Current and aspiring small business owners to receive free business coaching
Conway – The Conductor, a public-private partnership between the University of Central Arkansas and Startup Junkie, will continue its free office hours across central Arkansas communities in spring of 2020.
These office hours consist of 30 minute, free one-on-one consultations from the Conductor team, funded by the Small Business Administration’s Regional Innovation Cluster program. The Conductor hosted the first round of office hours last fall.
“Office Hours are one of my favorite offerings of the Conductor,” said Tiffany Henry, Rural Director. “It allows us the opportunity to get to know the entrepreneurs on a personal level and to better understand how we can best serve them. I am grateful to the local Chambers of Commerce who have partnered with us to help support their small business owners and community.”
The spring 2020 office hours will expand to include Searcy, Russellville, Cabot, Clarksville, Heber Springs, Morrilton, and Paris and will be led by the Conductor team. Current or aspiring business owners will have the opportunity to discuss a potential business idea or discuss their current business.
Marketing, financing, seasonal customer fluctuations and business growth strategies are among the range of topics that can be covered at these meetings for anyone who has an interest in entrepreneurship or those who own their own businesses.
“Part of the success of the Office Hours program is to provide entrepreneurs with a reliable contact who is available to help as future questions arise”, said Jeff Standridge, Managing Director of the Conductor. “Additionally, we have a strong network of community resources within our 12 county region, so we are able to connect entrepreneurs with the support they need to be successful.”
The Rural Growth Initiative is revitalizing communities around the state by bringing programming, events and workshops to rural areas. Overall, the Conductor will impact communities that house 19 Opportunity Zones in rural regions as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau through it’s Rural Growth Initiative.
“Many potential business owners need help validating their idea in order to take the next steps or they have one pivotal problem in their business that needs to be solved,” said Grace Rains, Director of Operations of the Conductor, “we want to provide the resources, coaching, and consulting directly to reduce those barriers, so they feel empowered to take the next step”.
If you are interested in signing up for office hours through the Conductor’s program, please visit www.arconductor.org/officehours. The Conductor also provides phone conversations for those unable to come to office hour locations or times, phone consults can be accessed at www.arconductor.org/one-on-one.
About the Conductor
The Conductor, a public-private partnership with the University of Central Arkansas and Startup Junkie, drives innovation, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment in central Arkansas through high-impact programming, one-on-one consulting, commercialization support, talent development, collaboration, and maker training and rapid prototyping in UCA’s Makerspace, powered by the Conductor, which is free-of-charge to students and the community.
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