David Scott discusses how his participation in the Small Business Leadership Academy has benefited his business, Dave Scott & Associates.


Small Business Leadership Academy Past Participant:

David Scott
Dave Scott & Associates, Inc.

Tell us about your business: We are an office furniture and site furnishings company offering product sales and services throughout the Southwest, including contracts with the state of Arizona. The business started in March of 1999.

David Scott, Dave Scott & Associates

Year of participation in SBLA: 2009

What was the most important thing you learned from SBLA? I learned to how to negotiate contracts and also organizing skills.

How have you changed the way you do business based on what you learned during SBLA? We have learned to be more thorough and concentrate on maintaining good customer service relationships. “It is easier to keep a customer, rather than find a new one.”

How has the SBLA alumni community been helpful to you since you went through the program? Meeting on a regular basis and having speakers present at our meetings have been very resourceful. We have utilized some of the speaker’s services in our business.

What aspects of SBLA do you consider most valuable for other small business owners in Phoenix? Networking with similar businesses has been invaluable. It has allowed us to focus on real problems and come up with solutions to move our business forward. The training we received in class has allowed us to minimize mistakes and maximize our opportunities.

David Scott is the owner of Dave Scott & Associates.

[stextbox id=”grey”]The next Small Business Leadership Academy program will begin Wednesday, August 31, 2011.

For more information about the program, including admission requirements,
please visit SBLA’s website. [/stextbox]

Small Business Leadership Academy Five-Part Series