Mt. Pleasant business owner completes small business course

Ronald Carrillo of Multiservices R&M recently completed Goldman-Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. It is a program that teaches small business owners on how to run a better business.

“I had an interest on how to learn more about business,” said Carrillo. “I wanted to grow my business and there was an opportunity for me to do this course.”

The group that Carrillo was involved in is the sixth group for the state of Iowa to complete the program. The members of the group are small business owners across the state of Iowa that represent a diverse range of business and industry.

Linking learning to action, participants gain practical skills in such topics as negotiation, marketing, and employee management.

“I found out about the program through a teacher at Southeastern Community College in Burlington,” said Carrillo. “There were 35 people in my group with Goldman-Sachs, they were from throughout southeast Iowa. I was the only one from Mt. Pleasant.”

“Because of COVID-19, we did our classes on ZOOM, and then we got together for our last class, which was a presentation to our group about our businesses.”

“I currently have 35 business that I work with in my business, and this class was an opportunity to learn how to become a better business for them,” said Carrillo. “When you go through these classes, you not only learn how to have a better business, but you also learn how to focus on how to be a better employer for my employees.”

Carrillo is from Guatemala, and he is not only a business owner, but a volunteer soccer coach. “I wanted to give back to the community,” said Carrillo. Many of Carrillo’s employees are students at Iowa Wesleyan University. “I want to be a mentor to them, I am an immigrant, and I want them to know that they can follow their dreams too.”

Carrillo has been living in Mt. Pleasant for the last 21 years. He started Multiservices R&M in 2012. He started out with just himself, and now he has 18 employees. The business does many jobs such as power-washing, cleaning, snow plowing, painting and lawn mowing.

“I always wanted to own my own business, and this has been a great opportunity to do something for me and my family,” he said.

The 10,000 Small Businesses program currently operates in across the United States through a network of more than 100 academic and community partners.

The curriculum of the program focuses on practical business skills. By accomplishing the program, small business owners learn how to become more bankable, and position their businesses to access financing and capital. The participants also receive access to a network of support and one-on-one business advising.