THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
Last week, Linda Martin started in on her sixth year as the general manager of Thebacha Business Development Services.

Linda martin: General Manager of Thebacha Business Development Services says business is in her blood.

"I really enjoy seeing people succeed and knowing that I had a small part in that – they're the ones who do all the work," Martin said last week from her office in Fort Smith.

"A small startup, five years ago was one person and now has seven or eight employees. Their business has probably increased 10 times from the beginning. That's rewarding."

The organization offers a wide range of services to small businesses in Fort Smith, Fort Resolution, Lutsel K'e and Fort Providence.

"I consider this job still very much a customer service job. We're here for the needs of our clients, whatever the need is," said Martin, listing everything from advice and recommendations to referrals to specific programs or offering small business loans.

For Martin, business is in her blood and she laughs that she's one of the few members of her family with an employer – everyone else is their own boss.

"I came from an entrepreneurial family," she says. "I've always been around businesses and the challenges that come with running a small business."

Those challenges can come in different forms and Martin said every hour, let alone every day, at the office is different, depending on who walks in the door. As well as seeing individual businesses grow over the past five years, Martin said the caliber of clients and their concepts has improved.

"People coming in are at a bit of a higher level, people are giving it a little bit more thought before they come in to see me," said Martin.

"It's not just, 'I had a thought and came in right away,' people are considering, thinking and putting research into it beforehand. There's a more knowledgeable client base."

That being said, she encourages more startups and budding entrepreneurs to come in and meet with her and discuss the viability of their business.

Before taking the general manager position, Martin was the business manager for Aurora College Thebacha campus. After making the move, she said she was surprised that the position involved less administrative work than she expected.

Her role can vary from one-on-one support and training to hosting group courses on topics such as accounting.

"It's really dealing with the clients as they come through the door, the needs vary from very simple to more complex," said Martin.

In general, Martin said she enjoys being a part of helping out community members and in turn, seeing their business boost the local economy and create jobs.

"It's very fulfilling to know that I'm helping people and helping the community," she said.

As for her personal business philosophy, Martin said she doesn't really have one because it can be different for every individual business.

"But in general," she said, "it's the hardest job you'll ever love to do when you're in business for yourself."

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