BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Women’s Business Center of Kentucky hosted an exposition on June 21 to help promote and assist with female entrepreneurship. 

Retail Area Leader Lacey Cole said that, in order to maintain a business, the owner of the business needs several vital resources.

“Network, reach out for help, go to your bank,” Cole said. “A small business can’t thrive without great partnerships. Use grants and organizations that are there in your community that want to help. Use your resources, really think through how you want to make it happen and you’ll figure out a way.”

And though entrepreneurship can be rewarding, Cole also stated the significance of hard work and dedication to make one’s business prosper.

“My parents owned a gas station,” Cole explained. “I was always behind the registers. They worked very hard, they were always at the store. So, it was a big part of a life.”

According to Cole, it also means putting effort behind your dream. “Having a dream or having a passion for something is definitely the first step. You have to dig in and have a little bit of grit. But it is doable,” she said.

Devanny King, executive director of the Women’s Business Center of Kentucky, is also a business owner, and wants to help others with struggles she once faced. 

“I’ve been there,” King said. “I can see where they are and empathize. I can help them connect those dots, helping them to save time, energy and money, and ultimately that’s such a satisfying endeavor.”

Cole said it was inspiring to see people of all ages in the room for the expo.

“One thing I really took away was that so many in the room were approaching retirement. And they’re thinking about the next phase of their life,” she said.