Getting Down to Business

The Small Business Development Center is back in the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce with a new, yet experienced, consultant.

Rick Paul has been the new business consultant since June after Cheryl Lynch left in April following nine years working in Putnam County.  

After a spell at the Palatka Welcome Center, the center has moved back into the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce. It’s a good fit to work at the Chamber’s building, Paul said.

“We’re both trying to do the same thing,” he said.

Paul said the Chamber and the business center have similar goals, encourage economic growth and opportunity in the county. Paul offers business planning, franchising, accounting and marketing help for prospective or current business owners.

“This country was built on Main Street, USA, not Wall Street. … Because Palatka and Putnam County has a lot of small and family-owned businesses, this seems to be an excellent fit with the Small Business Development Center,” Paul said. So I’m very excited about being here and to contribute to the growth of small businesses in the area.”

The center is positioned to assist businesses before they invest, in their startup phase, with growth and if they decide to sell. Paul compared his job to a mechanic because he can assist with various parts of a business model, though not every business is configured the same.

Paul said people start businesses for replacement income, to earn the same they could somewhere else and be their own boss. He said small businesses need a sustainable business model and a product that fulfills someone’s needs when there’s likely competition from larger companies.

“Most of the small businesses in this country have a sole proprietor where it’s one person and they’re only going to have one location,” Paul said. “They’re not trying to become the next Facebook or the next Walmart.”

COVID-19 has proven to be a thorn in the side for business owners from navigating Paycheck Protection Program to keeping employees and customers safe, Paul said. He said being a business owner requires thousands of decisions that could result in success or failure.

“It’s entirely up to the business owner to take charge to make the decisions necessary for survival,” he said.

Paul first worked for the center when he attended the University of North Florida in the late 1980s. He has also been an instructor at Pennsylvania State, Florida State and Idaho State universities. He said his skillset is management and marketing.

“I was the kid who was mowing lawns for $5 and I just continued in that vein,” Paul said.

His advice for prospective business owners is to put the idea on paper. From there, other people can see the idea, and the logistics of the business can form.

“A lot of people have ideas floating around in their head,” Paul said. “You’ve got to get it out of your head and down on paper.”

The Small Business Development Center can be contacted at 268-1311.

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