Tennessee Small Business Development Center: Building Something of Your Own

“I tell people to this day, I think the pandemic has been a blessing in disguise because there were many people who were furloughed or laid off of work that have always wanted to go into business, and had this pandemic not happened, they would not have been forced out of their comfort zone to try something new and innovative,” says Monique Merriweather, director of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center in Jackson (TSBDC).

She believes the global pandemic of COVID-19 has the potential to produce amazing opportunities, and she wants to encourage the community to take advantage of this time by recognizing how they can create new products and services for others.

“Don’t use this as a time to sit down and say, ‘this is such a terrible time in our lives’ because this is one of the greatest seasons in our lives, regardless of how you look at it,” says Merriweather. “I think there’s going to be some great small businesses that come out of this pandemic, and I think our best days are still ahead of us.”

Building a small business from the ground up is something Merriweather knows about on a personal level, and she believes there is an unprecedented beauty in creating and owning your own business.   

“We always want to encourage other people to go into small business, to be independent, and to be their own boss,” Merriweather says. “There’s such gratification in knowing that you have your own, and seeing an idea come to fruition and manifest in real life is such a great feeling to know you accomplished something from just an idea.”

A way that she and the TSBDC practically partner alongside aspiring and existing business owners is by offering services like confidential business counseling, business plan advising, loan assistance, professional referrals, and much more that are completely free to all. She believes it is important for their organization to continue offering these free services to those in Jackson and surrounding areas in order to ensure that anyone who has an idea or dream is given the chance to access these essential tools. 

Merriweather says this job is special to her because there is no greater joy than seeing somebody fulfill whatever it is that God has placed on their hearts, and she believes it is such a rewarding feeling to know that she assisted and helped push them to chase their ideas and passions.

She wants to encourage the community to continue supporting these local business owners, especially during the pandemic, because she believes being intentional about where the community chooses to spend their money is what will save local business owners and small businesses. 

“So just remember those things as you’re going out and spending all this stimulus money that we’re getting,” she says with a laugh. “Make sure to spend it with your small business owners. I tell people, small business is the economic backbone of our county because, without small businesses, our economy suffers.”

To learn more about Jackson’s Tennessee Small Business Development Center and the services they provide visit tsbdc.org/jscc.