Clear Lake Area Chamber Of Commerce: Clear Lake Connections Podcast Episode 54 | Episode 54: The Keys To Starting A Business And Forming ...

Press release from the Clear Lake Area Chamber Of Commerce:

February 15, 2022

This week on Clear Lake Connections Podcast presented by UTMB Health: Meet Rob Carlson, Business Advisor for the San Jacinto College, Small Business Development Center. In this weeks episode, Rob discusses the work the Small Business Development Center does to support the small businesses in our community, the guidance they offer people who are on their small business journey and how being involved with the Chamber is a natural fit. Rob also talks about his rich background and experience in the business world and his tips for someone who is looking to start a business of their own.

They are funded by the small business administration of the Federal Government to support small businesses in our area. People wanting to start a business, people in business or even people wanting to sell or buy businesses. There is a variety of help that they can provide to them. Over the past year and a half, a lot of their work has been focused on the pandemic. A lot of their work has been focused on helping people get government financing, disaster funding and things like that.

The partnership they have with the Chamber is such a natural fit. It is a good relationship both ways and it adds value to people’s membership. They are in the community and where the people and business are. The SBDC goes to the businesses, so the businesses don’t have to come to the SBDC. They are open to anyone in this region. There is an online registration process that people go through that takes about 5 minutes. Once that is done, they will get information and the Director of the San Jacinto College Small Business Development Center, Herb Hildebrand will assign the new client to one of the advisors. When they meet with one of the individuals is get to know the person, their background, their education, their experience and what they have been doing in their life. It is good to know where they are financially, what their credit score is and if they have money of their own to invest in their business.

You get a feel for where they at and what they want to do. People may need to get funding and so on that basis they then see where they go to start the process. Rob got into this line of business because he was a client of the SBDC and was the president of a small company and they were looking at starting a new line of business and e was referred to the SBDC. Rob and Herb kept in contact and over time and Herb asked Rob if he was interested in a future opening and now Rob is here today.

His background has largely been in working with Japanese owned companies in different places such as California, Alabama, Japan and of course in Houston. The nice thing with the work he did was that he got to deal with a lot of businesses and got to see business at different levels. He was involved in the Space Station Program and has had a lot more experiences which has led him to what is the perfect job for him. The experience is important and has been very beneficial for him.

A client that he has recently that has exceeded his expectations has been a company that is exporting their products from the US to Nigeria. A lot of times he serves as a brainstorming window for people, and they collaborate on the expertise that he has. The process of setting up has been excellent and the exploring has been a good experience. It is his favorite because it is so different. His top tips for someone starting to start a business would be, are you cut out to own a business? Are you willing to take a pay cut? Are you willing to go from a steady paycheck to the unknown? Do you understand that it is not going to be a smooth transition and there will be problems? Are you prepared for uncertainty? Can you financially do this?

He recommends people keep their job because then you can no longer get a bank loan and you will have no income. Rob is asking these people these hard questions that need to be asked. If you want to start a business, really think about it and don’t be afraid of it. But be realistic about what your interests and capabilities are.

If you want to get in touch with Rob or the SBDC, you can find him in the Chamber Office or you can Google San Jacinto College SBDC and there will be a link where you can contact him or refer to him at sbdc@sjcd.edu.

This press release was produced by the Clear Lake Area Chamber Of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.