Your Idea
As an entrepreneur, you know it all begins with an idea. Maybe yours is an all-new proprietary concept, product or service. Perhaps yours is an innovative means of delivering an existing product or service in a whole new way.
Before long, your clever idea will germinate into seeds that form a business plan. As with all fledgling ventures, you’ll soon need a supportive, nurturing environment – a protected nest, if you will – that includes practical resources and contacts to gird you and your business concept within the veil of confidentiality until you birth it into a profitable, commercial reality.
That’s where we come in. The City of Edwardsville, Illinois stands ready with a “nest” of contacts and resources to assist you as you grow your idea. For starters, we’ll assist you in making sure your business crosses its t’s and dots its i’s in complying with permitting, business licenses and more – well before you choose your location.
Our alliances with local, regional and statewide business start-up resources – the Illinois Metro East Small Business Development Center at SIUE, Justine PETERSEN, Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce, Madison County, the State of Illinois and others – stand ready to assist you with business counseling, practical “how-to-start-a-business” workshops, paths to lending and opportunities to compete for funding through business pitch competitions.
The City of Edwardsville’s longstanding, dynamic relationships with the professional contacts you’ll likely require – bankers, CPAs, attorneys, real estate brokers and those offering technical assistance in your specific industry niche – can save you precious time it would likely take to secure these reputable advisors on your own. We work with these individuals on a regular basis, and we’re happy to share our connections with you.
Entrepreneur, if you’ve got an idea that’s ready to take wing, call upon the City of Edwardsville to help you make that happen. There’s no better time than today. We stand ready to assist you as you prepare to soar.