[HUNTSVILLE, AL] – WBCNA is now accepting applications from small business owners who started a business and implemented “best practices” to improve their likelihood of success.Statistics show that the majority of small businesses fail within the first few years and expert opinions abound about what a business owner should and shouldn’t do to keep a new business afloat. According to Joanne Randolph, President of the WBCNA, there are several key factors that contribute to small business failure:Â Â
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- Lack of an adequate, viable business plan
- Little, if any, marketing and advertising
- Inadequate capital or misuse of capital
- Lack of industry-related experience and knowledge
- Failure to seek professional advice (i.e., accounting, legal, financial, etc.)
If you started a business in the last two years and avoided the common pitfalls by developing a business plan, seeking the advice of professionals, etc., we want to publicly recognize you. The “Small Business Start-up of the Year” should be a model start-up for others to emulate. Applications will be accepted online at www.wbcna.org.  The deadline for applications is June 30, 2007, and the winner will be announced at the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards Ceremony on August 21, 2008, to an audience of 1,300.
