When Alton Phillips’ friend had to move quickly, she did not have time to take off from work to pack and prepare. She looked around Little Rock for a packing service but came up empty.
Her experience inspired Phillips to start Integrity Packing in 2019.
Looking to assist customers “in a time when time is scarce,” Integrity offers packing and unpacking services for homeowners and business owners in Little Rock and the surrounding area.
Phillips took the advice of another friend and reached out to the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at UA Little Rock for help starting his business. There, he connected with business consultant Patricia Long.
Long walked him through the startup process and gave him confidence to proceed.
“When you start, you don’t know what you don’t know and to have someone guide you step by step through city, state, and federal permit and license requirements was invaluable, not to mention aiding with drafting my complete road map, AKA my business plan, so I was able to map out what to do when and why,” said Phillips.
“I have learned just how much is involved in every aspect of owning and operating a small business, how valuable time management is to a business owner. Whether that is working on my marketing plan and strategy or estimating and quoting the time it will take to complete a job for a prospective client, attention to detail is critical to our success.”
Phillips is a Little Rock firefighter and father of three. He wants to grow Integrity Packing into something to pass on to his children. His goal is to expand to Memphis and into Texas.
“As demand grows and Integrity Packing builds its workforce, I will definitely continue to work with the ASBTDC for my future expansion plans,” he said.
