For the small business owner, it is sometimes difficult to determine the right time to grow.

Mariana Alvarez, a client of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the U of A, did not want to see a window of opportunity close and took the steps necessary to expand Na'guara, her food truck business that offers Venezuelan cuisine.

The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center was Alvarez's first stop in 2022 when she decided to move from a home-based business to a food truck. Carolina Mejia, ASBTDC bilingual business consultant, worked with her to develop the business, creating a business plan to obtain funding for Na'guara plus the necessary marketing tools for promotion in Northwest Arkansas.

Opening one year ago at The Boardwalk in Springdale, Alvarez and her team serve customers five days a week. By any standard, Na'guara has been a resounding success.

"We did not expect such a welcome from the community!" Alvarez said.

Throughout the past year, she received numerous requests to sell her products at public and private events. Alvarez began by providing service in tents, and it soon became apparent that growing the business would require the purchase of a second truck for use at off-site events.

Alvarez met again with Mejia to evaluate expansion. The following signs were analyzed to determine if Na'guara was ready:

1. You have more business than you can handle.
2. Your customers seek you out.
3. You have a loyal customer base as well as customers coming from a distance.
4. You can demonstrate clear social value for your products.
5. People rarely try to negotiate your prices.
6. You are profitable with your current sales and infrastructure.
7. You can figure out how your team could run things while you will focus on expansion.
8. You have consistent cash flow and financial stability.

Checking all the boxes, Alvarez moved forward with expansion plans and purchased the second food truck for events.

"Successful businesses should grow, and the key to doing it well is planning and timing. If your business has met these benchmarks, you are likely ready to grow. If not quite ready, you have steps to measure for future growth," Mejia noted.

Na'Guara
The Boardwalk Food Truck Court
3445 S. Old Missouri Rd., Springdale, AR 72764
For information on event services:
Call or text: 479-249-3665
Email: naguarafoodllc@gmail.com

The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the U of A helps small business In Northwest Arkansas thrive. With offices in Fayetteville and Bentonville, ASBTDC consultants provide one-on-one confidential consulting at no cost to the client and in-person and virtual trainings and workshops to help entrepreneurs gain the knowledge and skill to be successful.

The ASBTDC at the U of A 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.