Help for small business owners nearby
Small business owners or those looking to start one in North Fort Myers, or around Lee County, have a very valuable resource that’s not only nearby, but also free.
That’s what Lois Knox, director of the Florida Gulf Coast University Small Business Development Center, told the North Fort Myers Civic Association at its monthly meeting at the recreation center last Tuesday.
Knox said that it isn’t the big box retailers or fast food franchises of the world that are the lifeblood of the workforce. It takes small businesses to succeed for the economy to succeed.
“Last year, 50 percent of all jobs in Florida are with small businesses of 20 employees or less. That’s why we’re so passionate about what we do,” Knox said. “Our governor is building the economy based on our small businesses and how they grow.”
The SBDC offers free, confidential consulting to those who are either in business or looking to start one. It isn’t just there to help the family-owned independents, but also those that have been in business for three years, survived the economic downturn and are ready to get to the next level.
Knox said it’s an exciting time for business and that the legislation coming down the pike is meant for them.
“We’re helping businesses work at and on their business and not in their business. Not necessarily working harder but working smarter,” Knox said. We’re teaching them new technology to better focus on their business.”
Knox said that business owners who seek help succeed three times more often than those that don’t. She also addressed the biggest misconception about the SBDC, that it is meant only for start-ups.
“It’s when you start in business that you need most of the help. You get to working and you realize you don’t know what you don’t know,” Knox said. “If a business owner can’t make it to us, we’ll come to them. Our consultants will show up at your storefront.”
For additional information about the program, contact the FGCU Small Business Development Center at 239-745-3700.