About SmallBizWorks — Built by a Business Owner. Proven by Results.

Q: Is SmallBizWorks only for startups?

Small Biz Works primarily serves aspiring entrepreneurs and first-time business owners. However, established business owners who need a bank-ready business plan for expansion financing, a lease, or grant funding are also a strong fit for the Blueprint program.

Small Biz Works was founded by Paul Zacharias — a 15-year small business co-owner, small business advisor, and university instructor.

In an increasingly AI-driven world, Small Biz Works offers what no algorithm can replicate: real human experience, personal accountability, and guidance from someone who has actually done it.

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Key Takeaways

Key facts about Paul’s experience, impact, and approach to helping small businesses succeed.

Paul Zacharias founded Small Biz Works and is a small business advisor who has counseled thousands of entrepreneurs across industries.

He has taught business courses at multiple colleges, serving as an adjunct instructor at Central Methodist University since 2014.

His business plans and funding applications have helped clients get financed and start businesses.

Small Biz Works is human-centered — clients work directly with Paul every time, not a team or an AI.

AT A GLANCE

Meet Paul Zacharias,
Founder of SmallBizWorks

Paul Zacharias knows what it means to build a business from nothing — and to sustain it through the inevitable challenges that every small business owner faces.

In the mid-1990s, Paul co-founded Slackers, a successful multimedia retail chain in the Midwest that grew from one location to 11. He gained direct, firsthand experience in every dimension of running a small business: operations, human resources, marketing, financial management, customer experience, and long-term strategic planning. He didn't just read about these challenges. He worked through them day to day.

After exiting Slackers, Paul taught business courses at the college level, serving as an adjunct instructor at Central Methodist University since 2014.

Paul is a small business advisor who has counseled entrepreneurs across industries — helping them launch new ventures, stabilize struggling operations, develop growth strategies, and secure financing.

The results speak for themselves. Business plans and funding applications written by Paul have helped his clients business plans — up to million-dollar deals — that have been successfully financed,and non-profit and municipal grant funding.

Small Biz Works is Paul's way of making that experience accessible to more entrepreneurs nationwide — through a structured, affordable suite of courses, coaching, and consulting services. In an increasingly AI-driven world, Small Biz Works offers something no algorithm can replace: real human experience, personal accountability, and guidance from someone who has actually done it successfully.

Who Is Paul Zacharias?

Paul is the son of immigrants who came to the United States when he was just a year old, starting first in Colorado and the Southwest, before permanently settling in the Midwest when he was seven. Both his parents worked in medicine — a stable, well-worn path, especially within the Indian community. Paul charted his own course, becoming the first person in his family to start a business, after earning an MBA from St. Louis University.

Entrepreneurship gave Paul the chance to build something from nothing, and Small Biz Works is how he's giving back — helping the next generation of entrepreneurs walk the same road with more advice than he had. Today, that guidance takes the form of startup consulting, testing proof of concept, and business plan development, proudly serving entrepreneurs nationwide.

Paul believes entrepreneurship can be life-changing — for the right person at the right moment and in the right situation. But it only works with a methodical plan behind a solid, well executed idea. Diving in and figuring it out as you go is exactly how founders burn through savings, misjudge financing, or flame out before they ever launch.

Paul learned that the hard way through success and failure alike, building Slackers over 15 years while advising clients since 2020. That's why every engagement at Small Biz Works starts with structure, not guesswork: a systematic process built to get a business bank-ready and off to the right start, not just off the ground.

The SmallBizWorks Mission

Small Biz Works exists to give business owners the practical, honest, human-centered guidance they need to start and build successful a business.

Delivered by someone who has been there, made the mistakes, learned the tough lessons, and helped scores of entrepreneurs thrive, not just survive.

With unprecedented job uncertainty and economic change, there has never been a better time to chart your own course. Small Biz Works is here to help you do it the right way.

Credentials and Experience

15 years as co-owner of Slackers — a multimedia retail chain, launch to 11 locations — operations, staffing, marketing, financial management
Small business advisor — counseling entrepreneurs across industries since 2020
Adjunct faculty instructor, Central Methodist University since 2014 — Marketing, Advertising, Sales Management, Small Business, Management
Business plans that have been successfully financed, including non-profit and municipal grant funding
Certified QuickBooks provider through VARC Solutions
Business formation partner through CorpNet — LLC and business registration in all 50 states
Business plan development through LivePlan — leading business planning platform

Work With Paul — Choose Your SmallBizWorks Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SmallBizWorks only for startups?

Small Biz Works serves aspiring entrepreneurs and established businesses both. However, potential business buyers who need a bank-ready business plan for expansion financing, a lease, or buying a business are also a strong fit for the Blueprint program.

Does SmallBizWorks serve entrepreneurs nationwide?

Yes. All SmallBizWorks programs are delivered via video call. Location is never a barrier to working with Paul.

How is SmallBizWorks different from other consulting services?

Small Biz Works is a private consulting practice that offers more personalized, in-depth engagement — including professionally written business plans, fully structured coaching programs, and ongoing access to Paul as needed. Every client works directly with Paul — not a team, not a contractor, not an AI chatbot.

What industries does Paul work with?

Paul has worked with entrepreneurs across a wide range of industries — from retail, food service, and fitness to auto, healthcare services, and outdoor recreation. If you have a viable business idea and the commitment to build it, Small Biz Works can help you dream big and reach your goals.

About The Founder

Paul Zacharias is a small business advisor and founder of SmallBizWorks. Paul has 15 years of experience as a small business owner and has helped entrepreneurs start, plan, and launch through consulting, coaching, and advisory work. Successful business references are available upon request.