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.” 

With a goal to create a healthy snack bar, Jeff Ragan founded KiZE Concepts, a business that produces healthy nutrition bars in a variety of flavors. While preparing for the required certifications, the company heard about the Oklahoma SBDC and reached out for assistance with the Safe Quality Food (SQF) audit. Despite the set-back made by the COVID-19 pandemic, they were able to pass the audit in October of 2020, thanks in large part to the help of business advisor Stephanie Baker, who met with the KiZE team regularly to review the necessary code requirements.  

KiZE continued to improve their food safety and quality programs while working with the Oklahoma SBDC. Because of this, they were able to pass both the 2021 and the 2022 SQF audits, allowing their company to expand their sales. 

“Really incredible service from Stephanie Baker,” says Jeff Ragan, CEO of KiZE. “We have no prior industry experience and going for a high-level, difficult audit like SQF would not have been possible without her support. Not only did we pass, we received an excellent score – 11 points higher than when we did the first time. Stephanie was a huge part in helping prepare and improve our operation and understanding the SQF system…” 

“… We are extremely grateful to have the support from the Oklahoma SBDC and know that the investment in us will continue to pay dividends in improving our business, the lives of our people, and our community.”