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On Mar. 12, the Lowndes County Area Chamber of Commerce held a workshop titled “Start A Business: Write A Plan” in conjunction with the Alabama Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

The event was held at Southview Worship Center in Hayneville and was held in order to educate members of the community on how to successfully start and manage their businesses. 

Cynthia Carter, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, expressed the importance of workshops like this one in the community. 

“Workshops are always helpful and there is a great need for a lot of things in Lowndes County,” Carter said. “We’re not really educated enough so workshops are always needed. I really wish we had a lot more people to come out that are thinking about starting a business and the ones who already have a business.” 

The Alabama SBDC is a statewide program made to enhance economic growth in Alabama by providing management and technical assistance to small businesses. 

According to the official SBDC website, the program’s purpose is to make a big impact on small businesses by providing entrepreneurs with the expert assistance, tools, training, and education they need to succeed.

“We’re guided by a vision of growing Alabama’s economy by empowering and assisting Alabama’s robust small business community,” the motto reads. 

Carter, who is a local business owner, said the workshop provided information she can use in her well-established salon.

“I have been running a business for almost 40 years, but the workshop was helpful for me and there were things I learned that I hadn’t known before,” Carter said.

The workshop included a business checklist that started off with preparing a written business plan, deciding the legal structure of the business, defining the services of the business, explaining ways to choose the business’ name, developing a financial plan, explaining how to get the needed licenses and permits for a business, explaining how to obtain needed tax identification, establishing bookkeeping systems, selecting a suitable location for the business, accessing insurance needs, establishing all costs for the business, and finding a team of lawyers, accountants, etc. 

To learn more about the SBDC, visit their website at https://www.asbdc.org. 

For more information and upcoming events visit Lowndes County Area Chamber of Commerce on Facebook.