Support for Women Entrepreneurs in Arkansas

James and Rita Lamb are in the bee business. As the owners of Southwest Arkansas Beekeeping Supplies, the Lambs make and sell a variety of products ranging from scented candles, candies and soaps – to name a few - made of honey and wax from their bee farm.

The Lambs were looking for ways to expand their business and boost their marketing efforts. So they signed up for Operation Jumpstart (OJS), a six-week hands-on microenterprise training course for business owners and operators. OJS is designed to educate and empower entrepreneurs by providing business development and support opportunities.

Earlier this year, the Lambs successfully completed the OJS training program. As if there wasn’t enough to celebrate, they also won the Operation JumpStart Class 3 business competition, receiving a grand prize of $1,200, seed money the Lambs say will go toward further developing their business.

The Arkansas Women’s Business Center partnered with four community colleges across the state to provide the OJS business training. So far this year, 18 participants have graduated from the program in Arkansas. The Lambs say they discovered there’s so much more to learn. “We gained marketing skills through the course and realized we need help with accounting. We liked the small class size, which allowed for more one-on-one time with our speakers.”

The Lambs also took advantage of the one-on-one counseling provided by the Arkansas Women’s Business Center. They were set up with a business coach, who advised the Lambs on website enhancement and effective marketing ideas, some of which the Lambs have already started using. Said the Lambs, “the course taught us what we really needed to improve on, and gave us direction.”

OJS is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and sponsored by community colleges with the help of Winrock International’s Arkansas Women’s Business Center and the U.S. Small Business Administration. 

Farmers Markets and locally grown food are increasing in demand, while new farmers markets are being established and existing markets are growing and expanding. The Arkansas Farmers Market Vendor & Manager Training was held in Hope, Arkansas recently. The training was aimed at educating farmers, vendors, and market managers. To ensure longevity and sustainability of the farmers markets and local food systems, the vendors and managers who participated would in turn be able to increase the profitability and success of the farms and the markets they sell through.

The training featured two tracks: one 6-hour training for market managers and a separate 6-hour training for market vendors. Over 65 attendees participated, coming from the local Southwest Arkansas area to as far as East Texas, Cabot, Jonesboro, and Little Rock. The manager training including speakers presenting topics on market management, grant writing to source funding for markets, utilizing the SNAP program at market, promotion of markets through the web and specific social media programs, state legislation surrounding markets and food safety, and incorporating activities at market to involve the community and bring in more customers. The market vendor training also utilized experience speakers from Arkansas and Texas to cover topics including state legislation, post-harvest handling, marketing and profitability, beautifying your market display, increasing sales at market, branding your local food, and food safety. The primary goal of the training was to help markets and market vendors attract more customers and increase profitability at their local farmers markets. Door prizes such as a large chalkboard easel, cash boxes, market display baskets, chalkboard paper, a logo design for one winning farmers market, farm profitability books, money deposit bags, and more. The training was hosted by the Arkansas Women’s Business Center, Winrock International, the US Department of Agriculture, and the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope/Texarkana. Participant evaluations were overwhelmingly positive and encouraging, and a follow-up evaluation will be conducted with participants in mid-summer to determine the value of the training on the market season.