Hundreds of Arkansans Start Businesses En Masse
Several hundred Arkansans took their first steps in starting their own small business in Arkansas this past Thursday, January 20, 2005. The Arkansas Small Business Development Center sent the business consultants from their seven statewide centers out to fourteen Arkansas cities. This year’s attendance broke attendance records in several cities.
gram in Little Rock was attended by well over 100 people seeking information on how to start their business, where to get business licenses, how to get financing. Mildred Holley, Lead Consultant for the Arkansas SBDC, presented the Little Rock program; however, Mildred was joined by Metropolitan National Bank’s Sam Hinton, better known as Mr. Small Business. Attendees were treated to a very lively give and take between Mildred and Sam as they answered questions on how to get loans, what bankers and investors look for in financing small businesses, and dozens of other questions near and dear to new ventures.
Similarly, the event in Searcy, co-sponsored by the Searcy Chamber of Commerce and Simmons Bank, exceeded last years attendance with ten individuals from Searcy, Bebee, Bald Knob, Cabot and other regional communities attending. Heather Robinette, Arkansas SBDC business consultant and international trade specialist, presented the evening’s program. If successful, the Searcy area can look forward to new engineering consultants, restaurants, estate sales, trophy and awards and upholstery businesses adding to the regions economy.
All attendees, regardless of location, took home a wealth of information on starting their small business in Arkansas; including:
- Business Blueprints, a business idea feasibility workbook,
- New Venture Guide, an Arkansas specific guide to business licenses and requirements,
- and cash flow worksheets for estimating busines startup expenses.
For those cursing their bad luck at having missed this once a year event, the Arkansas SBDC conducts their Starting a Business in Arkansas seminars throught Arkansas at regular intervals. You can find a calendar of upcoming seminars on the Arkansas SBDC website.
