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Operation JumpStart Program in Batesville a Huge Success

Whew! I finally will get my Thursday evenings back!  For 12 weeks we worked with the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Independence County Economic Development, Inc., and 48 area small businesses or start-ups in our Operation JumpStart training in Batesville, AR.  Our small businesses and entrepreneurs spent 3 hours each Thursday night learning how to grow their existing business or the process to start a new business on the right foot.  I love my job!  Working with our attendees, our sponsoring partners and a great group of professionals who donated their time to share their knowledge in particular areas of expertise made the time fly by.  Learn more about our Operation JumpStart program and how you can get involved.

by Herb Lawrence, helping small businesses grow from the Delta to the Ozarks.

On Tuesday, June 11^th, 30 area entrepreneurs, speakers and sponsors came together at Josie’s Lockhouse Restaurant to celebrate completion of a 6 week program through Operation JumpStart that taught participants how to launch a new venture in Independence County.  24 area entrepreneurs met for 6 Thursday evenings at the University Of Arkansas Community College in Batesville to learn how to create effective business plans and tools to help them launch new ventures in the county.  Using curriculum provided through the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s award winning program “Operation JumpStart: First Steps” and a unique blend of classroom training, expert speakers, and small group training the attendees learned the steps necessary to launch a successful small business.

Thanks to a grant from the Douglas C. Greene Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Accelerating Entrepreneurship in the Delta awarded to the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce, we were able to team up with a great group of area economic development agencies, lenders and other professionals to offer a program that would give our attendees a boost before opening a new business.  With additional funding from the Independence County Economic Development, Inc., Citizens Bank, First Community Bank, Liberty Bank of Arkansas and Merchant & Planters Bank we were able to offer this comprehensive class at no charge and provide valuable resources that would have otherwise been out of our students reach.

The grant allowed the Batesville Area Chamber and ASU SBTDC to offer the six-week program twice during the spring 2013 term.  The first program ran February through March: Operation JumpStart-Take Your Business to the Next Level was aimed at existing businesses ready to learn how to grow their companies.  In all 20 area small businesses attended the program.  The second program ran April through June, Operation JumpStart-First Steps was offered to area entrepreneurs interested in starting a new business.  24 area entrepreneurs were enrolled in that program.

“Small businesses are the backbone of any rural area in Arkansas and providing assistance that can help those existing or start-up companies succeed is critical to a healthy economy. Through a combination of easy to use workbooks provided in the Operation JumpStart program, expert speakers sharing their knowledge in specific functional areas, and market research information provided to each attendee we made sure they had the tools necessary to launch or to grow their dreams.”

The ASU SBTDC, Independence County Economic Development, Inc., and Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce have offered the “Small Business Boot Camp” five times since 2011 with over 150 students, speakers, and professionals involved.  “A special thanks to Independence County Judge Robert Griffin who first proposed the program and for his support.  We are also indebted to the great organizations around the county that have donated time and money to sponsor the event including the Batesville Area Chamber of Operation Jump Start Sponsors Commerce, Independence County Economic Development, Inc., Citizens Bank, First Community Bank, Liberty Bank of Arkansas and Merchant & Planters Bank.  Finally a huge thank you to the Douglas C. Greene Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the grant for the Operation JumpStart: First Steps program along with Southeast Missouri State University, the Delta Leadership Networks and USDA Rural Development programs.”

The next program will be offered in the fall 2013 time frame in Batesville although specific dates have not been set.  For more information about the recent program or plans for future entrepreneurial workshops in Independence County contact Herb Lawrence, Center Director at the ASU Small Business and Technology Development Center (870) 972-3517 or hlawrenc@astate.edu.

Learn more about the ASU SBTDC, our services and assistance programs as well as upcoming small business training at our website: ASU SBTDC and sharpen your competitive edge.

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