While starting your own or buying an existing business can be exciting, it comes with some extreme stressors as well. Enter Briley Lenkaitis and the Small Business Development Center. Even better, she’s not just a specialist…Lenkaitis also owns and operates a business and herself received free assistance from the SBDC uniquely positioning herself to help others considering an entrepreneurial venture. Lenkaitis talked about her own experience Thursday at Kiwanis while also peeling back the curtain on how she and the SBDC can help visionaries realize their dream.
Lenkaitis grew up milking cows before and after school before heading to the University of Illinois to get her master’s degree in Ag Economics and took a heavy dose of business classes as well. Once graduating, she came back and ended up partnering with her brother to purchase 4-Ways Dairy Barn in Eldorado. The experience of going to the bank to borrow money and learning what they didn’t even know they didn’t know landed them in the helpful hands of Arla Murphy with the SBDC, the individual who held Lenkaitis’ position prior to her.
So they referred me to Arla Murphy from the SBDC who was actually in the position I’m in before me. She helped us go over an operational plan, business plan, a marketing plan, financial projections, employee onboarding, suppliers, she even helped me learn how to clean our ice cream machine. So, she really found all the answers and assisted with what I’d need to be prepared for starting a business. My brother and were a little oblivious to some stuff so she made sure we were prepared for this.
The loan got approved with Murphy’s guidance and Lenkaitis says the relationship and Murphy continued to help ensure the business succeeded. Now she’s in that seat helping business owners and prospective business owners throughout the organization’s all or portions of 8 county service area. Those counties include White, Gallatin, Hardin, Pope, Saline and portions of Hamilton, Johnson, and Williamson.
Look into what the Small Business Development Center can do for you by visiting http://www.sic.edu/sbdc.
