Expert advice can point the way to success - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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That's precisely what Josephj Hutchinson did when hesought training, mentoring and advicde from in 2003. Beaver Streef is a business incubator that work s with startup companies and established firms to help them succeefd inthe marketplace. "I had actually been in business forthrere years, but what I needed was to find out how to go from bein a firm that functions like a sole proprietorshilp to an incorporated firm," said Hutchinson, president and CEO of , a design/builde general contractor. "They said, 'Here's what you have to do in the next few year sand here's how to move from Xeye beinfg just about Joe to beinyg about the team.
'" Xeye graduated from Beavedr Street this year. Hutchinson said the strategif planning skillsand peer-to-peer learningf were key to his company's successful transition. "They help you see the opportunitiesd that lie in front of you and then help you grab Hutchinson said. "We have had 40 businesses that have gone througg in the last five yearswith us, and we have 19 companiews on board right now," said Jackie Beaver Street executive director.
"The goal of business incubationb is to provide an opportunity for business both startup ventures and growth and get themsupport services, whic h come in the form of mentoring, training, help with businese planning, and to get financing help." Beavere Street's services include everything from business planninbg to below-market-value rent for office The business incubator offers technicaol assistance programs to tenants and also partnerw with a number of agencies such as the Jacksonvill Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Administration and the Small Business Development Centetr at the University of North Florida, which provide the businessesd with additional resources.
Open workshops are held each a complete list can be foundat . Examples of upcoming workshop topics include growinb a business to thenext level, a SCORE-conducted worksho July 11, and a franchise symposium Oct. 7 that will examine all aspectsof "We offer one-on-one mentoring, situational mentoring where it's not long-term," Perry said. "For if the business has an issue concerninb bookkeepingor finance, we'll get them a mento to help work through that issue. So a business owner could have three mentors atone time, each addressinh a different topic.
" The Smalol Business Development Center at UNF provides on-site technicalp assistance two days a week for Beavee Street tenants and the public. "You hear a statistic with incubatorsx that 87 percent of incubatofr tenants stayin business," said Janice the SBDC regional "One of the reasons is the valuse of the resources the incubators have by providing advice, coaching, assistance and information." "We hear from our tenantx that it would be more challengingv to go it alone," Perry "Some believe that if it hadn't been for Beaver Street, they wouldn'ft be in business today.
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