Live Chat - SBA Helps Small Businesses with Economic Recovery

Release Date: January 8, 2009
Contact: Cecelia Taylor (202) 401-3059
Advisory Number: MA09-01
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

SBA Helps Small Businesses with Economic Recovery

SBA’s Live Web Chat with Eric Zarnikow, Associate Administrator for Capital Access, Will answer economic recovery questions, Thursday, January 15, 2009, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., ET

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Web Chat series starts the new year with a focus on small businesses and the credit crunch.

SBA Associate Administrator for Capital Access Eric Zarnikow will help small business owners and entrepreneurs get answers to their questions about credit and borrowing and other resources to help them access credit. SBA offers a variety of resources and referrals to small businesses uncertain about what to do in the current economy on its Web page on Economic Recovery at http://www.sba.gov/helpingmainstreet/index.html.

SBA also offers free online training courses on "Surviving in a Down Economy"
and "Strategic Marketing: How to Win Customers in a Slowing Economy,"
and "Retool & Reposition your company - How to Prepare a Business Plan."

These courses are available at
http://www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses/index.html
WHO: Eric Zarnikow, Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access at the U.S. Small Business Administration will host the SBA’s January Web chat on the topic "How Small Businesses can Deal with the Credit Crunch."

Participants can chat online and ask questions about real-world strategies to employ during economic downturns, and how they can sustain themselves through the credit crunch.

WHAT: SBA’s Web chat series, providing small business owners with an opportunity to discuss relevant business issues online with experts, industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs. Chat participants will have direct, real- time access to the Web chats via questions they submit online in advance and during the live session, with instant answers.

WHEN: January 15, 2009, 1 p.m. ET
Zarnikow will answer questions for one hour.

HOW: Participants can join the live Web chat by going online to www.sba.gov, and clicking "Online Business Chat." Web chat participants may post questions for Zarnikow before the January 15th chat by visiting http://app1.sba.gov/livemeeting/jan09/index.cfm, and posting their questions online.