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Helping new entrepreneurs get started

AFTER MORE THAN 11 years, Pat DiPrima-LeConche was secure in her employee communications job at Tri-Met. But she dreamed of sweeter things. Specifically, she dreamed of cannoli—crisp, sweet, golden-brown and warm from the oven. Of tiramisu—dense, multilayered, complex. Of zeppoli—feather-light Italian donuts, rich with ricotta and eggs.

DiPrima-LeConche dreamed of opening Portland's first true Italian-style bakery. "I saw a need," she says, "for a cannoli a day." To translate her dream to the real world, she took a 10-week baking course in Portland and attended classes at the San Francisco Baking Institute. Then the real work began.

"Entrepreneurs are often dreamers who may not have the ability to get their idea off the ground," she says, standing in the gleaming public area of her Portland bakery, DiPrima Dolci on North Killingsworth Street, surrounded by stacks of her signature cannoli, golden tubes filled with sweetened ricotta, pistachios, cherries and chocolate, by beautiful cakes and delicacies like pasta ciotta, soft tarts filled with almond custard.

"They might have the most brilliant idea, but lack the practical sense to put it all together. That's where the Business Outreach Program at Portland State has been an invaluable asset for me—they help you with the practical, fundamental elements you need to start a business," says DiPrima-LeConche.

FOR THE PAST 12 years, PSU's Business Outreach Program (BOP) has been providing those fundamentals to small businesses in the Portland metro area, many owned by minorities and women. After an initial interview, during which the needs of the emerging business are assessed in detail, the full-time management counselors, student interns, and business professionals associated with the program begin a long-term relationship designed to give emerging businesses the tools they need to be successful.

The program provides, at no charge, a wide array of essential services to its clients, ranging from business and marketing plans to pro bono legal advice and product cost analysis. For some businesses, the program also assigns student teams to provide in-depth assessments and assistance. For others, the program may arrange critical financing when traditional lending institutions prove too cautious. To quote the late Portland entrepreneur Fred Meyer, PSU's Business Outreach Program can be a one-stop shopping center for entrepreneurs in need.

"Most small business owners have a dream," says Gary Brown, BOP director. "What most of them find is that translating that dream into a successful reality is harder than they think it's going to be. That's where this program comes in."

For DiPrima-LeConche, who heard about PSU's Business Outreach Program through a friend, the assistance it provided was nothing short of crucial. "I literally would not have the business today without their help," she says. Brown and his students helped her write her business plan, fill out loan applications, and develop her marketing and advertising plans. "Opening a bakery isn't a piece of cake, let me tell you," says DiPrima-LeConche. "The Business Outreach Program was so much more helpful than the Small Business Administration."

Since it was founded in 1994, the BOP has helped more than 400 local companies find their feet, 80 percent of them "microenterprises," 52 percent minority-owned, 50 percent women-owned. "Our mission is to reduce the high failure rate for small businesses and give PSU students the benefits of community-based, real-world learning," says Brown. "We find our clients through word of mouth, through affiliation with the University, through our Web site and through University publications. At any given time, we're working with about 30 clients. I spent 14 years in the corporate world, and I know how tough things can be out there, especially when you're just starting out."

EVER SINCE HIS first hair salon was sold in 1990, Sherman Jackson has dreamed of owning his own place once more. "When I started down this road, I had nothing," Jackson says. ". . . nothing except a dream. If it wasn't for Gary Brown and the Business Outreach Program, I would not be here today. They believed in me when nobody else did."

"Here" is the Platinum Fade Salon on Northeast Alberta Street. Jackson looks around his place of business with pride, taking in the gleaming sinks and swivel chairs of its 12 workstations, its immaculately clean floors and reception area. "The salon is named after the precious metal," he explains, "because when you come in here, you get the best."

Jackson heard about the BOP when he was working as a contractor at a Lloyd Center hair salon, and quickly realized the program's potential to help him own his own place once more.

"I had already found this location," Jackson says. "Gary looked it over and approved it. I went to classes a couple of times a week. They helped me write my business plan, and provided a lawyer who helped me negotiate my lease. They did a market study for me and analyzed what it would cost to get the business started. They even connected me with Mercy Corps, which was willing to provide the loan I needed for up-front capital and operating expenses."

Jackson's relationship with the PSU program didn't end once the Platinum Fade Salon opened for business last spring. Brown and the BOP's management counselors continue to review Jackson's income and operating expenses each month. In addition to the long hours he works at the salon, Jackson is able to dedicate some of his own time to giving back to the community, providing free haircuts to the children at Providence Portland Medical Center.

When it comes to giving back to the community, Brown estimates that on average, BOP-assisted businesses generate 30 to 40 new jobs per year. At the same time, the program has given a generation of PSU students the kind of invaluable hands-on experience they'll need to make their way after graduation. They learn to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of individual businesses; to effectively research markets and industries; to write business, action and marketing plans; and to improve their communication skills in a one-on-one environment. At the end of the day, they have the satisfaction of knowing that the skills and ideas they've brought to the table have helped their real-world clients succeed.

"When they help someone realize their dream, students discover that they have more talent than they may have realized," says Brown. "I see the light bulb go on and I see the happiness that can generate. For me, that's one of the most rewarding aspects of this program."

For more information about the program, visit www.sba.pdx.edu/outreach/ or call Brown at 503-725-3705.

Jeff Kuechle is a Portland freelance writer.
Photos by Randall Lee