Starting your own business

National Entrepreneurship Week celebration in Pike County MILFORD — The Pike County Economic Development Agency’s (EDA) celebration of National Entrepreneurship Week was bigger and better in its second year. The Pike County Commissioners issued a proclamation declaring the celebration of entrepreneurship Week from Feb. 20 to 27, but inclement weather stretched the celebration throughout March. The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center and the Pike County Chamber of Commerce co-hosted a seminar with the EDA entitled “Entrepreneurship, What Does It Take,” which was well attended in the EDA office on March 16. Participants learned about the key characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. Local entrepreneurs Cena Block of Sane Spaces, Katrina Foster of KKPR Marketing and Public Relations, Joe Campanella of Primerica Financial Services, Lori Ann Hines of the Forklift Café and Geoffrey Peckham of Clarion Safety volunteered their time to speak to students in select business classes at Delaware Valley High School. Teachers Audrey Josephite, Sue Favaro and Nicole Consentino coordinated with Rachel Hendricks of the EDA staff to identify what industries were of particular interest to the students and prepare the classes. Entrepreneurs were matched for seven classes appropriate for them. The teachers and EDA staff plan to have entrepreneurs visit the classes each semester in the future and hopefully will be able to expand the program to include additional classes. “Opening his own business is an opportunity a student may not have considered that can allow him to remain in Pike County and build wealth for the future,” said Rachel Hendricks of the EDA. “Hearing from successful entrepreneurs makes that possibility real for students.” The EDA office is co-located with the Pike County Chamber of Commerce at 209 East Harford Street in Milford and can be reached for more information at 570-296-7332. About the EDA The EDA has a wide variety of resources to support startup entrepreneurs. The agency can even assist with finding a location. Support is also available for existing businesses in such areas as economic development financing programs, researching markets or new customers. EDA staff also knows where to make the right referrals for hard to find services such as government procurement or international market development. The EDA is an outreach location for the Small Business Development Center at the University of Scranton and partners with them to provide free small business counseling. The SBDC works with clients in Pike County who are pre-venture or already operational businesses. Counselors can provide assistance in a myriad of topics, not limited to but including: writing a business marketing and financial plan, accessing new markets, addressing human resource challenges, succession planning, conducting a breakeven analysis, or filing the appropriate paperwork to open a business properly.