Special to The Post-Searchlight

Starting your own business can be an expensive and risky venture. A lack of financial savvy can keep your dreams of owning your own business from coming true. Learning more about how to manage your personal finances can help you turn your dream into reality.

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension in Early County is offering a free, basic personal finance workshop to anyone interested in starting a business or improving your personal finances. The three-hour workshop will be held Tuesday, April 17, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Cloud Livestock Facility at the Decatur County Fairgrounds off Vada Road.

The workshop will focus on spending plans, improving credit scores, setting and achieving goals, preparing for the unexpected, and much more. Preregistration is required.

Moving forward with your business is about selling your ideas. However, even a great idea does not guarantee success. Having a proven track record in successfully managing your personal finances can make a big difference.

Creating an effective spending plan at home is just as important as coming up with a good name for your new business and identifying your target market. Getting back to basics fuels your economic growth and puts you on the track to financial independence. Improving your personal financial situation may take a little longer, but you are building your business for the long run.

It takes money to make money. During the months leading up to the launch of your new business, managing better at home will make it easier for you to save enough money to cover living expenses during the time it takes for your business to turn a profit. After you start your business, better money management practices will help you to save more money to invest into your business.

Obtaining a loan is often the biggest obstacle to launching a new business. Instead of getting discouraged or becoming angry with the financial institution for turning you down, come to the workshop to learn how to focus on raising your credit score, add to your savings, and otherwise improve your personal finances. Doing so will give you a leg up the next time you walk into a bank to ask for a business loan.

Perhaps you have not had an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of personal finance or maybe you have several unanswered questions. The workshop will answer your questions and provide useful information that will make a difference in your bottom line at home and with your business.

For more information or to register for the free Money Matters workshop to be held on Tuesday, April 17, 2012, contact Wayne Coachman, Early County Family and Consumer Science County Agent, at (229) 723-3072. Space is limited so act now.