Looking to add some life to your business or planning a startup?
You may want to take advantage of a free service by the Small Business Development Center in Greenville.
It helps entrepreneurs with everything from business plans to raising money and the center says this past year 50 percent more clients have signed up for help.
Take Steve Carter for instance. He was a paralegal but when he lost his job last January he decided it was time to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming an auctioneer.
“I got my license on April 1st. I tell people I'm a licensed fool and so set up the business on April the 15 and you know off we go,” said Carter.
It’s a daunting task made a lot easier with the help of consultant Melissa Thomas at the small business development center in downtown Greenville.
“We've seen a 69 percent increase actually in new clients from the first half of this year to the first half of last year because of people wanting to start their own businesses,” said Thomas.
Thomas adds, she’s seen a 200 percent increase in loans available.
The Small Business Development Center says a consultation in the private sector would run you about 150 an hour. But here at the SBDC in Greenville, it's free. And thanks to the stimulus package, state funds and private donations, there's more money to handle the spike in demand.
So it's been a great year for people wanting to start their own businesses or grow their businesses despite the downturn in the economy.
“My advice to any small business person out there is if you are not availing yourself of the small business center then you are forfeiting an opportunity to take advantage of one of the best resources that you've got," said Carter.
His business is still in it's infancy, but he says he's finally doing what he loves. With that, and the center's help, he believes he'll be taking a lot more bids for years to come.
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