Small Business Resources
By Heidi Kay Kaempfer
Editor’s Note
Today many facets comprise the horse industry- breeding, boarding, and training to sales of products and services. If you’re involved in an equine business, you could benefit from readily available resources dedicated to the small business owner.
The following article was written by Heidi Kay Kaempfer, a student of the College of Business and Economics Small Business Development Center at Western Washington University. We hope you’ll find this information helpful.
There are many valuable resources located throughout the Pacific Northwest that are dedicated to helping small business owners and managers. One such resource is the Small Business Development Center, SBDC. The counselors at the Center are certified in broad-based skill areas and have extensive experience as business owners or managers. They provide one-on-one, confidential assistance at no charge to all private business sectors. SBDC’s focus on starting, purchasing or the sale of a business, choosing and incorporating new technology, financial management, business plan development, market plan development and market research. More information on SBDC services and locations can be found on their website at http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/.
An affiliate organization, The Service Corps of Retired Executives, SCORE, focuses largely on business start-ups. SCORE also offers one-on-one, confidential assistance at no charge. They primarily focus on providing loan information, marketing, sales and resolving business management issues. In addition, both the SBDC and SCORE offer affordable business workshops throughout the year. To find out more about SCORE and to locate an office near you visit their website at http://www.score.org/.
The Chamber of Commerce is another avenue that provides benefits and opportunities for small businesses. Upon joining, members have access to various events and marketing opportunities. A few of these benefits include displaying brochures and business cards at Chamber offices, listing business name and contact information on the Chamber’s website, having access to the Chamber’s mailing list and receiving referrals by the Chamber when inquiries are made. To learn about additional member benefits access their website at http://www.uschamber.com/default.
These organizations, as well as many others, support each other and encourage business owners and managers to utilize all available resources to meet their individual needs. In many cases, these organizations will refer businesses to each other when they know that another organization has expertise that meets their needs. It is a cooperative effort that relies on community support, so please stop in or visit their websites to learn more about how these organizations can help you and your business!
Heidi completed her BS in Economics at Northern Michigan University in 2001. Upon graduation, she moved to Washington D.C. and did an internship at The United States Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institution. She has now lived in Washington State for almost two years. She is currently an MBA student at WWU and hopes to complete the program in June of 2005. She is primarily interested in labor relations and community development. On a personal level, she enjoys horseback riding on her two horses, traveling, hiking, snowboarding, reading, and working outside.
