Man helps entrepreneurs succeed even in tough economy

In a quiet office overlooking Lake Glenada on the South Florida Community College campus in Avon Park, Bill McKown is fighting the recession in Highlands County.

He may not have the power of Ben Bernanke or the investment capital of Donald Trump, but as a certified business analyst for the University of South Florida's Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the advice he gives local business owners and entrepreneurs can mean the difference between surviving the current economic climate or closing the doors forever.

"Due tocurrent economic conditions, many businesses are looking for help. Their needs revolve aroundtwo basic areas: technical assistance and financial assistance. The SBDC specializes in providing technical assistance to small business," said McKown, whose wide smile and approachable demeanor reflect his certifications in training and facilitation.

While the SBDC does not provide financial help, they can point people with a need in the right direction to find funding.

A local all his life, McKown was born in Wauchula, graduated from Avon Park High School and holds degrees from SFCC and Warner University, including a bachelor of arts in Oranizational management and a master's of business administration.

His specialty is marketing, with a heavy emphasis on finance, while his partner, certified business analyst Dave Noel, specializes in minority business owner certification and doing business with the government.

Technically University of South Florida employees, the two men work together out of the same building on the SFCC campus.

An entrepreneur since young adulthood, McKown dabbled in several business opportunities, including coin-operated vending machines and logistics management of freight transportation.
Most of his career, however, was spent as retail vice president for a petroleum marketing company.

He directed the chain's marketing, retail construction, human resources, purchasing and loss prevention, among other aspects of the business.

While his professional time is spent working at the SBDC and adjunct teaching for SFCC, he still owns a convenience store in Lake Placid.

Why did he want to become a businessman over some other career move? McKown's face lit up as he answered the question with one word: "Entrepreneurship!"

Were there any hard knocks in his career as an entrepreneur? "You don't have that much time," McKown laughed.

But he admitted that there is a recurring theme among most entrepreneurs who want to start a business. "They have a big idea, but they don't always take the time to do the research to find out if it's a real business opportunity.

To be a real business opportunity, it has to have market feasibility and financial feasibility," said McKown.

And that's what he helps them to discover. Through working one-on-one with businesses large and small as well as hopeful entrepreneurs, McKown improves their potential success.

He also gives seminars through the SBDC including "Eight Steps to Surviving a Soft Economy," which will be offered in the spring and "Steps to Starting a Small Business," which takes place the last Wednesday of every month.

The seminars are free as are the advisory sessions since the SBDC is funded and supported by the Highlands County Board of County Commissioners through the Highlands Economic Development Commission (EDC), SFCC, and the Florida Heartland Rural Economic Development Initiative (FHREDI). They also work closely with Heartland Workforce.

"I enjoy working one-on-one with entrepreneurs in helping them to provide a more comprehensive map of how to get their business up and going," said McKown, who also admitted he enjoys getting the chance to see "the big flourish" as a company finds success.

He cited Hutchinson Studio, a graphic design firm started by Michael and Megan Hutchinson in 2008, as one success story. Even in the difficult economic climate, the Hutchinsons were able to have a successful first year, increase their customer base, and expand their business with assistance from McKown and Noel.

One of his proudest achievements at SBDC was helping two clients recuperate approximately $30,000 in monies lost to a scam operation.

"That brought a great deal of satisfaction," said McKown with a little smile.

McKown said he has seen scams becoming more prevalent in the slow economy as well as other trends, such as downsized workers looking into entrepreneurship and established businesses looking for strategies to cope with dropping revenues.

Even in a normal economy, McKown said that 80 percent of new businesses fade away in the first one to five years, and half are gone after just one year. Restaurants tend to have higher failure rates while franchises are more stable.

When he isn't working, McKown enjoys either golfing or snow skiing, two of the most challenging sports to master.

For more information on McKown or the business seminars and resources available through the SBDC, call 863-784-7379.