Tennessee Small Business Development Center at the UT Martin REED Center

How well do you *actually* know your customers? The answer shapes more than you might expect...

Veteran-owned businesses, this one's for you!

The Tennessee Department of General Services has launched a program that enables qualifying businesses to acquire valuable government surplus items directly related to their business operations at significant savings.

Veteran-owned small businesses can access a wide range of wide, including: office equipment, computers, tools and machinery, vehicles and transportation equipment, furniture, and more.

Learn more at https://www.tn.gov/generalservices/vam/federal-surplus.html

Could someone step into your business tomorrow and keep the wheels turning?

If the honest answer is "not really," you're not alone. And it's fixable!

More in our latest blog post: https://tsbdc.org/beyond-sops/

Written by Brooke Siler at Tennessee Small Business Development Center - MTSU

AI is already changing how small businesses run, and most entrepreneurs are asking the same practical question: where do I start?

On July 16, America's SBDC is hosting AI Day, a no-cost virtual summit built to answer exactly that.

You’ll be able to see how AI is helping businesses like yours grow, hear from entrepreneurs who’ve succeeded, and access AI resources through your local SBDC!

Register here: https://aiday.americassbdc.org/event-registration

Last week on LinkedIn, we asked how focused your business feels right now. Focus is critical if you're wanting to grow, expand services, or open a second location. Here are 5 things to consider before you expand. →

Last week we asked what season your business is in. Here's what we heard (and what it means.) ➡️

SBA Offers Disaster Relief to Tennessee Small Businesses
and Private Nonprofits Affected by Drought beginning April 21st
Low-interest disaster loans now available.
The disaster declaration covers the Tennessee counties of Benton, Bledsoe, Cannon, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester, Clay, Crockett, Cumberland, Davidson, Decatur, DeKalb, Dickson, Fayette, Fentress, Franklin, Gibson, Giles, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Maury, McNairy, Montgomery, Morgan, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Scott, Sequatchie, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Tipton, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, Williamson, and Wilson, and the Alabama counties of Jackson and Lauderdale, and the Arkansas counties of Crittenden and Mississippi, and the Georgia county of Dade, and the Kentucky counties of Allen, Calloway, Christian, Logan, Monroe, Simpson, Todd, and Trigg, as well as the Mississippi counties of Alcorn, Benton, Tippah, and Tishomingo.

SBA Relief Still Available to Tennessee Businesses, Private Nonprofits, and Residents Affected by the Severe Winter Storm occurring Jan 22-27
Deadline for physical damage loans approaching
Eligible Tennessee counties of Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Crockett, DeKalb, Gibson, Giles, Haywood, Henry, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lake, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marshall, Obion, Overton, Pickett, Smith, Stewart, Tipton, and Weakley, and the Alabama county of Lauderdale, and the Arkansas counties of Crittenden and Mississippi, and the Kentucky counties of Allen, Christian, Clinton, Cumberland, Logan, Monroe, Simpson, and Todd, and the Missouri county of Pemiscot, as well as the Mississippi counties of Alcorn, Benton, DeSoto, Marshall, Tippah, and Tishomingo.

Applications for disaster loans may be submitted online using the MySBA Loan Portal at https://lending.sba.gov
Please contact the SBA’s Customer Service Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-800-659-2955 for further assistance.
For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Join us and First Community bank of the Heartland for an educational event on fraud awareness, prevention, and business protection!
Click on the link to register
https://clients.tsbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=85460006

Aaaand that’s a wrap! Last week all Centers in the TSBDC network came together in one room to learn, collaborate, and celebrate. 🙌

We’re proud to invest in the professional development of our staff, knowing that stronger teams mean stronger communities, and better support for Tennessee’s small businesses!

A special thank you to our event sponsors - you made this incredible week possible!
🔹 First Horizon Bank
🔹 Truist
🔹 Republic Bank
🔹 Three Roots Capital
🔹 Pinnacle Financial Partners