Mid-Missouri Business Week: Missouri Women’s Business Center kicks off LaunchU program

The Missouri Women’s Business Center has been around for two years, launching 18 different businesses during that time.

The center is a division of Central Missouri Community Action and is funded by the Small Business Administration through the federal government.

The center’s director, Jessie Yankee, said the organization has received an enormous amount of requests for counseling. This center serves eight counties.

“We do focus on low-to-moderate income as well as a focus on minority and just serving all the female population,” Yankee said.

The business center also just kicked off a new program called LaunchU.

“It’s a six-week or 12-session course and we walk through every aspect of your business plan,” Yankee said. “We walk through every aspect of feasibility, pricing, marketing strategy, we bring in experts for every single topic.”

Yankee said after participants finish the course, they will leave with full business plans.