SCORE Chicago Workshops
Wells Ye of Fresh Tech Maids
Business: Fresh Tech Maids, a non-toxic, green, house cleaning service in Chicago’s northwest suburbs
Problem: To research the competition and find a niche
Solution: Find a free mentor who really knows how to evaluate markets and identify profitable niches
Results: Green cleaning is going strong.
The Story Link. Read how this happened.
Terry Hefter, of Terry Hefter Associates LLC
Business: Terry Hefter Associates LLC.
Problem: Psychotherapy group lacked revenue growth and profits.
Solution: Review financials with counselor Mitch Morris. Better understand profit margins and devise new marketing strategies to meet bigger revenue targets
Results: Revenues and profits increased 14% in 2006 and again 16% in 2007. The profit percentage grew from 7.7% in 2004 to 18% in 2007.
When Susan M. Kearney, a Yoga instructor, wanted to meet with a counselor to start her own business, she logged on to the counseling appointment page of SCORE Chicago, found a convenient date and location nearby her Round Lake home, and booked her appointment.
Blissful Brownies
And when Ambler FitzSimons needed advice on the next steps for her successful online brownie business, Blissful Brownies, she also went online to make an appointment at the College of Lake County in Grayslake.
As busy small business owners like these approach SCORE, increasingly they want to interact online. In the past six months, SCORE Chicago revised its appointment system to facilitate this online appointment setup. The organization has 15 locations, and now over half, including the main downtown location and all the Lake County branches, are online.
Here are the branches that now offer online signup for counseling sessions:
Chicago
Chicago Citibank Center (Main Office) – Monday through Saturday
North Suburban
Arlington Heights Chamber 2nd and 4th Mondays
Deerfield Chamber Tuesday AM
College of Lake County, Grayslake Monday PM
College of Lake County Southlake, Vernon Hills Wednesday PM
Lincolnshire Chamber - 2nd and 4th Wed AM
Lake Zurich Chamber - Wednesday
Barrington Chamber/Harris Bank Alt Tuesday
South Suburban
Governors State, University Park – Tuesday AM & PM
Appointments at other locations can be made by phone. To see a list of all locations, see the Appointment Page. Also please visit our site to learn of business workshops and other resources to help you with your business. Counseling link at SCORE Chicago website, www.scorechicago.org.
Suzanne Nicksic of Organic Garden Co.
Business: Organic Garden, the Midwest distributor for Terra Biotics, the manufacturer of natural biological lawn and garden products, including an organic fertilizer known as Bio-Tea.
Problem: Suzanne knows dirt, but not financial details
Solution: Connect with a mentor who “gets” the numbers and helps her understand them
Results: Up and running, with targets and profitable products
Robyn Bruns
Business: Red Letter Event Planning, “a Chicago based wedding and event planning firm, specializes in crafting memorable and noteworthy special events by using a winning combination of creativity and planning.”
Problem: Launching and promoting a new business
Solution: Robyn gets startup and marketing advice and keeps in touch with her SCORE counselor
Results: Counselor recommends her for a story in Illinois Meetings + Events Magazine.
Adolphina Goodwin
Business: Precious Images Ultrasound provides prospective mothers with 3D and 4D ultrasound videos of their babies to share with family and friends
Problem: How to get from “0 to 60″ as fast as possible
Solution: Writes her on plan and wows her banker
Results: Revenues from the startup year exceeded her conservative projections by a large margin. The Southtown paper plans to do a feature on her.
Dennis Ryan and Megan Munitz
Business: Fraiche Kitchen educates families, school children and business employees, through innovative seminars and other educational offerings, about healthy eating and living.
Problem: Help to broaden their product offerings and determine pricing in new markets.
Solution: Refine a new workplace seminar series on Healthy Sustainable Farmer’s Market Eating and expand educational offerings to include not only home and school, but also work.
Results: Chicago’s top employers were thrilled to be able to offer such timely, essential and fun programming that addresses their employees’ wellness and work-life balance needs. Today, Fraiche Kitchen can barely keep up with the demand.
Dennis Ryan and Megan Munitz, Chief Cooks & Culinary Guides for their Fraiche Kitchen, appreciate a mentor from SCORE Chicago who keeps them focused.
Counselor Marge Schneider is advising on their “wellness program” and other marketing ventures. In her varied career, Marge managed all of the in-house advertising research at the Leo Burnett Advertising, among numerous other positions in marketing and management.
Dennis and Megan proudly sent her the article “Sustaining a Trend: Cooking School Takes a Fresh Approach to Eating Locally” an article on them from the March 5, 2008 Chicago Tribune Good Eating section, with the note: “Thanks again for all of your help and support. We’re so grateful to you for the wonderful insight and how you keep us on track!”
You can find them at Fraichekitchen.com.
Ric Cox
Business: ChicagoCondosOnline.com , subscription-based website
Problem: Too few visitors a day to site
Solution: Increase traffic, brand awareness
Method: Launched ChicagoCondosOnline blog
Results: Visitors to web site up and blogging has significantly increased brand awareness and personal contacts with real-estate professionals
The Story Link
Story quoting his blog (but not linking to it) in the Sun Times on April 6, 2008.
Robyn Howard
Business: Complete Home Inventory Professionals
Problem: Needed marketing strategies
Solution: Worked with a prof
Results: Wins business
The Story Link
