Beginning with a garage-based youth sports performance fitness center, Major Fredrick Alcazar, USAF, Ret., went from training four student-athletes to 40 between June 2020 and January 2021. Because of this, Frederick and his wife, Heather, decided to search for a larger facility to accommodate them. Starting their search, they turned to the Oklahoma SBDC for help. Business Advisor Larry Siebert assisted them with financial research and projections for any potential facilities. However, due to the availability of lease spaces, Frederick and Heather decided to build their own.

The building process began in March 2021 with the choice between two plots of land in Piedmont, Oklahoma. Roadblocks would form early on in their plans for construction, but their total clients would grow to 78 by May 2021. During this time, Larry would continue to assist the Alcazar’s with more planning, financial projections, and opportunity assessment. Finally, after many bumps in the road, the construction loan was approved in September 2022, and work on the new facility began shortly after, with their client total reaching 197 around the same time through community marketing and word of mouth. Czar Athletics held its official grand opening on June 4, 2023, and as of October, they had grown to 380 athletes in their sports performance center.

“Mr. Siebert has always been a great and reliable resource and mentor as we grew our business and planned for our future,” says Frederick. “He drew our attention to REI as a financial source and has supplied great knowledge to help us succeed. Mr. Siebert truly cares about our business and helping us succeed.”

With a love for pets and travel, Jason and Ta Ratliff wanted to create a dog boarding and grooming facility. Focusing on service, quality, and cleanliness, this business aims to supply peace of mind for traveling pet owners. Looking for help with employee setup, marketing, and community outreach, Jason registered for advising with the Oklahoma SBDC (Small Business Development Center), working with Business Advisor Emily Beesley.

Emily walked Jason and Ta through the process of filling out employee paperwork, obtaining workplace posters and safety materials, and implementing best practices for human resources. To strengthen their marketing efforts, Emily encouraged them to contact the El Reno Chamber of Commerce to prepare a ribbon cutting and open house for their business. While working to plan the organization of the open house, Jason would continue to create marketing materials and invitations to spread the word about his business. This effort not only led to a successful ribbon cutting for Reno’s Boneyard but also increased its visibility within the El Reno and Yukon communities. With a successful launch and a strong start to marketing, Jason and his wife are using the momentum and their dedication to grow their community presence even more.

“… You know, I never heard of [the Oklahoma SBDC] before,” says Jason, “and it’s free, and it’s a good resource to use… I think that no matter what stage of planning, or business, [or industry] you’re in, I think there’s help… It’s a resource that should be used.”

Jacob Rowe, who comes from a family of chiropractors, originally went to school to become a music teacher. However, after realizing that a degree in music wasn’t for him, Jacob noticed that his back began to ache from his posture in class. Seeing this as a sign, he decided against his original plan and enrolled in medical school to become a chiropractor instead. 

Because of his family’s background, Dr. Rowe wanted to open his own Chiropractic office in the Oklahoma City area. During his preparations, Jacob’s bank referred him to the Oklahoma SBDC for business advising. While being familiar with running a chiropractic office thanks to his family’s background, business advisor Susan Urbach helped with the much finer details, assisting Dr. Rowe with things such as financial projections and loan applications. Finally, after meeting the federal and state obligations needed for his business to start, J. Rowe Chiropractic would officially open its doors. 

“My bank referred me to the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center, and specifically to Susan,” says Dr. Jacob Rowe. “I am grateful because they knew she could help me work through my loan request exactly in the way that it needed to be done, and help my understanding at the same time. This is a great service, and I consider them a go-to source for good, solid information and advice.”

With a history of working in her family’s bakery, Nikki Griggs decided that she would open her own bakery in downtown Norman, Oklahoma. Looking for a strong start to her business, Nikki would turn to the Oklahoma SBDC for assistance, pairing with business advisors Susan Urbach and Stephanie Baker. Together, the trio would work on creating the business plan, calculating financial projections, and filling out the SBA loan applications needed for Nikki to open her bakery. Eventually, after many meetings and calls, Byrdie’s by Raspberry and Cream secured the necessary funding and hired employees before its grand opening. 

“From the start [Stephanie Baker and Susan Urbach of the Oklahoma SBDC] both assisted me with my business plan, health department requirements and all aspects of helping me to obtain a Small Business Administration loan through the bank,” says Nikki Griggs. “What a team! All of the hard work and assistance they provided to me and my new business throughout this process was more than I could have ever expected! They are true professionals and I hope to always be able to call them my friends!”

A Venezuelan native, Peggy Diaz de Marcano moved to the United States three years ago in search of new opportunities abroad. After moving to Tulsa and spending some time there, Peggy wanted to open her own business that sold traditional Venezuelan food to her local community. However, realizing that she needed help with writing a business plan and applying for a business loan, Peggy turned to the Oklahoma SBDC and registered for advising. 

While initially unaware that the Oklahoma SBDC offered its services in Spanish, Peggy began working with business advisor Maria Almeida, who also speaks Spanish natively. Together, they were able to create a written business plan, apply for the loan, and successfully attain funding for Peggy Flavors. 

“My relationship with SBDC has been very productive. I have learned how to manage my business better in different aspects: financial management and putting together a business plan. This support helped me to obtain my first business loan.” 

Todd Rodriguez wanted to begin his journey of self-employment by starting his own plumbing business. Familiar with the technical work of plumbing, Todd registered with the Oklahoma SBDC to strengthen his marketing knowledge and finalize his business start. Partnering with Business Advisor Emily Beesley, Todd learned the essentials of marketing and financial management, and was able to start his business shortly after. 

            In addition to providing start-up assistance, Emily Beesley was able to help Todd with other important areas of his business. This included providing a website review, creating a solid online marketing strategy, establishing an ongoing financial plan, and providing the tools for him to build out a business plan and make projections for future expansion. 
 
            “For the marketing, she was a wealth of information and even helped me get established on my various online presences. Over my sessions I’ve found that she’s a quick problem solver in general and is particularly keen on what does and doesn’t work in marketing. She also got me set up on a financial planning software that helped me create a business plan and projections, which ended with me securing a truck loan after only 7 months in business. She keeps me accountable, but also pushes me in ways that I wouldn’t naturally think I need to be pushed.” 

AJ Rosenthal is the president of General Genomics, Inc., a bioinformatics company based in Oklahoma City that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) technology to analyze the genetic and health histories of patients, predict health risks, and offer solutions for those risks through the Curo46 system. To secure funding for their research and development, at the suggestion of Shelly Klinger, AJ Rosenthal and his partner Warren Gieck sought assistance from the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and worked closely with Jessica Ervin; SBDC Technology Innovation Director, who was referred to them by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). With Jessica’s guidance, General Genomics submitted a grant proposal to the Oklahoma Applied Research Support (OARS) funding program of OCAST. General Genomics has since found working with the SBDC and Jessica to be a seamless process and has appreciated the resources and advice provided, including access to PitchBook and other helpful resources for researching and accessing seed capital.  

“For General Genomics, Inc., working with SBDC, and specifically with Jessica, was a very smooth process. Jessica was able to provide excellent advice and resources that helped in preparing our grant application. It’s clear that Oklahoma is serious about helping companies grow here. Additionally, having access to PitchBook and other resources they provided has been very helpful in researching and accessing seed capital.” 

  Wanting to create her own baked goods business in her town of Tishomingo, Misty White registered with the Oklahoma SBDC and was paired with Business Advisor Darryl Carter. With a proactive approach to her research and preparation, including acquiring a building to lease and completing the necessary paperwork, Misty received help from Darryl Carter in creating her business plan and financial data. LivePlan was used by Darryl to create the business plan, with demographic and industry statistics for the area provided by the SBDC Research Center at OSU. 

            With all necessary tasks completed, Misty was able to open Home Decor and Cafe. With an inviting atmosphere, a wide selection of products and baked goods, and a prime location on Tishomingo’s Main Street, Misty’s hard work has allowed her vision to become reality as her business continues to bloom. 

            “Darryl would guide me but would also push me to do what was best for my business. He provided me websites, tools, and other forms of guidelines to get me started. I would not be where I am today with HOME Decor & Cafe without the help of the OKSBDC. I feel like they were a huge part of my success and continue to be a huge part of my foundation and continued support of my business.” 

With a family and employment history in the mattress manufacturing industry, Juan Rodriguez looked to find an organization that could help him with starting his own mattress repairing, manufacturing, and refurbishing business. Luckily, he found the Oklahoma SBDC, registered for advising, and was assigned to business advisor Susan Urbach.  

With over 30 years of advising experience, Urbach has worked with numerous mattress manufacturers in the past, so her knowledge was incredibly beneficial for Juan’s business development. She was impressed by how Rodriguez had already bought and established his own shop with cost-efficient methods and equipment. She took the time to help him get the necessities for his business squared-away. After assisting with the business set-up, logo, website, accounting systems, sample sales, service contracts and invoices, Susan worked with Juan to identify customer targets in retail, wholesale, and commercial markets. 

“I can’t imagine trying to start this business without the help of the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center and meeting with Susan Urbach,” says Rodriguez. “I knew there was a lot to learn, but she made things understandable, and was so patient. I have been trying to keep all my startup costs as low as possible, and she helped me find all sorts of other resources that were reasonable, and many were even free.” 

Nelson Allen, a Tulsa resident for over 44 years with a strong business background, had a passion for starting his own storage facility company and doing what he could to support his community of North Tulsa. He had been planning the start of his business for over five years, going to conventions, and talking to different storage facility owners to learn as much as he could.  

Eventually, Nelson reached out to the Oklahoma SBDC and was assigned business advisor Jessee Paxton. In partnership with the Greenwood Women’s Business Center, Jessee helped fill in the gaps so Nelson could reach his business goals. Although Nelson already knew most things on how to start a business, he worked with the Oklahoma SBDC to make sure that he had everything planned out and every box checked before he opened his doors. Gilcrease Express Storage was able to open in late 2022 with a climate-controlled, state-of-the-art facility with 24-hour security monitoring video surveillance. 

“Jessee and the SBDC helped teach me what to do and what not to do,” said business owner Nelson Allen. “With the trainings and one-on-one counseling, [they helped provide] me business skills in planning, marketing, and HR… I will continue to use the SBDC and the Greenwood Women’s Business Center to help accomplish my future business goals which is adding more businesses around the storage facility that will build the community and help with more business opportunities for entrepreneurs.”