News UNI Revamps Myentre.net Website Posted 11 May 2009 The University of Northern Iowa Regional Business Center has rolled out a new online community for Iowa's small business owners at www.myentre.net. The UNI Regional Business Center has been putting rural entrepreneurs in touch with experts, small-business resources and their peers since 2001, assisting nearly 3,000 Iowa entrepreneurs in 14 counties. The newly rebuilt online community at www.myentre.net is a free, interactive resource for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs throughout the state. Any entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur can access MyEntreNet and the free services offered through the system by visiting www.myentre.net and creating a user name and password. While the current economic downturn has closed doors for many people due to lost jobs, new windows have been opened as some Iowans parlay unemployment into business development opportunities, said Maureen Collins-Williams, director of the UNI Regional Business Center. The number of non-farm self-employed individuals has doubled in rural regions across the country over the last decade, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. And researchers predict that more than 20 percent of the nation's rural residents will be self-employed by 2015 due to circumstances associated with shrinking rural opportunities. "We've seen a marked increase in clients at the UNI Small Business Development Center who are interested in self-employment," Collins-Williams said. "In addition, some of our existing small business clients in recession-supportive industries are experiencing increased sales and new customers." With the expansion of the MyEntreNet online component, even more resources and opportunities are available to the state's entrepreneurs and small business owners. Networking is central to the online community at myentre.net. Iowa business owners can easily build a company profile where they can upload information, photos and materials and interact with other entrepreneurs and service providers. Small business owners will be able to buy and sell goods or services and create online groups to interact with owners of other small firms throughout the state. The UNI Regional Business Center's partner service providers also have personal and organizational profiles on MyEntreNet, outlining the services and resources they offer.