[HUNTSVILLE, AL] – WBCNA created the “Start-up of the Year” award as a way to recognize small-business owners who implemented “best practices” when starting a new business and thus improving their chance for success. The recipient of this award should be a model for other start-ups to emulate. The “2006 Start-up of the Year” was Living Art Water Gardens and the 2007 recipient was Myers Technical Services.
The following companies have been selected by an independent panel of judges as finalists for the “2008 Small Business Start-up of the Year:”
* Michelda Johnson, Edible Arrangements
* Robyn Warner and Erin Braley, Goin’ to the Dogs and Cats Mobile Grooming
* Ellen Didier, Red Sage Communications
“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, WBCNA’s President. There are, however, several known factors that contribute to small business failure:
* Lack of an adequate, viable business plan
* Poor marketing plan and insufficient sales to sustain the business
* Inadequate capital, misuse of capital or poor cost control
* Lack of industry-related experience and knowledge
* Failure to seek professional advice (i.e., accounting, legal, financial, etc.)
The winner will be announced at the Huntsville-Madison County Small Business Awards Celebration on August 21
