McLean County Small Business Center Helps Businesses of All Sizes
business, development center, elizabeth binning, mclean county, small business,
Existing Illinois small businesses and startup companies can get a helping hand from the McLean County Small Business Development Center at Illinois State University.
The center provides free one-on-one counseling for aspiring entrepreneurs and for established companies.
In fact‚ since the center opened in March 2005‚ about 60 percent of its clients have been existing businesses.
“We work with larger‚ advanced companies to create a company handbook‚ a comprehensive marketing campaign and financial ratio analysis‚” says Director Elizabeth Binning.
The process works this way: A counselor evaluates a client’s company and then compares the findings with those from similar companies. From there‚ the counselor helps the business plan ways to operate more efficiently.
The center also offers two seminars each month – “Starting Your Own Business” and “Business Plan Writing” – geared toward startup businesses. These seminars serve as a wake-up call for people thinking about starting their own businesses‚ says Binning‚ who urges entrepreneurs to be sure they are financially ready to run a business before they seriously consider starting one.
The center in Normal also educates businesses in the areas of market research‚ e-commerce‚ and sales and marketing.
Binning says in its first 28 months of operation‚ it served more than 143 clients‚ helped create 52 new jobs and helped retain 330 jobs in Illinois by creating more cost-effective businesses.
“We’re really here to help people to start in the best way‚ so they have the best chances for success‚” she says.
Funding for the program comes from the U.S. Small Business Administration‚ the Illinois Department of Commerce and the Economic Opportunity‚ and the ISU College of Business.
Story by Jenni Betts
Photo by Michael W. Bunch
