Small Business Capital and Development

On Thursday, November 10, 2011, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Indiana Minority Enterprise Center co-sponsored a conference entitled, “Small Business Capital and Development—An Informed Conversation on Surviving the Economic Storm. The conference focused on informing our audience of the current statistics, data, and state of play of the business climate in northwest Indiana, especially as it pertains to small businesses. Speakers presented information on federal and state programs to assist small businesses in this economic downturn and advice on locating new markets, preparing marketing strategies and financial statements to increase the chance of obtaining bank financing. In addition, new methods were explored of connecting small businesses and start-up businesses with sources of investment—both new and traditional.