LAKEWOOD —A little known and underutilized center dedicated to helping small local businesses grow is hoping to have a breakout year.
Launched nine years ago, the is working to get the word out that everyone is welcome, whether they’re considering starting a business or growing a franchise, said Amira Watters, the center’s executive director.
” ,” Watters said. “We’re all about the mom-and-pop shops and the small business community.”
A one-stop shop for entrepreneurs at 1667 Cole Blvd. in Lakewood, the center provides free or low-cost resources including business plan help, startup strategies, social media advice, market research, financial forecasting, free classes and networking opportunities.
“They can save you a lot of time through the process so you’re not spinning your wheels, and they’re great about outsourcing and bringing in the experts if they can’t help,” said Patsy Juarez, owner of Cycling Yogi in Lakewood.
Last year, the center hosted 51 seminars and had 366 counseling appointments on a budget of $105,000 supplied by four Jeffco cities.
Watters is looking to increase those numbers this year by expanding class offerings, beefing up social media and community outreach while preparing to host the Jeffco Business Resource Expo this September, a free event she hopes will double last year’s attendance by drawing 40 vendors from across the local economy.
She’s the only full-time staff member, with former director Jayne Rieter working on a contract basis offering counseling and other help. Local business owners teach the revolving series of classes and workshops.
“One of my big initiatives is to grow this organization because, right now, we’re probably one of the most underutilized, free resources in the county,” Watters said.
One business owners who has benefitted from the center is Eric Yochim, who purchased the struggling Two Rivers Coffee Shop in Arvada in 2010. He at 7745 Wadsworth Blvd.
“When we first really started to take off, I sat down with Jayne to to get some wisdom on what I needed to do to make sure we were moving in the right direction,” Yochim said. “It really helped set things at ease with how to legally structure a business and how to approach a business plan.”
Juarez said before opening Cycling Yogi at 12790 W. Alameda Parkway, she sat down with Rieter in 2009 to develop a business plan and marketing strategy.
She opened the fitness center in 2010 and has had to navigate challenges like figuring out class scheduling, how to draw instructors from Denver into west Lakewood and concepts like life cycle changes — the ebb and flow of longtime clients leaving as new ones take their place.
“We turned over more teachers in 2014 than I have the last four years, so that’s something I’ll definitely be working on with Jayne,” Juarez said.
Steve Art, Wheat Ridge’s urban renewal manager and the Jeffco Business Resource Center’s secretary and treasurer, said the center aims to be flexible to meet changing and diverse needs.
“We tend to be small, lean and mean in our city staff,” Art said. “They provide those ancillary services like marketing and business education that we can’t … without a doubt, they’re having an impact. We wouldn’t be funding them unless they were.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs
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For information on seminars and how to benefit from the Jefferson County Business Resource Center, visit jeffcobrc.org.
