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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – Montevallo Main Street, in collaboration with CO.STARTERS, is gearing up for its fall 2024 cohort, inviting entrepreneurs to join in and develop their ideas alongside other aspiring business owners.

Set to take place at the University of Montevallo’s Michael E. Stephens College of Business, the nine-week business development course promises to equip participants with essential tools and insights toward transforming their fledgling ideas into thriving businesses.

The fall cohort will officially begin on Tuesday, August 27 and will then convene every Tuesday evening from 6-9 p.m. culminating on Oct. 22 with a class celebration on Oct. 24.

Participation in the course will cost $99 per person and organizers encourage those who are interested to register sooner rather than later due to the limited size of the program’s roster.

CO.STARTERS Core, known for its collaborative and facilitator-led approach, accommodates 10-15 participants per cohort. There, the program seeks to empower entrepreneurs to refine their business concepts by critically examining every part of them and determining next steps through real-time feedback from people in the community.

According to program organizers, there are only three main prerequisites to join the program, which are as follows:

•  Have an idea for a business
•  Be willing to question, shape and fine-tune that idea
•  Be willing to talk about the idea with others

“This approach enables entrepreneurs to rapidly uncover flaws in their concepts and find viable models more quickly,” read a description of the program. “Participants leave the program with a deeper understanding of how to create a sustainable business, articulate their models and repeat the process with the next great idea.”

The cohort is supported by lead sponsor Cawaco RC&D, alongside Spring Creek Investments, LLC, Alabama Custom Trailer and RV, LLC and other community partners. Additional sponsorship opportunities for the Fall 2024 cohort are still available for interested businesses.

Those interested may register for the class at Forms.gle/N5fzT6vws9ZyCpcHA.

Those seeking more information about CO.STARTERS, and its relationship with the city of Montevallo, can visit Cityofmontevallo.com/CO.STARTERS.aspx.