Moving
offices, seeking advice from specialists and trying new marketing techniques
are some ways
The resource fair, sponsored by the Arvada Chamber of
Commerce, invited small business owners to connect with business-related
resources in
Denise Curran is the owner and sole employee of D's Concierge,
a service that helps homebound seniors stay in their homes instead of moving to
nursing homes. Curran hoped to get more perspective on her business model and
advice about expanding it.
"For me, right now, I'm a one-man show. I can ask people
for advice, but I want to talk with someone from a business background,"
she said.
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Curran wants
eventually to hire a few employees, but wasn't sure what the first step was.
She found help from SCORE, an organization that helps small businesses by providing
evaluations, counselors and training sessions. With a bank of professionals to
help bounce ideas off of, Curran said she feels better about moving forward
with her business plans to expand.
"I'm just trying to figure it all out," she said.
Steve Lewis, a new business owner who is trying to grow his
car wash business, said he's still in the beginning stages of his business
plan.
Lewis said he was looking for all the financial and economic
development materials he could find.
"I started a few years ago, and it never really got off
the ground," he said. "I'm looking to find a building and re-launch
when the economy isn't horrible."
Dunton
Commercial Real Estate broker Patrice Berry came to the fair hoping to connect
with businesses that might be thinking of moving to buildings with lower rent.
"People are always moving. With the economic climate,
people are looking for a deal, and they'll take a space with lower rent,"
Dot Wright, president of the Arvada Chamber of Commerce, said
businesses in every stage of development have joined the chamber in the past
year, making it one of the most successful years on record.
"We've higher attendance at all of our events and saw
more people getting involved," she said.
In 2009, the chamber added 199 new members, launched an
updated website, partnered with economic development organizations and added
new social networking groups, said board treasurer Brett Haigler.
"There's a sense of community, that
we're making things happen and shrugging off the headwinds posed by the
economic conditions," he said.
The chamber aims to support new and old businesses as they
shape their plans to fit the economic times, Wright said.
She also has one clear goal in mind: get every business in the
city to join the chamber.
"There are about 4,000 businesses in the city, and we
have 630 members, so we have a way to go," she said.
The business fair was part of the Business Education Series
Training, or BEST. The BEST program is a partnership of
The monthly events include seminars about buyer behavior,
communication skills, employment law and attracting new customers. For more
information, visit www.JeffcoBRC.org/BusinessEducation.
