Success Stories
Big Chico Burger
In April 2003 Vicky Junco & Francisco Saez, husband and wife, came to the Butte College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for assistance with obtaining financing to open a quality hamburger business in Chico, California. The Butte College SBDC business counselors (for marketing, financial analysis & projections, management, etc) all worked with Mrs. Junco & Mr. Saez to determine feasibility of the business, financials, marketing, and money needed for the start-up phase of the business with a goal of completing a business plan to obtain funding. During the preparation of the business plan, Butte College SBDC business counselors assisted Mrs. Junco & Mr. Saez with understanding the market profile and effectively analyzing the market opportunities for the business, preparing financial projections for anticipated loan funding for the business start-up process and to determine if the business would be a viable investment. Demographic and research information were also obtained and used from the Center for Economic Development in Chico, California, which assisted in the completion of the business plan and provided Mrs. Junco & Mr. Saez a true analysis of their target market.
24-7 Transport, Inc.
The partnership had gone sour, and Baldo Barragan found himself out of business, without an income, frustrated and wondering what went wrong.
Balm Innovations, LLC
Balm Innovations LLC is the product of entrepreneurial drive and scientific inspiration. While a student of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Executive MBA program, Lydia Carson competed in the 2004 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup business plan competition. She and her team built their business plan around launch of a topical cream developed by a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ pharmaceutical researcher. Dr. Bill Gurley’s severe sunburn motivated him to develop a cream that relieves a variety of skin irritations. Gurley’s formula uses tea tree oil, a natural substance from Australia’s melaleuca tree.
Oasis Cinema and Stadium
Located in Seward, Alaska, A Flyin Skein is a knitting specialty store, and owner, Mrs. Cindy Clark called the Kenai Peninsula Small Business Development Center, part of the Alaska Small Business Development Center to request assistance with obtaining capital for the purchase of store inventory and working capital to start her yarn retail business. With the assistance of Kenai Peninsula SBDC Director Mark Gregory, Ms. Clark obtained a $50,000 SBA BLX loan. She worked intensively with the Kenai Peninsula SBDC to build a business plan utilizing free online software with ActivePlans. She needed assistance with developing financial projections and was assisted with SBDC excel budget templates to complete her projections. She also requested assistance with site reviews in choosing a location and was assisted with on site review of various proposed facilities.
A Flyin Skein
Cindy Clark has been a long-time craft person, making fleece and sewing as a supplemental business leading up to her interests in opening a yarn shop. Her full-time job includes work as an administrative assistant at Spring Creek High School for five years. She had the dream of owning her own business and had experience with her family business for over ten years. Ms. Clark finally decided to start the venture around the first of this year.
