Seminars Help Small Business Owners

Starting a small business can really take up to five years, and another 10 to start making good money. Somewhere in that span, new owners often struggle to learn all that it takes to run a small business.

Understanding what it takes, two New Lenox women are running seminars to discuss . The next one is from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at in New Lenox.

Renee Perry, a business coach from New Lenox, and Lori Thompson, owner of H&R Block, will lead the discussion Tuesday and cover how to plan for starting a business and what challenges you're sure to face.

"My goal is to help people before they start making mistakes," Perry said.

Seminars will continue after this month's but don't have set times because Thompson said she's trying to see what works best for people who are interested. Future topics can include broader topics such as how to grow a business once it's started, but also important finance-related topics such as 401k, banking and insurance.

"A lot of business owners start not knowing how to do anything except sell their product, but there's so much more that goes into it," Thompson said. "But it doesn't have to be that complicated."

Both Perry and Thompson have started blogging on Patch with business tips, so make sure to follow their updates to learn more about what goes into running a successful business. Read their first posts:

Are You Thinking about Starting a Business?

How do I pay myself as the owner of a small business?