Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Women in business focus of workshop
Panelists discuss available resources, importance of mentors and clients
ROGERS — Small business owners, women in business and aspiring small business owners came together Friday to network and gain insight from industry professionals.
Score Northwest Arkansas, in collaboration with the U.S. Small Business Administration, hosted the EmpowHER Business Workshop on Friday at Simmons Bank in Rogers to celebrate Women’s History Month.
Two different panels were conducted during the event. The first was all about the resources available for women in business; the second focused on the importance of being both a client and a mentor.
The panel leaders were experts in their own right, David Bernstein of Score said.
Panelists on the first were: Kimberly Randle of Apex Accelerators, Erica Preston of Simmons Bank, Mary Beth Brooks of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, Chauncey Pettis of the Arkansas Women’s Business Center and Debra Williams of Communities Unlimited.
Panelists on the second were: Trisha Lemery, Kayla Norris, Katherine Lopez and Sally Schoen. Lemery and Schoen both gave a Score mentor’s perspective in the discussion. Lopez and Norris both spoke about their experience as a client and how to get the most out of the relationship.
RESOURCES
There are multiple free services for small business owners that some people aren’t aware of, Williams said.
Williams is the area lending director at Communities Unlimited, where she said she helps small business owners get loans for contracts or business agreements they have agreed to with clients. Williams said Communities Unlimited provides contract lending for small business owners. The loan gives business owners the capital they need to deliver their product or service as stated in the business contract or agreement. The owner is then able to pay the loan and interest off in installments.
“If you’re interested in something, call somebody,” Williams said. She said if you have an idea but don’t know where to start, call someone, and they can help or direct you to someone who can.
Randle, who supports Arkansas business owners in receiving government contracts, said the government is contracting at all times, and it is a goal of the government to have 5% of its contracts be with woman-owned small businesses.
The resource panelists all agreed that knowing a business’ audience is important and shared that entrepreneurs can find information about the market multiple ways.
Brooks said that IBISWorld.com is a good place from which to pull industry reports. IBISWorld helps organizations by creating analytics that reflect current economic, demographic and market data, according to its website.
Adriene Brown, Small Business Administration area director, said the administration always gives free help. In addition to personal help, the administration’s website has an online learning tool that has free courses business owners can take at their own pace.
MENTORS AND CLIENTS
Score’s Bernstein said a mentor-to-client relationship is dynamic but can be mistaken for one-way communication of mentor to client.
A balanced mentor-to-client relationship is the goal, Schoen said. She added that will look like a mentor who listens and gives advice to a client but is there for the client. Schoen said qualities to avoid in a mentor are: when someone only talks about herself, dominates the conversation and shares stories that don’t apply to the conversation with her client.
Schoen said a good client knows her needs and drives the agenda of a client meeting. She also said it takes a good mentor who will teach a client so she knows what to ask because “you don’t know what you don’t know.”
A mentor can be good but not relevant to a certain client, Lopez said. She said a client has to learn she will have different mentors for different times in their life, and a mentor might not be with a client forever.
Both panels mentioned having interests and a life outside work is very important. Some of the panelists said they enjoy pickleball and being out in nature. Others said business owners need to have others in the community to talk to about what they go through day to day and that will be uplifting.