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| In her first year as director of SCC’s Small Business Center, Tiffany Henry (left) more than doubled the number of free services available for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Henry is pictured here with Macon County businessman Parker Adams, who’s attended several seminars offered through the Small Business Center. |
Over her years of working in the banking industry, Tiffany Henry found her greatest fulfillment in helping this area’s small business owners to succeed.
Now that she’s at Southwestern Community College, she gets to do her favorite work full-time.
As director of SCC’s Small Business Center, she offers counseling and coordinates a wide range of training for both prospective and existing small business owners. She also provides assistance with business plans, marketing and a variety of other business issues such as securing loans.
All these services are provided free of charge.
“Running your own business can be overwhelming at times,” said Henry, who worked at banks in Western North Carolina for nearly 10 years before moving to SCC in the spring of 2013. “It’s an adventure and it’s exciting, but it certainly is not easy. That’s why I’m here: to help guide people around – and prepare them for - the rough spots. You wouldn’t believe how many people who’ve come in for help and said, ‘I wish I’d known this was here a long time ago.’”
In her first year at SCC, Henry helped 21 business start-ups – more than the previous four years combined. Southwestern’s Small Business Center held 57 seminars that were attended by 798 clients – more than twice the number served in the previous two years combined.
She also counseled 50 distinct clients for more than 250 hours, again doubling figures from the previous year.
“Trust is one of the biggest things I’ve found with the Small Business Center,” said Parker Adams, who owns The Mountaineer Handmade Wooden Crafts in Macon County. “They’re up front. They’re not beating around the bush. It’s nice to have someone you can trust who keeps everything confidential.”
Henry continuously looks for new seminar topics that will benefit entrepreneurs throughout Jackson, Macon, Swain Counties and the Qualla Boundary.
The Small Business Center has a resource center located in the Holt Library on Southwestern’s Jackson Campus, and Henry’s office is located nearby in Founders Hall.
“I enjoy helping people and being the voice of reason,” Henry said. “If there’s a skill people have, a gift they enjoy and want to translate into a business, then I help them by making sure they have the tools they need to be successful. I help them sidestep pitfalls or obstacles.
“The most rewarding part of what I do is seeing them be successful, especially when they hire and retain employees,” Henry added. “A lot of times, owners can get comfortable when they’ve been in business for a while. I encourage them to think outside the box, and that’s probably my favorite part.”
For more information about SCC’s Small Business Center, contact Henry at 828.339.4211 or t_henry@southwesterncc.edu.
