School's In Session The best of both worlds: hands-on training in the classroom

As an entrepreneur, Ken Proudfoot knows what it takes to launcha business from home. Between psychological forces like isolationand motivation, to traditional business issues like productdevelopment and marketing, the home office can be a stifling placeto work.

So Proudfoot helped create the Larry Friedman InternationalCenter for Entrepreneurship at Johnson & Wales University inProvidence, Rhode Island. The school serves as a businessincubator, creative lab and headquarters for new businesses startedby the university's students and alumni--many of which arestarted from home, says Proudfoot, the program's director.

"Our Center offers homebased entrepreneurs a complementaryhome-away-from-home place to further develop theirbusinesses," he says. "It's a dynamic environmentwith other entrepreneurs creating and building their enterprises aswell. This creates additional synergy that can lead to improvementsand enhancements to your business model, marketing strategy andproduct design."