12 Months To Become Your Own CEO At The Birmingham Public Library

Become your own CEO with the BPL. Flyer design by Lisa Mitchell Smith.

If you have ever thought about starting your own business, plan on attending 12 Months to Become Your Own CEO!

Starting a business is a goal that many people set for themselves. Indeed, the thought of being one's own boss is a widely attractive one because it implies a greater sense of control in determining financial success and personal achievement.

When you run your own business, you decide what products and services you will offer for sale, how you will develop them, what price you will charge for them, and how you will market them. It will also be up to you to determine the amount of effort, and financial resources, you wish to expend on growing and expanding your business.

Certainly, larger economic forces can create unpredictable results for small business owners, but, generally speaking, an entrepreneur's success is mostly determined by that individual's knowledge, skills, initiative, and ability to adapt to changing circumstances. 

Entrepreneurial proficiency, however, is not something that is acquired instinctively. To effectively start a business, one needs to take the time to learn how to develop an idea, navigate the required legal and administrative formation procedures, and investigate sources of funding.

Like all learning endeavors, learning how to start a business occurs best in a supportive environment. That is where the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) comes in. 

12 Months to Become Your Own CEO is a new program series sponsored by the Birmingham Public Library that is open to everyone interested in learning how to start their own business.

The programs will be offered in the Arrington Auditorium at the library's Central location on the last Monday of each month starting in June 2022 and going through May 2023 (except in December 2022 when the class will be held on the first Monday). The class time is 4:30—5:30 p.m. Each program builds on previous ones, so consistent attendance is encouraged. 

The program presenter is a local licensed attorney, Neena Speer. Ms. Speer has professional experience assisting her clients with starting and growing businesses in Birmingham. She is also the author of a series of books that provides advice to new business owners entitled, CEO Rani. 

Registration is required for each of the programs. To register, please visit the Birmingham Public Library's online event calendar at www.cobpl.org/calendar and click on the class date. 

For more information about the series, as well as other small business resources available at the BPL, please contact Jim Murray of the Central Library's Business, Science, and Technology Department by email at jim.murrary@cobpl.org or by phone at 205-226-3640.

By Jim Murray | Librarian Ⅱ, Central Library