By Liz Kudwa
A: Being a small business owner can be a very challenging job. Not only are you the President of your company, you’re the salesperson and accountant and all manner of other roles! It can be frustrating to work alone in this capacity, but just because you may be a one-man (or woman) band, doesn’t mean you have to be alone. There are several groups in our community that can help you with any aspect of starting a small business. A few of these groups are highlighted below.
Capital Area District Library (CADL)
As the Business Librarian at CADL, I provide small business support for start-ups and existing businesses at all 13 CADL locations within our service area (all of Ingham County, except East Lansing). This support includes guidance on appropriate resources for researching your business and instruction in how to best use these resources. I also provide instruction in how to do the market analysis you need for a thorough business plan. This guidance and instruction is provided via classes and through one-on-one appointments.
In April, CADL started an entrepreneur’s club called Start It Up! which is designed to offer a connection point for entrepreneurs. This may be the type of network or club for which you’re looking. The goals of the club are to introduce entrepreneurs to each other and promote informal conversation between them, link entrepreneurs to other successful business people and small business support organizations, and provide the information and knowledge needed to help lay the groundwork for a successful start-up endeavor. Right now, we have two locations for Start it Up! The South Lansing Library hosts sessions every other month and our next meeting will be on Monday, June 23 starting with networking and refreshments at 5:30 pm and a meeting beginning at 6:00 pm. The Okemos Library also hosts sessions on a monthly basis and their next meeting will be on Monday, June 2 starting with networking and refreshments at 6:00 pm and a meeting beginning at 6:30 pm. Contact the Business Librarian for details at (517) 367-6301.
Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC)
The MI-SBTDC provides free one-on-one consulting and free and low cost, noncredit courses. They also provide limited research assistance. This is an incredible resource! Consultants will help you determine if you have a good business start-up idea and guide you through the steps to make sure you’ve covered all of your bases. You can visit their website for additional details at www.gvsu.edu/misbtdc/region8. For more information contact Adrienne Jenkins at (517) 483-1921 or send email to sbtdc@lcc.edu.
Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE)
SCORE is a wonderful group of volunteers that are retired executives. Between them, the volunteers in the Lansing area have a vast amount of experience to offer anyone that wants to start a business or work on growing an existing business. They provide free, one-on-one specialized consulting and their offices are located at the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce at 112 E. Allegan Street on the 7th Floor. You can visit their website for additional details at www.score-lansing-mi.com. For more information contact Ed Souders at (517) 487-6340 or send email to scorelansing@yahoo.com.
Meridian Asset Resource Center (MARC) for Entrepreneurs
For those of you who live in Meridian Township, a new resource center just opened on April 18th. MARC is a public/ private partnership created to help stimulate and sustain entrepreneurial efforts within Meridian Township. MARC provides one-stop-shop for small business support and this includes one-on-one counseling with either a counselor from the MI-SBTDC and/or with the CADL Business Librarian, access to print and electronic small business resources via the Okemos Library, and opportunities to attend peer-to-peer programs, seminars and other types of training classes. The MARC is located at the Okemos Library at 4321 Okemos Road. To schedule an appointment or obtain more information, call (517)-347-2036 or send email to THEMARC@meridian.mi.us.
Elizabeth Kudwa is the Business Reference Librarian at the Capital Area District Library located at 401 S. Capitol Avenue in Lansing, MI. Contact her at 517-367-6301 or by e-mail at kudwae@cadl.org.
