FMU Center for Entrepreneurship officially unveiled

FLORENCE — Small and new business ventures officially have a new resource at Francis Marion University through the most recent expansion of its business school, the FMU Center for Entrepreneurship.

FMU established the center to foster and promote new business opportunities, and advance teaching, study and practice of entrepreneurship and new venture creation, said Dr. Susan Peters, the center’s director, who was introduced during the center’s unveiling Wednesday afternoon.

“What we want to try to do is find out the areas that are not being taken care of and to try to support people who have ideas for new businesses,” she said. “The business success ratio goes up tremendously when the businesses have the help they need, and we hope we’ll be able to provide that help for them.”

FMU School of Business Dean Dr. Barry O’Brien said the center’s mission is focused on outreach, applied research and promotion of entrepreneurial ventures by FMU students and community members through integration of entrepreneurship education, according to the university.

Many small business owners from Florence were present for the center’s unveiling, including Brent Tiller, the co-owner of the New York Butcher Shoppe which opened up in December on Hoffmeyer Road.

Tiller said he’s excited the university is reaching out and helping to cultivate new businesses, especially in an economy where many people are fearful and more and more businesses are closing.

“I was interested in seeing how the community is going to shelter or cater to the entrepreneur, even new entrepreneurs to the area, or current entrepreneurs that were Francis Marion graduates,” he said. “With the economy the way it is this could really push those entrepreneurs who have the ideas and the thoughts about business to go ahead and make that leap.”

Peters plans to execute a number of outreach projects to strengthen and promote FMU relationships with alumni and the greater community, including venture roundtables and annual seminars by entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, entrepreneurial support professionals and government representatives, according to a press release from the university.

“Entrepreneurs are risk takers,” Tiller said. “You may fail — hopefully you won’t — but you’ll learn from your mistakes.

“People have come into (my) store and said to me point blank, ‘You must be the craziest person in Florence to start a business in this economy or you might be the brightest. Thank you for doing it,’” he said. “You know when everyone else is closing business and looking to lay people off, you’re looking to hire people and start something new, so it’s a reward in itself.”