The Four Lake office assists and houses a satellite office of the Tennessee Technological University Small Business Development Center (SBDC). The Center provides group sessions and one-on-one counseling & training for small business owners and entrepreneurs needing assistance in a seventeen county area, including the FLRIDA region. The services are extended to existing business and startups. To make an appointment with the Center's Director, Vicki Henley, please contact her Cookeville office at 931-372-3648.
In the past six months, the Center's new Director, Vicki Henley, has provided 281 counseling hours and facilitated seven training events with 81 clients in attendance. Of those clients, 84% were women, 7.5% were minorities, and 10% were veterans. 21% of clients counseled were operating home-based businesses. One client was aided in registering for government contracting.
Training events conducted this year included six "How to Start a Business" seminars and one seminar entitled "An Overview of Quickbooks". Two startup seminars were presented on location at the Middle Tennessee School of Cosmetology. Quickbooks offerings will be expanded in the future, and plans include the addition of new training topics in the third and fourth quarters of 2007.
The TTU/SBDC program is funded through the Small Business Administration, Tennessee Technological University, the State of Tennessee, and is supported with the use of office space by the Four Lake Authority.
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