Bowling Green Daycare owner named Kentucky Small Business Person of 2019

BOWLING GREEN Ky.-Smart Start Child Care is a day care center with three locations in Bowling Green. The owner, Paul Isenberg, was recently named the 2019 Kentucky Small Business Person of the Year. Isenberg calls the recognition is an hono  and says he could not have done it alone.

“It’s definitely very humbling. One of the biggest things when I got the nomination was…I wish it could be more of a community, group nomination. Ultimately without my high-quality staff, without the community that believes in it and supports what we do with kids, there’s no way I would get an award,” said Isenberg.

The road to owning his own business was a long one.

Isenberg looks back at the lessons he learned from his years starting out.

“You have to go through the same thing every small business owner goes through. Finding the right funding, finding the right bank partners. They go through the hurdles of learning the mistakes that I call lessons and not failures. Finding the right people. With the help of God and my family, my wife, my kids standing behind me. We’ve been able to build a successful company and help a lot of kids,” said Isenberg.

It’s the kids that keep Isenberg going, day in and day out.

“My favorite part is when you get to watch and see the results in the kids. It’s humbling to watch a kid who started with us years ago and seeing the results in their lives. close second to that is seeing the employees and the lives you can touch. It’s humbling to know how many people we can help to provide for their own family if it wasn’t for my wife, this wouldn’t exist. I want to make sure I give credit to her. It’s humbling to provide a great place for our staff to work,” said Isenberg.

Isenberg and the other winners from around the Country have been invited to attend ceremonies in Washington, D.C. on May 5 and 6. That’s where the Small Business Administration will announce the top 2019 National Small Business Person of the Year.