Touting entrepreneurship

President Barack Obama is hailing small business development as one of the key factors in spurring new economic growth.

Locally, Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center John Hart stands by the ideology and offers free advice for those who are just getting started or for those who are looking to expand their business operations.

Since 1996, data collected in Idaho indicates that over 8,000 jobs have been created and at least $500,000 has been infused into the economy thanks to the expertise provided by SBDC consultants , according to Hart.

"A number of people are being forced to look at small business ownership as a viable option considering the downturn of jobs in many sectors," Hart said. "( Entrepreneurship) is still staunchly tied to the American psyche. A lot of people want to run their own business and reap the rewards of success that come with hard work."

Hart indicates that the latest trend in small business development is online marketing.

"We can also organize people's finances ," Hart said. "Sometimes, it's just a matter of helping them understand their books better."

Hart and his colleague can be of service to potential clients in Southeastern Idaho who have anywhere from 50-100 employees.

"I happen to be a business owner who was hit hard by the recession," Hart said. "Honestly, I think I might have been able to weather the storm if I had found (a SBDC). I know what it's like to be so caught up on the inside that you fail to see the bigger picture on the outside."

In a proclamation to kick off National Small Business Week that runs May 15-21 , the president states in a news release: "Our country started as an idea, and it took hard-working , dedicated and visionary patriots to make it a reality. A successful business starts much the same way --ideas realized by entrepreneurs who dream of a better world and work until they see it through. From the family businesses on Main Street to the high-tech startups that keep America on the cutting edge, small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of America's promise."

The president touts that countless new and saved jobs, nationwide, have stemmed from small businesses that took advantage of tax relief, access to capital and other tools in the Recovery Act and the Small Business Jobs Act that his administration propelled into motion.

"To support high-growth business, my administration has launched Startup America, an initiative that will strengthen access to capital and mentoring while reducing barriers to grow for small businesses," the President said. "Entrepreneurship is essential to the strength and resilience of our economy and our way of life."

Becky Pierce, owner of Speech Therapy Services in Pocatello, was approached recently by officials representing a virtual school who were seeking qualified therapists to assist them in testing out their new technology called Telepractice.

The system facilitates face-to-face interaction between therapists and their clients via the Internet.

"Our focus is to reach out to rural families who don't have access to these types of services and who are currently going without," Pierce said. "We are at the ground level right now, but we are hoping to go nationwide with the new service."

Pierce claims that if it weren't for Hart's guidance, she would not have been able to recognize her company's full potential for growth.

"I am just a therapist, I don't know how to market myself. Until I took advantage of the program I had no idea how helpful they could be," Pierce said. "( Hart) has been so helpful that I feel like I should be paying him."

The SBDC office, 1651 Alvin Ricken Drive, will soon be relocated.

With the hope to further solidify the SBDC's established partnership with Idaho State University's College of Business , Hart welcomes the move to an oncampus location.

For more information, call 232-4921 or log onto www.idahosbdc.org.

DOUG LINDLEY/ IDAHO STATE JOURNAL

John Hart, regional director for the Idaho State University Small Business Development Center, talks with his client Becky Pierce of Beneficial Speech Therapy Service about the new logo that he's helping her create for her business.