This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
President Donald Trump is "unbelievably supportive of small businesses" and committed to helping them succeed through tax reform, rolling back government regulations and reforming the health care system, his Small Business Administration director said Wednesday.
Linda McMahon, co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment and a promoter of women in business, stopped in Salt Lake City as part of her "Ignite Tour" to visit all 68 of the SBA's district offices around the country.
While "the real goal is to listen to small businesses and the people in district offices," she also wants to "educate the general public about all aspects of the Small Business Administration. It's an incredibly well-kept secret."
The SBA will continue its best-known role as a source of loans for small businesses, McMahon said, and is eager to do more to make government contracts more available to them. "The government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world."
But on top of that, she said, the agency can provide "counseling and mentoring that's almost as important as the access to capital."
She cited the work of retired and volunteer business executives working with the SCORE program, who provide help with issues such as business-plan development, marketing strategies and website design.
"And it's for free," McMahon added. "Small business people can come in and talk to seasoned executives and get direction and guidance. Sometimes being told your business idea is not a good one is good advice. You need to go back and rethink and polish it up or move onto something else."
McMahon is scheduled to tour Manuel's Fine Foods, a family-owned business that makes tortilla chips and other Mexican food products, in Woods Cross.
The Tribune will update this developing story.