Main Street Monday — SBA celebrates October as National Women’s Small Business Month
October 1, 2018
By Linda McMahon
SBA Administrator
Main Street Monday — SBA celebrates October as National Women’s Small Business Month
From SBA’s Blog
When April Lukasik’s second child was born, she couldn’t find a childcare center that met her high standards. So she started her own – and a small business was born, too.
“I had no experience, but as a mother and with a business background, I just put the two together,” she said.
Lukasik opened the first of her Bright & Early Children’s Learning Centers in 1997, thanks in large part to financing she got through the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA guarantees loans for small business owners who can’t get loans anywhere else, and also connects entrepreneurs to counseling, mentorship and government contracting opportunities. Lukasik has grown her business to now include four childcare centers across Connecticut and was recognized as the 2018 Connecticut Small Business Person of the Year.
“Without the SBA, I absolutely would not have been able to build the business I have,” she said. “They were the only place I could find to lend me money with no experience and no real estate capital, and they took a chance on me. Twenty years later, I’m so grateful for the opportunity and the faith the SBA has had in me.”
The SBA works to help more entrepreneurs like April Lukasik start, grow and expand businesses of their own. October is recognized as National Women’s Small Business Month – a perfect opportunity to highlight some of the resources the SBA offers to women: