Left to right: Lucia Paredes, Claudette Olvera, Julia Valencia, Adriana Valencia-Loya, Vanessa Torres and Arturo Guerrero.


“I thought I knew how to start my business before I attended the Business Training Academy, but now, I really do know how to do it” stated Arturo Guerrero, a fledging entrepreneur as he was given his diploma Saturday evening, December 01, 2007, at Mission College’s Hospitality Center.

Arturo’s dream is to start a sheet metal business in Silicon Valley. Similar words were echoed by six of the nine persons who completed the Business Training Academy’s (BTA) inaugural “Entrepreneurship 101” training course.

Another new graduate, Ms. Claudette Olvera from Daly City, said that “the BTA instructors and curriculum helped me organize my thoughts, ideas and concepts. Now I am more confident about launching my business.”

The graduates were honored by the participation of Ms. Patricia Mahan, Mayor of Santa Clara, and Ms.Rosalie Ledesma, Mission College’s Interim Dean of Workforce & Continuing Education. Both spoke encouraging words to the graduates.

Also attending were family members and friends of the graduates, the instructors, and two key sponsors: Geoff and Carla Davis of DBC Commercial Group, whose facility hosted the classes. Another sponsor, Bench-Tek Solutions, provided much needed software support.

The classes became a reality when BTA was able to garner teaching commitments from 10 experienced, degreed and professional local business men and women. Instructors included a; CPA, CFO, Attorney, Internet, Marketing, Insurance and HR consultants, a Dale Carnegie sales and motivational trainer, and two university business professors.

All taught on pro bono basis. They wanted to make this course very affordable to the first group. Normally, a course with this content and professional instructors would cost from $2,500 to over $5,000.

This intensive and sequential course was conducted over an eleven Saturday mornings. During these 45 hours, students learned a variety of business topics, starting with Goal Setting, then how to do a feasibility study, marketing research and strategies, operations, finances, legal aspects and over eight hours of sales trainings.

The BTA course was the culmination of almost three years of planning by a diverse group of community minded individuals who want to increase economic development of not only Hispanics, but also of all other persons in Silicon Valley whose dream is to be their own boss.

The Business Training Academy is a training initiative of the Hispanic Small Business Network (HSBN). The formation of HSBN was also the long-held dream of one local business man: Mr. Ernie Andrade of All-Bright Cleaning who wanted to help people how to start and grow their own business.

He persuaded over 15 other like-minded persons to help him incorporate this non-profit, economic development corporation on September 03, 2004. HSBN received the IRS’s tax exempt 501(c)(3) status in April 2006; which propelled them into developing the entrepreneurship curriculum.

The BTA program has been directed by David Q. Bonilla, former Chair of Business & Computer Science at the National Hispanic University, and currently a business and real estate sales consultant,and an instructor at University of Phoenix.