Support for Women Entrepreneurs in Arkansas

Donna has a passion for knitting and kept have a reoccurring problem.  She loves to sit in her favorite easy chair and knit, but she had no way to hold her work, read her pattern, and hold a lamp, all the while doing her knitting.  She created a non-skid lapboard that fits comfortably on her legs, has a stand for the pattern, and has an attachment for a small reading lamp, leaving her hands free to knit.  Her new invention worked so well for her she felt others might want it.  That’s when she turned to the Arkansas Women’s Business Center (AWBC).

“After talking to other knitters, I knew my invention could help them as well," she said. “But, I had no idea how to get started.”

The AWBC connected Donna with a business counselor who helped her to identify start up costs, gain feedback from potential buyers, start the patent process, and recommend her pricing strategy. Donna has received her initial patent  and soon will be producing the first run of her Clip-On Pattern Holder with Lap-Workstations.

According to Donna, “The Women’s Business Center helped make my idea a reality.  I can’t wait to launch my business and start making life easier for knitters everywhere.”

Arkansas Women’s Business Center (AWBC) client LaQuita won the first annual Spirit of South Arkansas Small Business Awards for Best Minority Owned Business in October 2016. Her 100% woman-owned, minority-owned business, Complete Home Care (CHC), was nominated and voted on by citizens of Union County. CHC provides 24 hour medical and non-medical support services delivered to the homes of seniors. CHC won in a landslide, beating   4 other well-known businesses in their category..

AWBC Director Liz Young said, “The AWBC is honored to have assisted LaQuita with this business endeavor over the last four years by providing continued one-on-one business counseling to help with employee management, business accounting, cash flow management, and other business needs.”

LaQuita first found the Center through a six-week training course the AWBC hosted called Operation Jump Start. She completed 12 training sessions, put together a business feasibility plan for her then 3-year old business, and competed in a business plan competition with her final plan. LaQuita was not new to entrepreneurship, running several other small business operations already. One of her other successful businesses turns 20 years old this year. After completing the training, she realized her need for further assistance, and became a client for one-on-one business consulting.

LaQuita is grateful of her support from AWBC and said the best thing about their services is that “the AWBC is there and has always been available when I need them. They offer a variety of services that I would not otherwise be able to afford, including marketing expertise, accounting expertise, and other services they have provided me as a resources.”

LaQuita is an excellent example of how consistent AWBC assistance can improve small business success, particularly for women-owned businesses. AWBC is still assisting LaQuita with Complete Home Care while also looking at new potential start-up business opportunities, and looks forward to helping her businesses grow and thrive.