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Greetings!
Welcome to the March 2009 edition of Small Business Success, the monthly e-newsletter of the EKU Small Business Development Center. |
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Like Taking Your Puppy To A Palace! |
With a background in hospitality and a true love for animals, Ashley Renton dreamed of creating a day care, boarding, and grooming facility for animals that would be comparable to a four star resort for humans, complete with top of the line amenities. After 3 years of planning, researching and hard work, Ashley's dream is now a reality.
For Paws Unleashed offers luxury boarding, daycare and grooming in a cage free environment, with suites that have flat screen TV's and Simmons Beauty Rest Pet Mattresses. They also offer obedience classes with a certified trainer. "All of our guests get to play in our indoor or outdoor play yards during the day. Pets love to come and stay with us because they get to play and be pampered," Renton said.
 
"A lot of people told me that the business was a bad idea and that no one would come," said Renton. However, despite the naysayers, Ashley's hard work and commitment is really paying off. In the past four months she has booked over 200 clients, and has created 8 jobs in her community. Ashley and her staff take pride in making sure each guest gets their full attention.
Ashley worked with the EKU SBDC in preparing her business plan. It was Ashley's initiative, hard work and dedication to her dream that made this business venture possible. Congratulations Ashley! Your business is a wonderful example of small business success in our region.
For Paws Unleashed
121 Bogie Mill Road
Richmond, KY 40475
859-623-DOGS(3647)
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SBDC Impact |
 America's SBDCs provide management and technical assistance to more than 1.2 million small business owners and aspring entrepreneurs each year. Small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs can go their local SBDCs for free, face-to-face business consulting and at-cost training on writing business plans, accessing capital, marketing, regulatory compliance, international trade and more.
The report also finds that:
- Small businesses that benefited from in-depth SBDC assistance experienced more than 17 times the job growth of average businesses (14% compared to 0.8% for U.S. busineses in general) between 2006 and 2007.
- More than 54% of all pre-venture SBDC in-depth clients started a business after receiving SBDC business consulting services between 2006 and 2007.
- Small businesses that benefitted from in-depth SBDC assistance experienced sales growth of 20.2% between 2006 and 2007 -- compared to 5.2% for U.S. businesses in general.
- SBDC in-depth clients generated an estimated $2.86 in Federal and state tax revenues, as a result of economic growth,
for each $1 spent on the SBDC program. In other words, the SBDC program generates more revenue from economic growth than it costs to run the SBDC program.
To view the Kentucky Small Business Development Center's 2007-2008 annual report, click here. |
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ATTENTION: Small Business Owners |
Scam Alert!
There are No Obama Stimulus Checks or Grants
The U.S. Small Business Administration issued a scam alert last Wednesday to small businesses, warning them not to respond to letters falsely claiming to have been sent by the SBA asking for bank account information in order to qualify them for federal tax rebates.
The fraudulent letters were sent out with what appears to be an SBA letterhead to small businesses across the country, advising recipients that they may be eligible for a tax rebate under the Economic Stimulus Act, and that SBA is assessing their eligibility for such a rebate.
The letter asks the small business to provide the name of its bank and account number. These letters have not been sent by or authorized by the SBA, and all small businesses are strongly advised not to respond to them. The scheme is similar in many ways to e-mail scams often referred to as "phishing" that seek personal data and financial account information that enables another party to access and individual's bank accounts or to engage in identity theft. The SBA is working with the SBA Office of Inspector General to investigate this matter. The Office of Inspector General asks that anyone who receives such a letter report it to the OIG Fraud Line at 1 (800) 767-0385, or via e-mail at OIGHotline@sba.gov |
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"When Banks Say No, Microlenders Say Yes" |
The New York Times on March 11 featured a well crafted article on microlending that some of you may find informative. It is very timely in light of the dollars made available for microlending in the recently approved economic stimulus bill. To access the article, click here. |
The Small Business Development Center at Eastern Kentucky University is strengthening Kentucky's small business community by providing planning, consulting and training services to new ventures and existing businesses.
The Benefits:
- Increase profits through aggressive business strategies
- Expand client volume through targeted marketing
- Grow sales through vital network development
- Gain access to experts on funding sources and options
- Decrease risk due to extensive research and analysis
- Save time collecting and compiling resources
We are a premier provider of business services that empower entrepreneurs with practical information, skills and strategies to make a measurable, positive impact on the performance of their businesses, and, by extension, on the communities those businesses serve.
As always, if there is anything that our office can do for you or your business, please contact us at 1-877-EKU-SBDC or by visiting our website at www.ekubiz.com.
Kevin Norvell
KSBDC at Eastern Kentucky University |
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