MOULTRIE — Moultrie Technical College and American Banking Company have partnered to provide budding new businesspeople with the opportunity to pursue their dreams of ownership in the free enterprise system.

Moultrie Tech (MTC) began offering a new technical certificate of credit in entrepreneurship in its fall quarter in response to Gov. Sonny Perdue’s small business initiative. American Banking Company (ABC) has contributed by encouraging bank customers who are interested in obtaining small business loans to enroll in the entrepreneurship courses.

At an organizational breakfast called “Build Your Own Business” held Wednesday, Jan. 5, on the MTC Veterans Parkway campus, ABC President Ronnie Marchant said statistics show most small businesses fail within the first year of operation.

Local entrepreneur Clint Kadel, owner of Bud K Worldwide, said most of those new businesses fail because they don’t have a plan for success. Kadel started his knife distributorship 16 years ago out of his college apartment in Valdosta. Today, Bud K Worldwide employs more than 70 people and ships catalogs to more than 6,000 customers 11 times a year, in addition to a growing Internet sales base.

Marchant said getting an education on how to start a business before actually starting one can make the difference between success and failure.

“Each year, millions of individuals, from teenagers to retirees, respond to the call of entrepreneurship and the opportunity to pursue independent business careers,” John Overman, Moultrie Tech’s marketing management program instructor, said. “In ways that are competitive and innovative, they give dynamic leadership in our economic life.”

Moultrie Tech offers program courses in small business management, business law, and entrepreneurship. Courses are held on the MTC Veterans Parkway campus or online at www.moultrietech.edu.

For more information on the new entrepreneurship program, contact Moultrie Technical College’s Economic Development Department at 217-4186 on the Veterans Parkway campus or 391-2627 on the Tifton campus.