Beth Daniels had a big problem.

Orders were coming in for her "Around the Table" conversation games, so she ordered a lot of inventory. Then she and her husband, Tom Daniels, looked at each other. "How are we going to come up with the money for this?" she asked. "We were in crisis mode for sure."

Daniels found the answer in the Missouri Small Business Loan program, run by the state Department of Economic Development.

Daniels, of Eureka, invented a series of games consisting of questions printed on cards. They are designed to get conversations started, with questions such as "What's the funniest hair style ever?" Or "What's the one thing you can't live without?" There are varieties for families, grandparents, teens, camps and buddies.

Daniels, an occupational therapist turned work-at-home entrepreneur, just landed a contract with Cracker Barrel restaurants, and she expects sales of over $100,000 this year. But she has to pay to produce the games before she can sell them.

The Missouri Small Business Loan program provides loans of $2,500 to $25,000 to companies with five or fewer employees. The state allocated $2 million for the program this year, and less than half of it has been lent.

Daniels got a $25,000 loan at 3 percent interest. Problem solved.

More information on the loan program can be found at http://ded.mo.gov.