Entrepreneurs and business owners in the 18-county region of northwest Missouri now have a new and valuable resource they can use to start, scale and accelerate their businesses. The Northwest Missouri Roundtable of Economic Developers is proud to introduce NWMOSourceLink (www.nwmosourcelink.com), a regional resource network for entrepreneurs.

Starting a business is hard, especially if you don’t know the resources available to help you start your business, find funding or market your services. By improving the visibility of and accessibility to business-building resources, NWMOSourceLink connects area entrepreneurs and business owners to the right resources they need.

“ There are many great local and regional organizations that provide support to business owners. This website is a way to assist entrepreneurs in connecting with resources available to them”, said Annette Weeks director of MWSU’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

NWMOSourceLink has adopted the successful SourceLink® model to help its entrepreneurs and grow regional entrepreneurship. Now in 50+ communities nationwide, SourceLink provides tools and consulting to help cities and regions identify, map and leverage their local resources and measure their entrepreneurial efforts. With its national footprint, NWMO SourceLink will also connect northwest Missouri to a network of entrepreneurial ecosystem builders and best practices in rural entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship-led economic development.

“Small businesses are the cornerstone of Missouri’s economy. The success of our small businesses in our urban communities and rural regions is essential to creating jobs across the state. When we invest in small businesses, dollars remain within our communities, strengthening our neighborhoods,” said Greg Tucker, state director of the Missouri Small Business and Technology Development Centers. The MO SBTDC is a key strategic partner for NWMOSourceLink. “The launch of NWMOSourceLink is a first step forward to helping Missouri businesses of all types find and use regional resources to help them start and grow.”

Currently over a hundred organizations are part of the NWMOSourceLink network. Partners provide a range of services, including business plan development, market analysis, financing, operations assistance, education and more. These organizations include small business development groups, government entities, loan programs, libraries, chambers of commerce, technical or legal assistance providers, organizations specializing in helping women and/or minorities and more.

NWMOSourceLink can be accessed via the web at www.nwmosourcelink.com. Business owners can contact NWMOSourceLink to find a resource partner, discover entrepreneurial education opportunities, links to online resources, and a library of how-to guides, checklists and other valuable business materials.

To learn more about NWMOSourceLink, visit www.nwmosourcelink.com, call 866-870-6500 or email info@nwmosourcelink.com.