Paula Marn, owner of Flowers Forever located in the Poinsettia Village shopping center, has been in business in Carlsbad since 1992. She started the business with her mother and daughter in 1988. Her granddaughter now also helps at the store, making this 4 generations of family members in her business.
Recent expansions in the shopping center created an opportunity for her to move to a new location next to Rite Aid Drugs. Facing relocation and an expanded space, Paula knew that she would need a loan to make these changes.
She had learned about the Chamber's Small Business Financing workshops from the Carlsbad Business Journal and signed up right away. At the workshop, she learned about the differences between bank financing, SBA loans, investor financing and equipment leasing. Paula said "the workshop was very helpful and I learned about all the different types of loans the SBA has to offer".
Since Paula already had a business account at First National Bank (FNB), she followed up with Tyler Sporrer who, at the workshop, had presented SBA funding options that FNB offered. Paula and Tyler determined that the Community Express loan would be the best option for her woman-owned business and Paula completed the application over the phone.
A unique aspect of the Community Express loan is that part of the criteria includes participating in a business counseling session. FNB also partners with SCORE, so representatives from both organizations visited her store and discussed her goals. Within 3 weeks, Paula had her loan and was ready to proceed with her build-out.
"It was a great experience", Paula said, "I would recommend this process to anyone who needs to expand."
In January, the chamber plans to coordinate a Ribbon Cutting event for Paula and her family. Congratulations to Flowers Forever and the many partners who made this growth opportunity possible.
Recent expansions in the shopping center created an opportunity for her to move to a new location next to Rite Aid Drugs. Facing relocation and an expanded space, Paula knew that she would need a loan to make these changes.
She had learned about the Chamber's Small Business Financing workshops from the Carlsbad Business Journal and signed up right away. At the workshop, she learned about the differences between bank financing, SBA loans, investor financing and equipment leasing. Paula said "the workshop was very helpful and I learned about all the different types of loans the SBA has to offer".
Since Paula already had a business account at First National Bank (FNB), she followed up with Tyler Sporrer who, at the workshop, had presented SBA funding options that FNB offered. Paula and Tyler determined that the Community Express loan would be the best option for her woman-owned business and Paula completed the application over the phone.
A unique aspect of the Community Express loan is that part of the criteria includes participating in a business counseling session. FNB also partners with SCORE, so representatives from both organizations visited her store and discussed her goals. Within 3 weeks, Paula had her loan and was ready to proceed with her build-out.
"It was a great experience", Paula said, "I would recommend this process to anyone who needs to expand."
In January, the chamber plans to coordinate a Ribbon Cutting event for Paula and her family. Congratulations to Flowers Forever and the many partners who made this growth opportunity possible.