The Cal State Fullerton branch of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), in partnership with the Costa Mesa-based Orange County Market Place, has launched OC Made, a free four-week course for up to 25 entrepreneurs seeking to participate in the market’s annual Small Business Saturday on the weekend of Nov. 24.

A local icon for half a century, the market has served as an incubator for startup business models that have developed into major concepts, such as Tilly’s and Rusty’s Potato Chips. Peyton Jeter, the market’s director of marketing, reached out to Mike Daniel ’99, director of the Mihaylo College chapter of the SBDC, to identify new opportunities to engage with entrepreneurs.

“At the SBDC, we see 5,000 clients per year, and the O.C. Market Place would be a great starting point for someone who has never started a business,” says Daniel. “So let’s say I wanted to sell chocolate bars. I can go to the market place and figure out what people are going to buy my bars for – it can be a test and validation of a concept before you spend the money on a brick-and-mortar storefront.”

The result was the OC Made program, which provides targeted and actionable support for business minds seeking to leverage the market to launch their concepts. Featuring SBDC consultants such as food industry veteran Greg Bell, the course, which will be held on Saturday mornings from Oct. 27 to Nov. 17 at the O.C. Market Place Pavilion, will discuss topics such as product development, market research, product sourcing, pricing, finances, marketing, social media, and the policies of the market and Small Business Saturday event.

To continue reading about OC Made, including how to get involved if you have a business concept, see the PR Web Press Release.