BY ROBERT MCFARLAND, JR.
Delta Business Journal

For 39 year old Nita Brooks of Clarksdale, owning her own business seemed as though it would never happen.

Brooks, whose father was in the military, moved a great deal during her first 18 years living in places like Waco, San Antonio, and even Japan. At 18, Brooks and her mother moved to the small community of Walnut and she completed her education at Quitman County High School. Brooks got married and moved back to Texas for five years and returned to Clarksdale in 1989 for good.

"After we came back to Clarksdale, I started working for Jay Sandlin who owned Computers, Inc.," says Brooks. "In the very beginning, I did a lot of clerical work and moved from there into some of the in-house sales and technical support."

When Sandlin decided to sell the business, he gave Brooks the first option.

"I come from a family of just working folks," says Brooks. "We didn't have any money and I didn't have access to money. So, I didn't know how I would purchase the business."

Brooks put a business plan together and started looking for financing. The Small Business Administration was Brooks' first stop, however a loan committee there told Brooks that everything looked good but that she would need about $60,000 worth of collateral.

'Most people just can't pull $60,000 out of a hat," says Brooks

Brooks also found similar responses from the Clarksdale banks and she was beginning to feel that she wouldn't be able to buy the business. Investors and various partnering situations also did not work.

"Just as I was about to give up, Lois McMurchy out at the Coahoma Community College's Skill/Tech Center told me about The Enterprise Corporation of the Delta down in Jackson," says Brooks.

"ECD took a second mortgage on my house which the banks would not," says Brooks. "They also took some other collateral such as service parts and they talked the former owner into financing a small portion."

After eight months of trying to find the appropriate financing package, Brooks became the new owner of Computers, Inc. with the help of ECD.

The year after Brooks bought the business, she was able to purchase the building.

"We are just about to the point where we can move over and be completely bankable with traditional sources which is what ECD's function is in the first place," says Brooks. "ECD's job is to come up with initial financing and they will charge a little higher interest rate than a bank will."

With nine employees now, Brooks says that she is on the way, and that owning her own business has been very rewarding.

"Imagine coming from a normal working family with no money and to now have your own business and this year we'll do well over $1.5 million in sales. It is just a dream come true for me," says Brooks.