When it comes to assisting with fledgling entrepreneurial efforts, the Small Business Development Centers name comes earnestly, Dacia Clark explained.
Our passion is to help small businesses, said Clark, assistant director for SBDCs regional office at Pittsburg State University.
Clark spoke along with Randy Robinson, regional director, at Mondays Iola City Council meeting.
Following their presentation, Council members agreed, for the second year in a row, to allocate $5,000 to SBDC as one of the citys economic development tools. In exchange, SBDC makes several dedicated visits to Iola each year.
Clark will be back in Iola Feb. 27 for a series of free workshops dealing with social media platforms, online marketing tactics and understanding financial statements. Shell then return April 2 for a daylong workshop on navigating Quickbooks software. The three workshops on Feb. 27 are free of charge; the April 2 presentation on Quickbooks will cost $75 to enroll, but each participant from Iola will receive a $25 gift card.
Clark noted that prior to Mondays Council meeting, she and Robinson had come to Iola a few hours early after fielding a call from a local bank, asking them to visit with somebody looking to start up a business.
If the banks know were going to be in town, theyll give us a call, she noted. And if they call, well make time.
THE SMALL Business Development Center serves as a resource and support center for the small business person, the SBDC website details.
Our bread and butter is for people who want to start a business, Clark said. If they need a loan, the bank is going to require them to have a business plan and three-year cash flow projections. Well do that at no cost for our client.
And if a bank is still leery, SBDC can aid a borrower in securing E community financing through one of its several partner communities across the state.
Even if its not a startup, maybe an existing business needs capital for a construction project, we can help, she continued. There are lots of reasons why a business would need a loan.
Just as importantly, the client is better equipped afterward, even if a business doesnt take root.
We can help them understand whether (a potential business) is viable, instead of putting their life savings into it and see it close down six months later, Robinson added. If we can help people not pull the trigger, maybe theyll save their money and come up with a better idea later on.
ONLINE presence and social media marketing are growing increasingly vital, particularly in rural America, Robinson noted.
Thats where the Feb. 27 workshops come in. All will be held in the Stadler Room at the Allen Community College Student Center.
The social media portion runs from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Topics will cover the three major platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Online marketing will be discussed from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Clark and Mindy Lee, a certified web designer, will cover marketing tactics, search engine optimization and the importance of a user-friendly website. (SBDC also aids in building websites, he noted.)
