Starting and operating a small business is a big proposition.

Complicated and risky, it’s often a good idea to get some help. Such assistance is available for free at the Small Business Development Center at McLennan Community College.

Director Belinda Pillow and her staff of four consultants can answer questions for business owners. They can help people who already own businesses and those about to get started.

Michael Green, a consultant at McLennan Community College’s Small Business Development Center, advises clients on how to start and improve their businesses.
Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald

“Those individuals considering starting a small business, they really need to prepare to go into business and do research on their own,” said Michael Green, one of the center’s consultants.

He said people are not prepared for what it takes to start a small business.

Nationwide network

The center is part of a nationwide network of nonprofit offices funded by the federal Small Business Administration and donations to help small business.

About 1,000 such facilities in the nation pull together resources from government, business and education to supply the services, according to the Association of Small Business Development Centers.

The Waco-based center’s service area includes McLennan, Johnson, Hill, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, and Bell counties.

It was instrumental last year in the creation of 28 businesses — saving or creating 146 jobs and putting $10 million in capital into small businesses, Pillow said.

She said the center helped add $23.7 million in sales to small businesses in the area.

Consultants at the center speak to business owners on such topics as financing, technology, taxes and marketing.

Also, if consultants are unable to provide specific answers, they can cite appropriate resources.

For startups, Green said he reviews what owners intend to get out of running a small business and how it was affect their lives.

They assist in developing a business plan, researching financing and considering the realities of the enterprise.

Not all ideas brought into the center may be good ones. In such cases, Green considers aspects of the idea — the pros and cons — and helps clients decide their chances for success.

Green said it’s important to not get in the middle of a decision to start a venture, even when an idea sounds weak. Some off-beat ideas may work out, he said.

“If the guy who came up with the pet rock walked into my office, I’d tell him ‘We’re going to have to do some serious work on that,’ ” Green said.

Developing a plan

Kim Seesing, owner of Bloomingals, 600 Austin Ave., said the center was critical when she and her husband started the business. She said it helped with developing a business plan, which was important in presentations to banks for loans.

Advice on taxes and licensing also was essential, she said.

“I’ve known friends who have businesses for who it came as a surprise after the fact,” she said.

Heather Dudley, who runs the bridal consignment shop I Do on a Dime, 109 Deanna Drive, started her business out of her Elm Mott home last July. She moved it to a shop in Robinson in January.

Consultant Raeford Carter at the center helped her research the business, find a location and create a business plan.

“They saved me,” she said.

bteeter@wacotrib.com

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