ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Economic development efforts are picking up throughout Liberal and recently, one of Liberal’s own was recognized for her efforts.
Earlier this month, Raquel Arellano with the Seward County Development Corporation (SCDC) was named Business Advocate of the Year at the Minority and Women in Business Awards, and she said she was very honored by the recognition.
“The Minority and Women in Business Awards are done through the Kansas Department of Commerce, and I had actually been asked to help with promoting the event and some of the marketing/logistical details by Taylor Overton. She had visited Elkhart to a Women In Business workshop through the Small Business Development Corporation, and we talked some and kept in touch afterward, and I ultimately ended up helping suggest some different spots where the awards ceremony could take place,” Arellano said. “I didn't know until later I'd even been nominated for Business Advocate of the Year, and I was really surprised when I saw my name on that list, and I was also really honored to be counted among other great people in the field. I absolutely was not expecting to win, I was just thrilled to be among the nominees, and even until the last minute, I didn't think I would come away with the award because the other nominees are absolute rockstars at what they do, and I figured it would be one of them to take home the honor.”
Upon hearing her name as the official winner, Arellano said there was a mix of emotions.
“I was honored and humbled at the same time because I know there are many other people who are doing just as phenomenal work as what's going on here in Liberal at our office,” Arellano said. “It was a mix of excitement and surprise and pride to be able to represent our community and Seward County and the hard work our office is doing. On a day-to-day basis, we all put in so much hard work helping prospective entrepreneurs whether they're at the idea stage or about to launch their business. For me, that's the most important and exciting part. At the ceremony, some asked me 'What do you like most about what you do?' and I told them 'All of it.' When people initially come in and talk to us about their idea and what they hope to achieve with their business and all of that, it's really fun to sit and listen to them and then help them gain some perspective and figure out how to make their dream come to life. We talk about demographics, sustainability, whether the product/service will fit in with the area, and as we get into those deeper conversations, the wheels start turning in the client's mind. And that's the most amazing part, because it's not about us killing your dream or anything like that, it's about us discovering how things could work and whether it could reasonably work out in this area.”
Arellano talked about her background with the SCDC.
“I've been here since January 2022. I'm an entrepreneur myself, I come from a family of entrepreneurs, and I've been an employee at multiple small businesses throughout the course of my career,” Arellano said. “To see the process from all of those different angles has really enabled me, as the director of entrepreneurship with the Liberal SCDC, to be able to identify with people's stories. Initially, I got in right away to start with business coaching and advising and all of that, and we have several wonderful partners we work with, which is amazing because there are currently entrepreneurs looking for non-traditional financing options to help them launch. As an entrepreneur, you don't always have the opportunity to go to the bank and say 'I'm starting a new business, I need a loan today,' especially in a smaller city like Liberal. The banks in Liberal are wonderful – and we've worked with them before – but we've found, by having partnerships with Network Kansas and other entities, that's enabled us to expand possibilities when it comes to financing for smaller business startups.”
During her time with SCDC, Arellano said Liberal has been a great community for businesses.
“I've always said Liberal is a Mom-and-Pop community – if you want to start a business, Liberal is a great place to start it because we wholly champion small business and entrepreneurial-minded people, of which there are many. So I started with the coaching/advising, and then I was also working with connecting prospective entrepreneurs with resources I knew they'd need, including loans and other financing,” Arellano said. “Then, more recently, I became a business advisor through the Kansas Small Business Development Corporation, and when they moved out of Seward County Community College, we became a contractor for them, and that opened up even more resources. So now, we don't just service clients in Liberal and Seward County, we also work in the surrounding communities and counties throughout Western Kansas. Sometimes, it's a matter of helping write the business plan and other times, it's about us being a sounding board for a prospective entrepreneur for any idea(s) they might be entertaining, which can include discussions about marketing and budgeting and some of those logistics.”
There are also multiple skills that have been easy to incorporate throughout her career, Arellano said.
“Having the experience of watching people grow their business and being that support/help, that has really enabled me to speak to entrepreneurs who now have employees of their own because I was one of those employees,” Arellano said. “As you're working to learn and grow as an employer, sometimes you don't have as much of that experience, so with me having been an employee in multiple small businesses, I can speak of my own experiences and say 'Maybe some new processes would work here.' Especially if you're just starting out, YOU are the one creating all of those processes/procedures, and I know what it's like to not entirely know what's coming up in the future because there's not anything in place. Having my own business has also helped me as far as knowing the day-to-day minutiae that's required of an entrepreneur. There also needs to be some serious consideration of the question 'Do I REALLY want to be my own boss?' because a lot of people say 'I want to be my own boss and be accountable only to myself,' but when everything is real, you're on 24/7 – you're the one cleaning the office, doing the marketing/advertising, sales, budgeting, etc. And coming from a family of entrepreneurs, it's definitely not for the faint of heart – you have to be really resilient, you have to be able to ebb and flow with the economy and other outside forces, and that means you have to get creative and scrappy sometimes. I've seen that in my own family and can share some of those stories with clients.”
Arellano added there are multiple questions she gets from prospective entrepreneurs.
“I have a lot of people come in and ask me 'How do I start a business?' These people have their ideas, and they have the heart/drive to get everything going, they just aren't sure where to start. Our job at SCDC has been to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem for them to thrive in, and that's from start to finish,” Arellano said. “People come in with their idea/plan, and we help find resources and educate them on some of the requirements, and then we give the tools. Our goal is to help these businesses become successful and self-sustaining. We do various classes at the SCDC office for prospective entrepreneurs to attend, and those always give a lot of great advice. We also have a lady who comes in and gives tax advice, and that's a big one because a lot of people have the smarts and know-how about what they want, but they don't have as much knowledge on the accounting/bookkeeping side of everything, which can be a MAJOR pitfall. We started this co-working space a few years ago and opened it up to the public, and we've had more and more people coming in recently, whether they're hosting a meeting in one of our conference rooms or just needed a quiet space away from their actual office to tackle invoicing or some other task(s) that needed some extra concentration. And we'd love to continue hosting classes and other educational opportunities, and we've got a slew of them that will be going on this fall. This office is truly a hidden gem, and we want everyone to know we exist, and all of our services are for free.”
With her recent award, Arellano said she is even more raring to go to help in regard to helping people in the community.
“Getting this award really lights my fire and makes me want to do even more for the community, because it was so unexpected and something I was absolutely not anticipating. This has really spurred me to do even more and do all I can for the community,” Arellano said. “We recently started a Women In Business networking group, and we opened this space so women could come in and do their work and help outfit them with tools and resources and get them to thinking about how they could improve on what they're already doing and how they can serve the community. I want people to go out of this space inspired and ready to do more in their business and in their community. Don't hesitate to reach out – a lot of times, prospective entrepreneurs get stopped in the planning process of everything and don't move forward because it becomes somewhat overwhelming for them. The SCDC office is a safe place, and we will listen to your ideas without judgement and then help you figure out whether your idea is truly viable and would work in the area. Whether you're at the beginning stage and trying to come up with an idea for a business, or expanding the business you already have, or anywhere in between, stop by the SCDC office and we'll find a way to help you with what you need.”
Overall, Arellano said, she is grateful for not just her award, but also for being part of Liberal.
“I want to thank the SCDC for allowing me to do what I love, and I'm so fortunate to work with so many great people, including our director, Eli Svaty, who's so supportive of what I want to do in the community and the SCDC office,” Arellano said. “It's been wonderful working here, and I can't wait to see how we grow and evolve as time goes on.”
