FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Fresno Pacific University’s Center for Community Transformation is gearing up to give small business owners expert training on a variety of targeted topics.<\/p>\n
The Entrepreneurship Program Coordinator, Gladys Martinez, says the new “Rural Ignite Business Accelerator<\/a>” program is open to anyone and everyone.<\/p>\n “It’s a great opportunity, especially for any rural business that wants to start or accelerate their business. We really want to help support and give them the tools and resources for them to grow their business,” Martinez said.<\/p>\n The concept came to life last year as the CCT launched the Rural Business Development Initiative.<\/p>\n “We started off with some roundtable discussions, some workshops and identified some opportunities for businesses to be able to accelerate their business, and that’s what the rural business accelerator ignite is made up of,” Martinez said.<\/p>\n The program offers five different learning tracks: Business Finance Foundations, Culinary Pathways, Sales Through Service, Branding\/Marketing\/Message and Nonprofit Catalyst.<\/p>\n Each track is four weeks long.<\/p>\n Participants can sign up for one track or all of them, completely free of charge.<\/p>\n Martinez says it will help entrepreneurs gain new perspectives and insights.<\/p>\n “I think it’s a way for them to be able to see their business through a different lens and how to accelerate it,” Martinez said.<\/p>\n She says that by the end of the four weeks, they want entrepreneurs to move forward with confidence.<\/p>\n “We are hoping they walk away with the tools and the resources necessary to be able to accelerate their business to the next level,” Martinez said.<\/p>\n Sessions beginning this week in Reedley are full, but in-person sessions in Selma begin in March, and online sessions begin in June.<\/p>\n You can find more information and register for an upcoming session by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n CCT also offers the Launchpad program<\/a> that aims to make people’s dreams of starting a small business a reality.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Jessica Harrington on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n