Business owners encourage Louisville entrepreneurs to attend small business resource fair

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Small business owners and entrepreneurs have the chance to learn from experts this weekend in Louisville.

Natasha Sud and Gerald Dickerson wanted to have their own business, so when a former car garage on Barret Avenue became available, the two took a chance on a new business venture.

"We were tired of working for other people," Dickerson said.

ShopBar is a bar and art shop that has now been in business for four years.

Sud, who is an artist, said they had the idea for the place for a while, but the business-side of the operation still needed some work.

The two owners were in need of some help, and Christy Jarboe provided that guidance. She is the senior small business development manager for Louisville Metro Department of Economic Development, focusing on supporting small business development.

Sud and Dickerson met with Jarboe to learn about what it would take to successful run a small business.

"I said 'hold everything,' you need to have pre-plan meeting, which means we bring in people from multiple agencies in the city," Jarboe said. "All of those partners sitting at the table with the owners of the shop and just laying it all out there."

The entrepreneurs doubt ShopBar would still be open if they hadn't gotten the guidance of the city's economic development professionals.

SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE FAIR — Christy Jarboe, Gerald Dickerson and Natasha Sud talk at Shopbar on May 17, 2023.

"We were so naïve," Dickerson said. "We made these folders with pictures in it as if people were going to listen to our ideas without understanding that there's so many things you have to do."

Local business owners and entrepreneurs can take advantage of those same resources Sud and Dickerson utilized on Saturday.

The city is hosting a small business resource fair at the St. Stephen Family Life Center on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"It's for businesses at all stages of their life cycles," said Jarboe. "So if you're in an idea stage or maybe you've been open 20 years and need a little bit of help, the place is going to be filled with free small business resource providers."

Entrepreneurs will be able to talk about business planning, funding, market research, financial planning, operational management and more.

Size Up Louisville is a market strategy tool and a new resource offered to entrepreneurs in the city. It's a free business analytics tool designed to support small and medium-sized businesses in a variety of stages.

"They can know what their competitors are doing, how much everybody else is making, are they estimating or underestimating what they can make?" Jarboe said. "We've got business coaches, we've got business mentors and all these resources are free."

In uncertain economic times, Jarboe said businesses being prepared can be the difference between life and death.

"It is scary, but it can also break your heart," Jarboe said. 'You start a business that you love, and you're not prepared, a lot of businesses close because of that."

According to the Louisville Downtown Partnership, 32 retail or restaurant businesses opened in downtown Louisville in 2022. During the same period, 22 closed.

The Department of Economic Development hosted a fair six months ago specifically for immigrant-owned businesses. The department worked with Louisville Metro's Office of Immigrant Affairs for the event held at Logan Street Market.

ShopBar owners recommend other entrepreneurs to meet with the city's small business experts before opening a business. It's a resource that can work through challenges business owners might face.

"Feeling supported is probably the most important feeling," Dickerson said. "Advocating on your behalf, pushing you in the right directions, so that the ideas are more free to come."

To register for the event on Saturday, click here.

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