Financing Your Business 2026

On Thursday, July 30, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce the Entrepreneurship Council was proud to host “Financing Your Business.”

The event featured speakers from the Southeast Alabama Regional Planning & Development Commission, Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and the Small Business Administration (SBA).  PNC Bank also provided some information for our participants.

Mrs. Emily VanScyoc was the speaker for Southeast Alabama Regional Planning & Development Commission (SEARPDC).  Mrs. VanScyoc spoke about the many programs that SEARPDC offers including Head Start, Rural Planning, Senior Community Services Employment Program, and Community and Economic Development.  The focus for the night was their Micro Loan Program.  She touched on the amounts that where available for lending and that you can even use it to help with funding larger loans.  The micro loan is overseen by local members of the community and is financed by banks and other entities to help with funding for profit businesses.  Information can be found on the SEARPDC website https://searpdc.org/.

Mrs. Juliana Bolivar was the speaker for the Small Business Development Center.  She covered the various programs they offer to help small businesses.  They are funded by the Small Business Administration and the services they offer are FREE to for profit businesses.  They can help with business planning, finding funding, and more.  There website is www.ASBDC.org.

Our last speaker was Megyn Rodriguez from the Small Business Administration.  She covered the various programs offered by the SBA including the 7(a) loan, 504 loan, and the Micro loan programs.  She also covered how they work with local banks and the SBDC to help business with their needs from education on starting and running a business to obtaining financing.  She left information for the participants and contact information for them to contact her as well as Mrs.  Bolivar with the Small Business Development Centers.  The website for the Small Business Development Center is www.sba.gov.

Participants were able to ask questions and network with fellow business owners and those interested in starting a business.  Admission was FREE, but we ask for a donation of $10. Money raised will help the Entrepreneurship Council provide events like this in the community and help with other projects/programs provided by the Entrepreneurship Council. The Entrepreneurship Council is a 501 (c) 3 Organization.

This event is sponsored by Computer Printing Etc., and Troy University Dothan Campus Sorrell College of Business.

If you would like to attend a future event or be a part of Entrepreneurship Council, feel free to visit our site at www.entrepreneurshipcouncil.org or give us a call at 334-655-0417. The Entrepreneurship Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  You can donate by clicking below.