If you are looking to start your own business, Knox County Area Partnership President Ken Springer offers some do’s and don’ts:
“Do utilize the Illinois Small Business Development Center Network. The Small Business Development Centers are free federally funded business advisors that can help you build a business plan for you and your business. Do not ever pay somebody to write a business plan for you. Do not pay somebody to go out and find grants for you. If you find yourself on a website where it is offering to write a business plan for you or guarantee you a grant and they want your credit card number, you are getting ripped off. Do not send money to people to do that, you can get those services for free. Another do, and this is really, really important is if you are interested in starting a business, spend some time and get your personal finances in order. One more don’t, in this industry we see a lot of people getting swept up in fads. There are a lot of people that do watch TikTok and there will be waves and trends that come from these business like TikToks.”
For more on available services locally for starting a business, visit Home – Knox County Area Partnership (knoxpartnership.com).
