held on Feb.6, and they will have until early May to complete the program requirements.

The Inland Empire Women’s Business Center, 3780 Market St. in Riverside, is a program of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State San Bernardino.  Housed in the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration, IECE, which administers the program in collaboration with the U.S. Small Business Administration, is inland Southern California’s leading organization dedicated to supporting and promoting entrepreneurship. The IEWBC provides business counseling, training and mentoring designed for women business owners. 

The Inland Empire Women’s Business Center hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday by appointment only. For more information, visit the IEWBC website at www.iewbc.org or contact Michelle Skiljan at (909) 890-1242.

Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, CSUSB is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually. CSUSB is listed among the best colleges and universities in the western United States, according to The Princeton Review, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report and Money Magazine.

For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.