So You Want to Start a Small Business in Jefferson County?

Starting a small business is increasingly becoming an attractive alternative for people who no longer want to work for someone else or are having difficulty finding employment in today's sluggish job market. But starting a small business is not for the faint of heart - according to a study by the U.S. Small Business Association, only 2/3 of all small business startups survive the first two years and less than half make it to four years. One of the keys to small business success is to take advantage of all the resources available to you in your community.

Here in Jefferson County there are several agencies dedicated to making sure that your small business becomes a success. Not suprisingly, many of them are government entities - county and municipal government lives and dies off of sales tax revenues. More business equals more tax revenue so everybody wins!

• Jefferson County Growth and Development Association - http://www.jcgda.org/
  
• Economic Development Corporation of Jefferson County - http://www.jeffcountymo.org/
  - Administers the SBA 504 loans for small businesses
  
• Your local Chamber of Commerce - http://jeffersoncountyonline.org/business/businessresources.shtml
  
• The Community Development department of your local municipality - http://jeffersoncountyonline.org/communities/cities.shtml

It is also important to remember that when starting a small business you are walking in the footsteps of many who have gone before. Learn what worked and what didn't work in resources from the library such as:

• Sweet and Low: a family history by Rich Cohen
  
• Authenticity: what consumers really want by James H. Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine II
  
• The Old Girls Network: insider advice for women building businesses in a man's world by Sharon Whitely, Kathy Elliott and Connie Duckworth
  
• Satisfaction: how every great company listens to the voice of the customer by Chris Denove and James D. Power IV.