WASHINGTON – Everyone has a story, and now the U.S. Small Business Administration is giving entrepreneurs a new online gateway to share their story and showcase their successful and thriving businesses.
Today, SBA launched “Small Business Owners Speak,” an interactive platform featuring videos from entrepreneurs from across the country that have started or grown a business with the help of the SBA. The videos will be featured at www.sba.gov/stories.
“I have the great privilege of meeting small business owners from across the country as I travel every week. But now, thanks to ‘Small Business Owners Speak,’ you can hear their stories, too,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “This page will highlight the voices of successful small business owners who have started or grown a business thanks to help from the Small Business Administration.”
Three Utah small businesses are featured on the new platform, they submitted their videos during National Small Business Week. Kisstixx from Orem, Utah, manufactures a flavored chapstick with two complimentary flavors for a powerful kiss. Dallas Robinson and Mike Buonamo from Kisstixx needed funding to buy inventory to produce their chapstick. They received assistance from the Utah Valley University (UVU) Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to write a business plan that resulted in obtaining a 7(a) SBA guaranteed loan.
Woodbury Technologies Inc, from Clearfield, Utah is a 100% woman-owned U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) Certilfied, Small Disadvantaged Business. Karen Woodbury has grown her company to the sixth largest woman owned business in the state. Woodbury Technologies Inc. provides service to the Air force, Army and Defense Information System Agency in 11 different states.
After being in business for 15 years, Café Madrid was forced to move their business. With the help of a SBA 504 loan, a loan program that helps business growth for expansion and job creation, providing long-term, fixed-rate, subordinate mortgage financing for acquisition and/or renovation of capital assets including buildings and equipment, Gabrielle McAfee was able to purchase an existing building and expand the building to fit the needs for her restaurant.
Currently, the page features videos that were submitted during SBA’s 2012 National Small Business Week video contest. But, to help reach out to more small business owners, SBA has opened “Small Business Owners Speak” to other entrepreneurs interested in submitting a video to be featured at www.sba.gov/stories. More information about the video submission process can be found on the same page.
The page features a map of the United States that allows users to click on videos by state or by using the drop-down menu and searching for videos by topic, such as capital, counseling, federal contracting, or disaster loans.
