ASBTDC at the U of A Client Stories: Uncle Sam's Safari Outfitters

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U of A graduate Justin Macedo.

Uncle Sam's Safari Outfitters is a locally owned outdoor outfitter that has been serving customers in Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas since 1982.

When U of A student Justin Macedo began work there in 2018, he likely could not imagine that one day he would hold the keys as owner.

With a love of the outdoors, Macedo worked summer jobs as a fly fishing guide and boat captain in Alaska and three summers as a backpacking guide in Colorado.

Upon graduation from the U of A in 2022 with a degree in small business and entrepreneurship in hand, he learned that Uncle Sam's was being offered for sale.

"I reached out to Scott Lacy at the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas for help in evaluating the business to understand if the purchase was a good idea for me," Macedo said.

Lacy started by helping Macedo evaluate the business from a financial and market perspective, and they worked together to create financial projections and financing structure.

"Scott helped me understand how to best finance the business and determine how well the business would have to perform in order to pay down debt," Macedo stated.

They also worked on how to manage and project his cash and how much Macedo would be able to pay himself.

The acquisition of the business was completed with a combination of owner financing and family loan with a determined time of paying down debt on the family balloon note.

Macedo's purchase of Uncle Sam's was finalized in 2022. Under his ownership, it will continue as a locally owned Fayetteville institution for outdoor enthusiasts in Northwest Arkansas.

About the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, UAF helps small business in Northwest Arkansas thrive. With offices in Fayetteville and Bentonville, ASBTDC consultants provide one-on-one confidential consulting and guidance to current and prospective business owners in Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Newton, and Washington counties. The center offers in-person and virtual trainings and workshops to help entrepreneurs gain the knowledge and skill necessary for success. The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration through a partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and is a unit of the Division of Economic Development, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.