Radius Indiana and South Central Indiana Small Business Development Center Leading Effort to Help Small Businesses in the Region

BEDFORD, Ind. (May 12, 2020) — Radius Indiana, in partnership with the South Central Indiana Small Business Development Center and Ivy Tech’s Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship, are hosting a series of webinars to help Indiana small business owners navigate through the masses of resources being offered in response to COVID-19.

The newest webinar, Social Media: Mic Check-1-2-3… Wait is This Thing On?, is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13 via Zoom. This session will provide strategies for engaging content and provide resources and tools to understanding how to get the most out of your social media strategy. To learn more or to register, follow this link or visit the South Central ISBDC home page.

The Radius region is home to 6,180 small businesses, accounting for nearly 82 percent of all businesses within its eight counties. Small businesses employ 35,148 workers, totaling 40 percent of the regions’ jobs. 

Radius Indiana and the South Central ISBDC share a common goal of supporting small businesses and regularly partner on efforts to coordinate resources and educational programs in the region.

“Small businesses fuel economic growth. Through this strategic partnership, we look to bolster South Central Indiana’s drive to support and grow entrepreneurship across the region,” said Radius Indiana Vice President of Talent Attraction and Retention Keeley Stingel. “Despite the current challenges, small businesses continue seeking ways to adapt to meet their customers’ needs. We hope by offering the webinar series, businesses have the resources they need, delivered in a way that makes the most sense to them.”

The first webinar, which was presented earlier this spring, focused on helping employers understand financial statements for small businesses, as it can be hard to understand why a banker is asking, and what they’re looking for. The workshop explained the three main financial statements, the ratios banks use to determine loan terms, and the most common mistakes small businesses make when looking for a loan. It aimed to help employers grow confidence when talking to a banker about their business.

A second webinar was an E-Commerce Crash Course to help employers quickly transition to online sales and generate revenue. This webinar helped small business owners brainstorm ways to alter their business model to continue to generate revenue even during COVID-19 limitations. 

“Small businesses are facing unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 situation. Many small business owners have never had to consider E-Commerce as a significant part of their business strategy and it is sometimes complex and confusing for businesses to know what to do and where to find information. The E-Commerce series is one way we are working together with community partners to help small business owners learn some simple strategies and tools to use to get on-line to sell their products and services,” said Steve Bryant, Executive Director of the Ivy Tech Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship and Regional Director, South Central Indiana Small Business Development Center.

The past webinars can be viewed at the Cook Center for Entrepreneurship YouTube Channel.

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ABOUT RADIUS INDIANA: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington. Formed in 2009, Radius Indiana also serves as a point of contact in Indiana for Naval Support Activity Crane and leads regional collaboration by leveraging the diverse assets of Southwest Central Indiana to drive attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region. (www.radiusindiana.com)

ABOUT ISBDC: The Indiana Small Business Development Center (Indiana SBDC) was created to have a positive and measurable impact on the formation, growth, and sustainability of small businesses in Indiana, and to help Hoosier Entrepreneurs start stronger, grow faster, and work smarter. (www.isbdc.org)

ABOUT THE GAYLE AND BILL COOK CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP: The Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship at Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington provides practical tools to help entrepreneurs of south central Indiana start and grow businesses. Founded in 2010 to honor one of the regions’ most successful entrepreneurs, Bill Cook, the Cook Center embodies Mr. Cook’s philosophy of ‘ready, fire, aim’ entrepreneurship by giving students and others the skills and resources they need to start businesses.  (www.ivytech.edu/bloomington/entrepreneurship/)