Aspiring entrepreneurs find help at small-business center

A&M program helps people flesh out ideas, create business plans

Cassandra Zeigler talks with a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs, and no matter how far-fetched an idea seems, she doesn't try to dissuade them from pursuing their dreams.

But many ideas, Zeigler said, need tweaking. That's what the new Small Business Development Center at Alabama A&M University is designed to do.

The center officially opened in October, part of an agreement among A&M, the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce to establish small-business development centers on each of the universities' campuses. The centers are part of the Alabama Small Business Development Consortium and are funded by the universities and Small Business Administration grants.

The program aims to tap into the knowledge of business graduate students and faculty.

Zeigler, assistant director of the A&M center, said it helps those interested in launching a business get the information and help they need, even if what they need is to be advised to keep their day job - at least for now.

"I'm kind of the bearer of bad news sometimes," she said. "I help them flesh out their ideas. Some of them could keep their job and be better off financially."

For example, Zeigler said she often counsels people who have a craft they want to turn into a business. They plan to quit their jobs before writing a business plan and ensuring that they can pay the bills. She advises those clients to try selling their products at craft shows and online as a side business while maintaining their paycheck and employer benefits.

"They have done no homework," she said. "You often must phase in starting a business."

A&M's Small Business Development Center offers free consultations to help clients flesh out their business plans, conduct market research and determine the sales needed to turn a profit. There's also free office space with a computer, bookkeeping software, fax machine and printer.

Courses offered include tips on marketing a business, doing business with the federal government and handling taxes and accounting.

A tax workshop drew Jewelon Burnett to the center. Burnett is a former DaimlerChrysler employee who took a buyout after the automotive electronics plant was sold to Siemens VDO. She moved her nonprofit business, Restore Ministries, from her home to a storefront at 2107 Meridian St. a few months ago.

Restore is a 2,400-square-foot thrift shop that sells women's clothing and accessories for $1 per item. She gets her inventory from donations.

"I wanted to know more about the tax part of the business," Burnett said. "I knew that because everything was donated, I would need to know how to do the taxes."

Zeigler said the center works with small businesses of any kind, but many would-be entrepreneurs are interested in doing business with the government. Zeigler helps startups that meet the criteria to become certified as an 8(a), minority-owned, disadvantaged business, which opens the door to government contracts set aside for such businesses.

There are other "hot" industries for small businesses, she said, including health care, health foods, pet care and elder care.

"Huntsville is a stable economy," Zeigler said. "Some who couldn't succeed elsewhere do here. There are so many untapped markets here."