|
An unusual workshop for those interested in turning their ideas into business was held at AUB from August 5 to September 13. It was co-organized and offered by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Indevco Foundation, InfoPro, and AUB. The contents of the workshop, customized as a five-week program designed to assist Lebanese entrepreneurs in developing their own business plans, was based on the previous experience of ESCWA in this field of endeavor. The workshop moderators included AUB Professors Fuad Mrad and Ramsey Hamadeh of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture and Professor Salim Chahine of the Olayan School of Business; A. Mansour and H. Charif of ESCWA; S. Assi and R. Saab of the Lebanese Ministry of Industry; K. Abi Habib of Kafalat; and two private sector consultants, N. Rizk and S. Kaskas. Out of the 36 people who applied for the workshop, 25 were invited to participate. According to what they stated at the beginning of the workshop, the participants expected the program to help them achieve the following goals: Prepare a professional business plan 1. Learn how to market a project 2. Learn the financial and legal steps needed to establish a new business 3. Learn cash flow (financial) analysis 4. Learn negotiations skills 5. Gain general knowledge for starting a business 6. Learn about networking 7. Share ideas 8. Transform an idea into a product 9. Increase chances of success in starting a business 10. Search for talents 11. Access business performance Background Information on Indevco and InfoPro Seeking to work for the return of Lebanese brainpower and capital and help Lebanon’s private sector re-energize its business connections with Lebanese overseas for the benefit of Lebanon’s economic development, Indevco Foundation developed and launched the LIN Business in 2000. By 2002, the nature of requests, the quality of the database, and the real need felt for such services urged the further development of the LIN site by creating a new enhanced version, Lebanon Business Network (LBN), in cooperation with InfoPro, a publishing and market research company specialized in information-based products and services. LBN www.lbn.com.lb, was officially launched in June 2003. As a non-profit, business development vehicle, LBN features an on-line marketplace and a business matching database, identifies opportunities, and creates links between Lebanese entrepreneurs, expatriates, and international businesses. It seeks to introduce Lebanese businesses and individuals to international business opportunities, which can include strategic alliances, joint ventures, related partnerships, and trading. In further realizing the objectives of the LBN project and the Indevco Foundation mission in creating jobs and supporting the socio-economic development of the Lebanese community, LBN was enlarged to cover services for promising innovative business ventures. The challenge facing industrial creativity and innovation can be summarized in one question: How to turn entrepreneurial projects into successful businesses, adding long-term value to the national economy? Evidently, one good answer was to hold a business workshop for Lebanese entrepreneurs.
|
||||||
|
