The Kuta Small Business Association (KSBA) has teamed up two U.S.-based organizations for an initiative to teach entrepreneurship in Bali. The goal of this initiative is to develop alternatives to a tourist-based economy, promote small business creation and promote business opportunities between Bali and other areas of the world.

"Bali needs new ways to survive and find new ways to generate a broad standard of living comparable to the developed world," says Chris Fritz, of the Kuta Small Business Association. "The terrorist attack dealt a blow to our tourism industry and made many of us in the business community realize that Bali is overly dependent on tourist dollars."

Goals for the program include:

• Bring entrepreneurial training initiatives to Bali
• Rely on proven models to guide and promote the initiative
• Connect Initiative to local entrepreneurs and mentors
• Open global markets to Bali entrepreneurs
• Attract interested individuals and investors
• Create business partnerships around the world

KSBA will connect with The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a US nonprofit that has taught 65,000 low-income youth in America and seven other countries how to start and run their own businesses since its inception in 1987. The initiative will utilize a curriculum developed by NFTE as the basis of an entrepreneurial training program in Bali.

Get The Word Out Communications, a San Francisco-based public relations firm, will provide guidance and promotional efforts for the initiative. Company president Steven Van Yoder will also use the recent release and promotional tour for his book, Get Slightly Famous, as a springboard to the promote the Bali initiative, raise funds and forge global alliances with other businesses and organizations.

"Get Slightly Famous is a marketing guide that addresses today's tough new business climate," says Yoder. "I believe that if the marketing advice I espouse is applicable to small business owners in the U.S., Europe and the other parts of the developed world, it should be equally applicable to those in the developing world."

For more information, contact:

Steven Van Yoder
Get The Word Out Communications
415 294-4133

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