Success Stories

State:  New York
Center: Onondaga SBDC
Client:  Brazzlebox

Story:  Brazzlebox, the exclusive social network for small and home based business, has announced it is launching nationally on September 18, 2014.  Small, at home, Veteran owned and start-up businesses will be able to go to www.brazzlebox.com and sign up FREE. They can quickly develop their profile page and immediately start connecting with businesses in their community or industry.

Brazzlebox is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Glen Zinszer. Brazzlebox will be working to fill the current B2B and B2Community social networking void. “The opportunity to create an exclusive network and resource for small and home based business owners is massive,” said Zinszer. Small, at home, Veteran and start-up businesses need a champion and a channel. Brazzlebox is coming to your town, business, idea and community. Glen has worked with the SBDC with many of his start-up businesses, including Brazzlebox, and found the information, direction and education incredibly beneficial.  “The level of support received was crucial in the success of all of my businesses: said Zinszer.   (more…)

Joe and Son’s Olive Oils comes to fruition with help of Florida SBDC at USF

In the summer of 2011, Andrea Messina Gebbia had an idea for a retail business and a partial business plan. All she needed was some direction to get her started. That’s when she reached out to the Florida SBDC at USF.

“My family has been in the grocery business here in Tampa since the 1930s, so I always just sort of had this passion for food and cooking but never really wanted to go to culinary school,” Gebbia said.

Gebbia’s great-grandfather, Giuseppe (Joe) Favata, left Sicily and eventually established Joe and Sons Grocery in historic Ybor City, in 1938.

“He, like me, was just trying to pursue his American dream,” she said. “This was my way of paying tribute to the family store.”  (more…)

Center: SBDC in Elyria at Lorain County Community College

Client: Woof House (dog boarding kennel)

Bob Sell had been dreaming about owning his own business for years. After spending 10 years working a second job at a kennel in Pennsylvania, he decided to find a kennel to buy. After a long search, he found a kennel in Sheffield Village, OH and began working with John Guidone, a local commercial bank officer at Lorain National Bank. Mr. Sell had everything he needed to qualify for an SBA Small Business Loan with LNB, except a business plan. He had never written a business plan, and didn’t know where to start.

John connected Bob with Kim Plzak, Director at the Small Business Development Center at Lorain County Community College. The fact that Bob was out of state did not deter him or the SBDC! Kim and Bob scheduled several phone meetings and exchanged information via email. The SBDC obtained research to assist and communicated regularly with Bob. Bob worked many hours, with the assistance of the SBDC, to write his plan. About two months later, Bob’s plan was complete. (more…)

Fox Valley Entrepreneur Believes in SBDC “Magic”

When unexpected and costly building renovations threatened to delay or possibly end Ray Reinders’ dream of launching his own IT business, he turned to the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UW Oshkosh. SBDC director, Colleen Merrill, was instrumental in connecting Link Computing with financial resources that supported the start of the business in October 2013.

“A friend of mine said, ‘go to Colleen Merrill. She makes magic happen,’” Reindeers says. “Colleen understood what I was trying to accomplish. She worked up numbers and business concepts, and told us what we should expect. She cut every piece of red tape imaginable. Within a month I had a $90,000 loan to complete the project. I can’t imagine doing all that on my own.”

Once financing was secure, Reinders was able to put his focus on business development. Merrill help him implement processes and procedures that were scalable, efficient, and transferable.  By developing these tools, the company was in a position to grow at a pace they determined, hire additional employees, and feel comfortable knowing a plan was laid out.  (more…)

Linda and Barry Mitchell are the owners of Trinity Dry Cleaners (website) (Facebook page) located in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Trinity Dry Cleaners is an eco-friendly dry cleaning business, and they are constantly looking for ways to help customers reduce their carbon footprint.  Linda and Barry feel it’s their mission to play a part in converting an industry that has been historically toxic to humans and hazardous to the planet to an environmentally responsible and sustainable alternative.

Before becoming entrepreneurs, the owners both held executive level jobs in a multi- national distribution company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Linda and Barry considered opening their own business for several years prior to launching Trinity Dry Cleaners. They examined a number of different business opportunities but felt they could make the biggest impact in the dry cleaning industry, as most plants still use Perchloroethylene, which is a toxic and environmentally hazardous solvent.  They knew they wanted to take dry cleaning in a new direction, and chose to use GreenEarth solvent, which is non-toxic and non-hazardous.  Trinity Dry Cleaners is proud to be the only GreenEarth affiliate in Southeastern Indiana, and also services markets in Northern Kentucky and Southwestern Ohio.  (more…)