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Chattanooga: Small business development program grows as economy falters

By: Joan Garrett
(Contact)

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Josh McManus

Small business owners from all backgrounds are flocking to SpringBoard, a local small business development project, and leaders say the numbers are growing as the economy sinks.

Create Here, a nonprofit organization that works to bring artists and artisans to Chattanooga, began SpringBoard business startup classes this year to help support and train creative business owners.

In April, Create Here graduated 17 people, but the second class, which began last week, is much larger, with 86 students set to graduate in November, said Josh McManus, a creative strategist at Create Here.

“We started this with a feeling that there was a need, but the demand has far exceeded our expectations,” Mr. McManus said.

And as SpringBoard has drawn more applicants, it has attracted a wide array of business owners, including real estate agents, graphic designers, construction workers and artists, said Sheldon Grizzle, a senior fellow at Create Here and SpringBoard director.

Small business owners are looking for lessons to help them weather harsh economic times and a possible recession, he said.

“There are a lot of people out there looking for something to grasp onto in terms of business development,” Mr. Grizzle said. “There are definitely some businesses that are struggling.”

Enrollment costs are determined on a sliding scale based on income, and that has helped the program to attract different types of business owners, organizers said. So far, 75 percent of students have been either women or minorities, Mr. Grizzle said, and 40 percent of students do not work in the arts.

In the last two months, the number of applications rose sharply, Mr. Grizzle said. Over the whole year, Create Here received 115 applications, and 50 of those came in after early August, he said.

Shadow May, the owner of Shadowpottery, a pottery and sculpture studio in Chattanooga, graduated from the first SpringBoard class in April.

Mr. May said the sessions, which covered business plans, financing, marketing and budgeting, were an excellent foundation for his young business.

It is the type of knowledge many small-business owners will need in the changing economy, he said.

“(SpringBoard) taught me the things I was doing right and helped me figure out the things I was doing wrong,” Mr. May said.

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