Morgan Florist Shop
Wendy Hall, Owner
El Dorado, Arkansas

When the owner of Morgan Florist Shop in El Dorado announced his retirement, Wendy Hall, Lead Designer at the floral business, seized the opportunity to own her own business. She met with a lender at Timberland Bank in El Dorado about securing financing for her transition to small business ownership, and the lender referred Hall to the Southern Arkansas University SBDC.

Paul Considine, Center Director at the SAU SBDC, served as Hall’s business consultant. At the initial meeting, Considine provided Hall with a sample business plan, and they began work on an SBA LowDoc application. The client and Considine fine-tuned the business plan via e-mail over the next five weeks. Meanwhile, Considine performed a business valuation, and a professional appraiser also helped determine the value of the florist shop.

Satisfied with the final version, Hall submitted the business plan and the SBA LowDoc application, and the bank approved the loan two weeks later. Hall took over Morgan Florist Shop, which continues to blossom in the community of El Dorado.

The Arkansas Small Business Development Center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration through a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business and other institutions of higher education. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. It is the goal of UALR to eliminate discriminatory harassment and to promote equal opportunity regardless of race, gender, color, national origin, sexual orientation, age, religion, veteran’s status, or disability.