UW and Wyoming SBDC Host Free Start Your Own Business Q&A Feb. 12

Aspiring entrepreneurs in Albany County and across Wyoming will have two free opportunities on Feb. 12 to get practical startup help from the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Small Business Development Center. The offerings include a morning webinar for broad questions and a midday in-person workshop in Gillette focused on turning ideas into plans.

The webinar, titled "Start Your Own Business — Q&A," is scheduled for 9:00–10:00 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 12. Devin Costa-Cargill will lead the open-forum session, which is described as free and "Open to all business types." The format is intended to let participants ask live questions about initial planning, market fit, and next steps without a fixed agenda.

Later that day, the in-person workshop "How to Start Your Own Business" runs 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. at the Studio Building, 345 Sinclair St., Gillette. P.J. Burns, the Northeast regional director for the Wyoming SBDC Network, will present. Burns covers Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan and Weston counties, holds a degree from the University of Wyoming, and brings more than 20 years of business advising experience. Her career has focused on advising and advocating for small businesses in roles with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, and she has a background in marketing, human resources, strategic planning, leadership and management.

The Gillette session is co-sponsored by the Energy Capital Economic Development Corp. FUEL Business Incubator. The workshop will help potential new business owners learn how to evaluate their business ideas; how to identify potential customers; how to write business plans; and where to access funding for new businesses. A free chili bar for all attendees is sponsored by the Energy Capital Economic Development Corp. FUEL Business Incubator. Promotional materials for the workshop encourage participants to "Discover free and low cost resources to help your business succeed!"

The Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network is hosted by the University of Wyoming. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by the University of Wyoming with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. The SBDC has statewide programming; in 2020 the network assisted 2,091 entrepreneurs through mentoring and training programs.

Organizers list several adjacent opportunities for small businesses, including the 2026 Midwest Matchmaker on Feb. 11 to meet federal, state, and local procurement officials, and a Feb. 18 session on Understanding Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence in federal contracting. Local entrepreneurs in Laramie and Albany County can access UW-hosted SBDC programming without traveling far; SBDC materials note the UW-hosted events are easily accessible to businesses based in Laramie and surrounding areas.

For more information about the Gillette event and other SBDC offerings, contact Tyler Schanck, marketing, communications and database manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network, at (307) 343-0925 or tschanck@uwyo.edu. Registration for the Gillette workshop is free; organizers advise checking SBDC communications for registration details.

For Albany County residents, these sessions offer low-cost ways to validate ideas, connect with regional advisors such as P.J. Burns, and tap a statewide support network that has helped thousands of entrepreneurs. Attending the webinar or the Gillette workshop can provide immediate next steps on business plans and funding paths, and help translate a homegrown idea into a revenue-generating local enterprise.