Starting a business comes with a lot of hurdles to overcome. From funding woes to managing time, getting a company on its feet is a daunting task. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), about 20% of small businesses fail in their first year.
The good news is that help is out there in the form of the SmartStart Business Development in Peoria, Illinois. The startup assists new entrepreneurs in getting their businesses off the ground.
Marci Goodwin and Katie Kelly co-founded the organization in 2022 and run it with partner Alec Johnston. Goodwin started as a business owner of The Homeschool Scientist. Once she sold that business, she realized she had a passion for helping people start their own firms.
Photo Courtesy SmartStart Business Development
The consulting company is dedicated to increasing small business ecosystems in small, rural communities in the Praire State and eastern Iowa. In an interview on “A Shot of Ag” in April 2024, Goodwin mentioned the firm has plans to go nationwide.
“I think of it as those dot-to-dot puzzles we used to when we were kids,” Goodwin told WCBU. “Sometimes, if you connect the dots in just the right way, you get a great picture. Well, if you get out of order or skip dots, it’s a big mess, and it’s the same thing with entrepreneurship.”
Photo Courtesy SmartStart Business Development
The goal of SmartStart is to help small towns create a pipeline of small firms, cultivating an active business community. To make this happen, the company provides a step-by-step program in the form of an online platform directed at rural business owners who need guidance and support. It also offers monthly workshops centered around skill development and knowledge sharing from experts.
Many times, it is civic organizations like chambers of commerce and economic development councils that approach the organization. For example, the company has an online dashboard with Peoria County.
Photo Courtesy Start a Business Greater Peoria
SmartStart’s platform guides users through the different phases of starting and managing a business, including customer development, finances, state and federal filings, and marketing.
After answering a series of questions to determine the entrepreneur’s goals, the dashboard creates a custom task list. Owners can check off the items as they go and keep track of their progress. At each phase, the companies can connect with experts and mentors. At the end of the program, participating small firms can be entered for $5,000 grants to help with expenses.
Photo Courtesy SmartStart Business Development
“That is where we walk people through the dashboard, we match them with mentors, and at the end of the program — when they’ve walked through the dashboard, finished all their business plans and all the things on their checklist — they can be entered for $5,000 grants,” Goodwin said to WCBU.All of SmartStart’s services are free, which Goodwin said the startup is “committed” to. “We never want to charge the entrepreneur because it’s expensive and crazy enough to start a business,” she said.
Local governments, business organizations, and companies can contact SmartStart Business Development directly on the company’s website.
