Wyoming Business Tips for Oct. 17

A weekly look at issues facing Wyoming business owners and entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming. 

By Mandy Bailey, Community Navigator Pilot Program advising and education director, Wyoming SBDC Network 

The Wyoming Community Navigator Program was created to assist small-business owners -- especially rural, veteran, women and minority-owned business owners -- and connect them with available resources and business assistance so that they may continue to enrich our communities.

While Wyoming has many tremendous opportunities for small-business owners, navigating all of the resources available, as well as navigating the inherent challenges of starting a business or running a small business, can be very overwhelming. The Wyoming Community Navigator Program, with the help of its hub, the Wyoming SBDC Network, is here to help.

The Wyoming Community Navigator Program operates under a hub-and-spoke model in which the program collaborates with organizations across the state to help small-business owners in every stage of business. These partners include Wyoming Smart Capital Network, UW Extension, Wyoming Women’s Business Center, Wyoming Library to Business, The Local Crowd and the Wind River Development Fund.

Small businesses create economic diversification and vast employment opportunities in rural Wyoming communities. The past two years have shown us how important small businesses are to our state. The Wyoming Community Navigator Program’s goal is to ensure all small-business owners across the state know that they are not alone in pursuing their business ownership goals. We are linking business owners to critical resources statewide to diversify the economy and strengthen communities one small business at a time.

To learn more about partner organizations and available resources or to schedule an appointment with an adviser, go to www.wyomingcommunitynavigator.org. Do not miss opportunities to help your business.

For more information, go to www.wyomingsbdc.org.

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers no-cost advising and technical assistance to help Wyoming entrepreneurs think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. In 2021 alone, the Wyoming SBDC Network helped Wyoming entrepreneurs start 80 new businesses; support 4,077 jobs; and bring a capital impact of $9.2 million to the state. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. 

To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write Dept. 3922, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071-3922.