Shannon Epperson credits the expertise provided by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC) regional office at Arkansas Tech University as vital in reaching her entrepreneurship goals.
“The financial analysis tools the ASBTDC created for us were very helpful,” said Epperson. “They allowed us to look at the numbers and compare what we thought we needed for a budget and fine-tune them to show what we actually needed. Having the analysis and projections gave us confidence in the business purchase and helped us with the paperwork for our loan.”
Epperson and her husband, Chris, opened Georgia Girl Boutique and Gifts in Clarksville in April 2019. The business is the Merle Norman studio for Johnson County. In addition to cosmetics, the Eppersons offer clothing, accessories and gifts. The business is located at 1128 S. Rogers St. in Clarksville.
The ASBTDC regional office at ATU is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration through a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the Arkansas Tech University College of Business. ASBTDC locations provide consulting, training and market research to Arkansas small businesses.
Located in Rothwell Hall at 106 West O Street in Russellville, the Arkansas Tech office serves entrepreneurs in nine counties: Conway, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Pope, Scott, Sebastian and Yell.
Call (479) 356-2067 or visit www.atu.edu/asbtdc for more information about the ASBTDC regional office at ATU.
