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CLOQUET – Starting a business can seem like a daunting task.
But Christopher Henagin, a small business consultant at the Northland Small Business Development Center, said it shouldn’t be.
“The reality is that anyone who has a side hustle or who’s made a little bit of money is doing something outside of the normal 9-5, actually … they’re already a business owner,” he said.
In 2022, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State, 55,501 limited liability companies and 4,903 business corporations were created in the state. These numbers are down slightly from 2021, when 58,142 LLCs and 5,386 business corporations started.
Despite the influx of new regional businesses in the past year, Henagin said he and his colleagues at the Northland SBDC have been busier than ever with people trying to get their businesses off the ground.
The Cloquet Pine Journal asked Henaghy what the Northland SBDC can do to help new or existing business owners. His responses have been edited for style and grammar.
PJ: What does your role entail?
CH: I am a small business consultant, and the SBDC’s mission is to help businesses start, grow and succeed.
In a nutshell, how we help businesses put together their articles of incorporation, whether they want to be a sole proprietor, LLC, or S corporation, we help people file the standards or go through the certification process. It ends then the EIN or Business Social Security Number, as I like to call it. We usually help people get started there.
As far as growth and success, we have many partners in the area, other economic development agencies, lenders, and then tools and resources. Most entrepreneurs need a simple income and expense tracking tool, they don’t necessarily need the full version of QuickBooks to start a business. We provide simple tools to help people get started and up and running.
At the end of that, when you have a successful business but it’s done – it’s time to sell – we can help businesses decide if they want to sell or what the business is worth, take the next steps, sequence. Make a plan.
PJ: What does it cost to work with the Northland SBDC?
CH: There is no cost for our services. We are federally, state and privately funded, so no one has to pay for anything when they come to see us. We have subject matter experts and subject matter experts can help entrepreneurs with marketing or HR… not a sales pitch. I don’t get paid extra for getting more clients – our service is free.
Call 218-740-7307, email info@northlandsbdc.org or visit northlandsbdc.org to learn more.
Jen Zettel-Vandenhouten is a regional editor for Duluth Media Group, which oversees Cloquet Pines Journal and Advanced Telegram.
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