Business owners and entrepreneurs are invited to join a webinar on how to access better information about potential customers and similar businesses for those starting, planning or expanding a business.

The webinar will be held noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, via online communications tools. The workshop is free, but registration is required online at bit.ly/BusinessLandscape. The workshop is sponsored by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Missouri S&T and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Attendees will see data on the effects of COVID-19 on businesses and learn how to locate detailed information including income, poverty level and populations in an area. The speaker will also answer questions and demonstrate how to gather data about an area of interest for business owners.

“Toni Pitchford, U.S. Census Bureau data dissemination specialist, will demonstrate some of the tools people can use and the data that is available to help them make informed decisions about their business,” says Karen Leatherman, business development specialist at Missouri S&T. “We will have plenty of time for questions at the end, and you can email them to me in advance at leathermank@mst.edu.”

Missouri S&T’s SBDC provides business counseling and assistance to aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses in the areas of management, new business creation, business acquisition, business sales, marketing, financial analysis, human resources, operations management, succession planning and technology commercialization. Most services are provided at no cost.

SBDC is a University of Missouri Extension partner and part of the Missouri SBDC statewide network, which is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. For more information about workshops, resources and programs offered by Missouri S&T’s SBDC, visit ecodevo.mst.edu.

For more information, contact Leatherman at leathermank@mst.edu or 573-341-4551.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Founded in 1870 as the University of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of more than 8,000 students and part of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Located in Rolla, Missouri S&T offers 99 different degree programs in 40 areas of study, including engineering, the sciences, business and information technology, education, the humanities, and the liberal arts. Missouri S&T is known globally and is highly ranked for providing a high return on tuition investment, exceptional career opportunities for graduates, and an emphasis on applied, hands-on learning through student design teams and cooperative education and internship opportunities. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.