By Tanya Modersitzki, FOX23 NewsMarch 16, 2022 at 4:34 pm CDT

TULSA, Okla. — Dr. Patricia Breeckner with Natural Health on Greenwood Inc. is the current oldest business on Greenwood. She opened up in the 90′s when there was just U-Haul. She is ready to pass the baton off for the new entrepreneurs to come in and be the future. She adds, the Greenwood Women’s Business Center has the resources and tools needed like help with business plans and how to approach a bank about loans.
“There’s other resources we can connect you with. It’s not just for profit, there’s non-profit information people need to know about, like how to write a grant, where is your demographic customer base, who are you looking to supply you goods and services too,” she said.

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Breeckner’s baton is already being passed off to Patience Gitau, CEO of Nurse on Demand. It’s a nurse staffing agency to help with shortages and is also a portable testing site. Gitau started the business six months ago and prior to this, she was a COVID-19 nurse, so she knows about shortages - which inspired her.

Although, she says she’s seen growth already, there’s many obstacles she needed help overcoming.
“The biggest misconception is owning your own business is easy, it’s not. Sometimes clocking in a 9-5 is easier. As a small business owner you wear many hats. I’m a nurse by trade, so HR, legal all of that stuff it takes to run a business is new to me,”

>>>MORE: New Greenwood development set to open its doors in June.

She says the Greenwood Women’s Business Center is imperative for new businesses to help you succeed with the resources the center offers.

“They helped me with business planning, financial grants, government contracting, anywhere from accounting classes to legal help they’ve always pointed me in the right direction,” Gitau said.
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