Success Stories

Success Story: Idaho

When speech therapist Michelle Lance starting working with the Idaho SBDC in Pocatello, she was working full-time as a speech therapist for a clinic. As she watched management struggle with employee relationships and effective service delivery, she saw ways to better run a clinic.

She had a hunch the market could support a new speech therapy clinic, and her specialties were in demand. Over the next year, Lance worked with the Idaho SBDC to develop a business plan and secure an SBA loan. She also worked with a group of Idaho State University students on market research. (more…)

Success Story: New Jersey

The state of my business before I worked with the SBDC was just an idea. I was at a point in my life that I had to start working for myself out of necessity. The restaurant I had been working in wanted to change my hours (and I would never see my kids for dinner) and cut my pay. I needed to come up with a viable, marketable concept that would harness my talents, sustain growth, make a profit and make sure I was having dinner with my most important clients – my family.

My name is Marcy Ragan and I am the chef and owner of Relish Chef Services. Relish is a personal chef service, caterer and private cooking instructor. Relish cooks delicious, custom, hand-made meals for busy clients. In our modern lives people need help with their hectic lifestyles. Most often feeding ourselves with fresh, delicious and nutritious food can fall by the wayside. We all know that eating well with whole, nutritious food will benefit us immediately by powering our hard working bodies and minds but also in the long run as we age. We can live healthy, long lives if we eat whole, nutritious and delicious food. Being invested in tasty nutritious food now can only benefit our health as we age.

My clients have the benefit of having the meal planning, grocery shopping, prep work, cooking and clean-up handled by an expert. All meals are cooked and ready to go. Everyone is unique, Relish makes sure that you are fed well to your exact specifications. In my business I really get to know my clients and I am able to take care of their needs. My clients and I are able to develop a real sense of trust where I am able to anticipate their needs and work into their lives seamlessly.  (more…)

Success Story: Vermont

VtSBDC Specialty Services 
Key To Ten Bends Launch

Vermont is quickly becoming known as a destination for high quality brewing as breweries of various sizes continue to spring up across the landscape. One of the latest is Ten Bends Beer in Hyde Park.

Owned and operated by Michael Scarlata and Jason Powell, the 590 East Main Street brewhouse and tasting room recently started serving its craft brewed creations from its 3bbl system, but not before seeking assistance from Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtBSDC) Area Advisor and craft brewing specialist Charley Ininger.

In addition to being one of VtSBDC’s area advisors, Ininger is also part of the specialty services VtSBDC has to offer. With many years in the food and beverage business and a keen understanding of what it takes to make a brewery a success from concept to creation, Ininger has worked with many Vermont beer makers as the brewing boom continues to expand. In addition to individual advice and advising, Charley offers a class in the business of brewing, a workshop he has delivered across the country.  (more…)

Success Story: Idaho

Sarah Marshall, a veteran, decided to open her own private criminal and civil investigation firm as a way to use her skills and give back to her community. Sarah was referred to the SBDC for start-up assistance, with an early priority being to move out of her home office. After she leased an office in the Idaho Innovation Center, she scheduled weekly accountability meetings with an SBDC consultant where she worked on a variety of skills including time management.  (more…)

Success Story: New Jersey

A Client’s Letter to the New Jersey SBDC at Brookdale Community College

Dear NJSBDC at Brookdale Community College:

I wanted to share with you my success with my writing business, Fine Works LLC. It would not have been possible without the great assistance of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC) at Brookdale Community College. At Brookdale Community College, I completed The Entrepreneur Certificate in 2010 and The Digital Blueprint Certificate in 2016 as well as having many one-on-one business counseling appointments with the NJSBDC.

NJSBDC was instrumental in turning my passion, the martial arts, into a writing business. I started publishing magazine articles over a decade ago. Last year, I used my contacts from magazine publishing to get my first book published, a martial arts book titled Sumo for Mixed Martial Arts: Winning Clinches, Takedowns, and Tactics, by YMAA Publication Center. YMAA has been publishing martial arts books for over 30 years. YMAA is selling my book on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and numerous other venues in print and eBook formats. It is being sold worldwide. The NJSBDC prepared me well. For instance, YMAA plans on using my book research techniques for marketing and reviewers as their gold standard. I was informed by the Managing Editor at YMAA, “I’ve never had an author deliver better materials.”  (more…)