Indulging in Tasty Business Resources at the SBDC
Jacqueline Jordan contacted the Small Business Development Center in April 2006 interested in attending a seminar discussing pre-business protocol and planning. She came prepared to take notes and with an idea in her back pocket which would eventually bloom into Indulgence bakery in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania more than a year and a half later. The SBDC never left her side as the long process inched to the opening day that Jacqueline eagerly desired to reach.
Noticing a demand in the market that was not being satisfied, Jacqueline’s experience and talent in making tasty pastries and balancing hard work in a hectic schedule led her to setting out on the business venture. The first step? Attending a First Step – Pre-Business Seminar at the SBDC. This helped her to organize her thoughts and ideas to present at a meeting later in July of 2006. At that time, Jacqueline discussed various areas in which she lacked experience that the SBDC could help her to accomplish such as writing a business plan or creating pro forma financial projections to present to investors or banks to demonstrate that the business would be successful. She had already found a property in Selinsgrove in which she could ideally open her bakery, but the owners of the property planned on renovating it before renting it to Jacqueline for the business. This extra time was beneficial to get the bakery’s guidelines, certification, equipment, financing, and other necessities completed and ready in order to open the business not too long after beginning to pay rent.
Organizing these several business necessities at first offered assurance to Jacqueline because they were easily acquired such as the ServSafe Certification or finding market research from the area and other bakeries out of town. However, processes like finding funding, writing the business plan, and finishing renovations seriously delayed the opening of the business. During these long months of time, Jacqueline maintained contact with the SBDC by updating the staff, through e-mails, what progress had been made. She also continued to attend business seminars to learn more about what she would need to do and utilize after the doors of the business opened and revenue began coming into the business.
Hard work and diligence finally paid off in July of 2007 when funding finally came in the form of an approved loan. However, even this hit a small glitch because the expected time-frame for repayment was shortened. This made Jacqueline reconsider the loan and look elsewhere for the required time-frame, and this effort was eventually rewarded. During this delay, though, Jacqueline began circulating products for promotion and marketing in local hotels. The response led to more demand and an eventual contract with the hotels for desserts!
The business finally opened mid-November in 2007, ready for the holiday season and initial sales proved successful and profitable. In January 2008, staff from the SBDC visited the bakery and enjoyed supporting and following-up with Jacqueline. Selinsgrove now enjoys the products of the talented baker, and Jacqueline continues to maintain a relationship with the SBDC as a resource for her questions and concerns. Already, 2008 looks like a successful year for Indulgence.
