Chamber launches SourceLink to assist small, emerging businesses
2.22.2010Tulsa Metro Chamber announced today at a press conference the launch of SourceLink Tulsa, a new program created to spur the growth of small businesses and start-ups in the area. SourceLink is funded by the Chamber’s economic development plan, Tulsa’s Future. Speakers at the press conference were Cari Marshall, 2010 chair of the Chamber’s Small Business Council and owner of Tulsa-based L&M Office Furniture; Howard Barnett, president of OSU-Tulsa; Jeremy Hegle, U.S. SourceLink; and Patrick Cuningkin, owner of Tulsa-based start-up I’m Delivered.
In a community the size of the Tulsa metro region, there are a number of nonprofit and government organizations offering business-building services. However, individuals who own a small business or those who wish to start one are often overwhelmed with questions or challenges and may not know where to find help.
SourceLink Tulsa provides a simple, cost-free answer to this challenge. SourceLink is a referral network that links small and emerging business owners to area resource partners who provide a range of services to help businesses grow and prosper. The program is based on a model created by the Kauffman Foundation, and is offered at no cost to entrepreneurs and participating resource partners.
“SourceLink was created to address a special need – assisting small business owners and individuals who want to start a business find the right resources when they need them,” said Kinnee Tilly, the Chamber’s vice president of business retention, expansion and small business. “A program like SourceLink is necessary to our region because of the number of small businesses here.”
Eighty-two percent of all businesses in the Tulsa MSA have fewer than 10 employees. These 29,020 small businesses provide more than 55,000 primary jobs with an estimated payroll of $1.4 billion annually, making a significant economic impact on the region.
SourceLink can be accessed via a Web site, www.SourceLinkTulsa.com, a hotline (918.560.0275 or toll-free at 888.4.BIZ.411) or the Chamber’s SourceLink Business Center. Small business owners can contact SourceLink to find a resource partner, a schedule of entrepreneurial education opportunities, links to online resources, and a library of how-to guides, checklists and other valuable materials.
The program is offered in conjunction with the Chamber’s other small business services and initiatives and was a top priority for the Small Business Council.
“It is the vitality of small businesses that sustains and rejuvenates our economy, creates the majority of our jobs and drives product innovation,” said Marshall. “The council found a program like SourceLink critical to connecting small business owners to the tools they need to succeed.”
More than 50 area resource partners are already participating in the program, and the Chamber is signing up more every day. Partners provide a range of services, including business plan development, market analysis, financing, operations assistance, education and more.
In addition to creating a network of providers to assist start-ups, the Chamber now better can monitor entrepreneurial activity in the area. Other goals of SourceLink include promoting entrepreneurial growth; raising community awareness to increase entrepreneurial activity; identifying gaps in services; and measuring economic impact.
To learn more about SourceLink Tulsa, visit www.SourceLinkTulsa.com, or call 918.560.0275.
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