Meet the Lender 2005
Making Connections for Small Business

The second annual Meet the Lender event, sponsored by the City of Austin’s Small Business Development Program was another success for area small business owners. More than 500 entrepreneurs and those hoping to start their own small business attended the event in the evening of August 8, 2005 in hopes of connecting with lenders to launch a business or to expand their existing businesses. Twenty-eight lenders were present at the Hyatt Regency Austin to meet with attendees, discuss financing options and distribute information about the individual organizations’ loan programs.

Small business owners were excited with the prospect of meeting so many lenders at one place. Feedback from attendees included many positive comments, including “the lenders actually listened to my plans and if they couldn’t help me they put me in contact with who could”. When asked if the information provided would help the small business owner make an informed decision about seeking capital for their business, they responded with a very favorable 4.254 on a 5.0 scale.

The Small Business Development Program (SBDP) listens to the needs of the small business owner. In response to feedback from Meet the Lender 2004, the SBDP chose to feature breakout sessions throughout the evening to educate local entrepreneurs on financing subjects. The breakout sessions included:

• The Importance of a Business Plan conducted by Jan Triplett, Ph.D. and Dan Deiner of the Business Success Center
• Understanding the Loan Process conducted by Mary Alice Blanco of the United States Small Business Administration
• Non-Conventional Lenders conducted by Rosa Rios Valdez of CEN-TEX Certified Development Corporation
And
• Financial Documentation Essential in Obtaining a Business Loan conducted by Michele Sweeten of Michele A. Sweeten, CPA.

More than 200 individuals attended the breakout sessions which were each held at four different times during the evening to give attendees the opportunity to choose which sessions to attend and in what order. Feedback from attendees included “Clear and concise. I feel more confident already. Thank you!” and “The speaker’s experience and expertise was valuable in the presentation”. All breakout sessions received very high evaluations from attendees. One attendee wrote “EXCELLENT! Surpasses all my expectations!” regarding the general session of Meet the Lender 2005.

After the event, the Small Business Development Program received a message from a lender that he was able to connect with many different businesses and was able to help a large percent of those that he met at the event. Some of those businesses have already been processed and have qualified for loans! Information such as this is what truly marks the success of the Meet the Lender program.