"I'm glad I had the Small Business Center to help. Now I wake up in the morning and I'm my own man."
Jeronimo Prieto Medina had a dream: Someday he would own his own heavy equipment repair shop.
That was a big dream for someone who hadn't even finished high school. Still, he was determined. He earned his GED high-school equivalency diploma from Central Carolina Community College and then went on to earn certificates in welding, hydraulics and maintenance. That prepared him to repair heavy equipment. He worked for others, but still wanted his own business.
The challenge was that he had no idea how to set up and run a business. Then he visited the college's Small Business Center. There, he had one-on-one counseling in exactly what to do to establish and market a business, service accounts, and maintain sound financial records.
Prieto Medina is now the proud owner of JP Mechanic and Welding company, responding to calls from companies that need him, his work ethic and his skills to keep their heavy equipment operating.
"It's a real good feeling being my own boss," he said. "Setting up my own business was a lot different than I expected. I'm glad I had the Small Business Center to help. Now I wake up in the morning and I'm my own man. I'm looking at a good future."