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SBA Representatives Plan Brainstorming Sessions With Bethel Entrepreneurs

SBA representatives are holding workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs on August 24 and 25, 2016
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Update August 24, 2018 10:40 a.m.: The Small Business Administration's workshops are no longer being held at the Bethel Lion's Club. Friday's seminars will be held in the AVCP Resource Center, and Saturday's workshops will be held at the Joe Lomack building.

Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration are flying into Bethel on Friday to offer help to Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta entrepreneurs.

Officials are holding a series of workshops at Bethel’s Lion’s Club that could help business owners make their plans a reality. "We’re going to start off with starting a business," said Marichu Relativo, the Deputy District Director for the SBA’s office in Anchorage. "You have a dream, you have an idea, you have a plan. So what’s next?"

The key to a successful small business is the business plan, and SBA is equipped to help people put such a plan together. SBA representatives will also walk entrepreneurs through securing business loans, and host a round table with Bethel’s small businesses.

Relativo describes the SBA as the U.S. government’s "best-kept secret," and urges business owners to take advantage of the agency’s resources. "We provide counseling, we provide opportunities for access to capital, and we’re also going to talk about revenue from government contracts," she said.

The workshops are being held this Friday and Saturday. You can check out the SBA’s schedule and register to attend different sessions here.