Sharing Small Business Wisdom

As part of the lead-up to the eighth annual San Francisco Small Business Week (May 13-18, 2013), I was interviewed for the San Francisco Small Business Week blog.

The week is designed to offer a series of educational and networking events to educate, connect and celebrate the small business community in San Francisco. This year’s festivities will include a conference with 50 free workshops and seminars for small business owners (I’ll be speaking about business planning), a gala called Flavors of San Francisco, and an awards ceremony hosted by the Small Business Commission, the Mayor’s Office and the Board of Supervisors to recognize exceptional small businesses from each district and city-wide.

Here’s my interview with Small Business Week…

SMALL BUSINESS WISDOM FROM PAUL TERRY

Small businesses in San Francisco have a wealth of opportunities to access wisdom and technical assistance from a variety of small business experts who provide one-on-one counseling, technical assistance, and instruction through neighborhood and community-based nonprofit agencies. The San Francisco Small Business Week Committee is pleased to share wisdom from these experts who help the small businesses that shape our communities to succeed.

Today we hear from Paul Terry, business planning coordinator at Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, who believes that one of the keys to success is making a life-long commitment to education.

What role do you play in supporting San Francisco’s small businesses?

I’ve supported small businesses for more than 25 years as an independent business consultant and owner of Paul Terry & Associates with skills that I developed from launching my own food, distribution and training businesses in San Francisco. I am also the business planning coordinator and primary instructor at the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center. I was one of the initial developers of Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center’s entrepreneurship program, business incubator, and business support program.

The role I play in supporting small businesses involves teaching, empowering, and encouraging entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses. The training and consulting helps people build their confidence and access the resources they need to be successful in business.

As a small business consultant in private practice, I work with 25-30 businesses each year to facilitate growth and transition, to build effective partnerships, and to implement strategic planning solutions. Over the years, I’ve taught 7,500 entrepreneurs, and I’ve supported over 600 small businesses.

In your years of working with entrepreneurs, what has emerged as the greatest challenge to a small businesses success?

One of the biggest challenges relates to maintaining balance. New business owners need to recognize that their entrepreneurial skills – their ability to get the business up and running – need to be in line with the complexity of the business model. They need to hone their skills, tap into their confidence and develop the scale of business that makes sense for who they are at a particular time. New skills are then required on an ongoing basis as the business grows in size and complexity.

Another challenge facing new businesses involves joint ventures and business partnerships. If the business partners fail to clearly define the relationship at the early stages, problems quickly emerge and often create disruptive conditions as the business grows.

A third challenge for a new business occurs when the entrepreneur attempts to transition from a full-time job — working for someone else — to working in a business that is not immediately profitable. People need to be realistic about the appropriate amount of capital they need launch and grow to profitability.

The common thread – and the reason people come to me – is that they are stuck. They need a better framework for making educated decisions and they need access to the appropriate mentors, advisors and associates for advice and direction.

In your experience, what is the biggest key to long-term success for a small business?

Businesses that have been around for a long time survive and thrive because they provide very good services to established clientele with fair terms and conditions. Long-term success also requires being nimble enough to adapt to new markets, emerging trends, and new technologies.

There are macro and micro competitive forces that can undo a successful business. It is key to make a life-long commitment to education, strategic thinking, and new skills development.

What are some of the most important ways in which small businesses shape communities in San Francisco?

Small businesses define the character of our neighborhoods in San Francisco. The appropriate mix of small businesses enriches and energizes a particular area, which attracts tourism and inspires residents to shop locally. Small businesses invest in their communities by hiring locally, engaging in local politics, donating to nonprofits, building parklets and other community spaces, and doing all the critical things that make our neighborhoods more enjoyable. Small businesses are the advocates of local development and define the flavor and culture of this city – with “pop-ups”, food trucks, trunk shows and an involvement in the local areas where they live, work and play.

Be Here Now

BE HERE NOW. The ultimate “mantra” voiced by Dr. Richard Alpert, known to many of us as Baba Ram Dass. Last Friday night I saw “Acid Test: The Many Incarnations of Ram Dass” at The Marsh in Berkeley. It featured Warren David Keith as the performer and was written by Lynne Kaufman. This one-man play covered three significant events in the life of Ram Dass – meeting his guru Neem Karoli Baba in India, being present at his father’s passing, and dealing with a serious and debilitating illness in these last years of his life. The performance was fun, sad and deeply effective. Now, it may have been particularly enjoyable to me because I met both Ram Dass and his guru (referred to as “the blanket Baba”) in India in the 1970’s. At the time they were funny, powerful and quite present.

In his many books and lectures Ram Dass has gifted us with his message of mindfulness. For him, it is all about being and staying in the now. It is difficult to “be here now”, though. When you think about it, it’s already behind you. When you contemplate where you want to be or what you want to do, you are beyond the present moment.

I spoke briefly with Warren David Keith after the show. He told me about performing the play for Ram Dass at his retreat in Maui. He said Ram Dass was very frail but very present. How often does someone get a chance to see their life story acted out in front of them? If we were to see our own story played out before our eyes, could we “be here now”, too?

In our own businesses we try to stay present – in front of clients, ordering inventory, hiring staff, reviewing financials. Can we assess past performance and plan for the future while also being present and aware? It may be difficult but it might help us stay focused on what is most important and run our businesses with openness and mindfulness.

If you are interested in seeing the play, it’ll be at The Marsh in San Francisco on April 12th.

In Conversation with Al Gore

Well …he wasn’t talking only with me. Along with hundreds of people, I got the chance to hear Barbara Kingsolver speak with Al Gore at Herbst Theater in San Francisco on Tuesday night. I really went to hear Barbara Kingsolver, as I had just finished reading her latest book, Flight Behavior. (As I listened to her speak the butterflies from her book kept fluttering through my mind.) Perhaps Al and Barbara had “butterflies” but I think not—they were both so poised, balanced and professional from the start of their exchanges.

Outside the theater there were protestors upset that Gore is not being “green enough” but we went on through to claim our seats. There were murals on the walls and perhaps butterflies in the air, as there was a buzz for sure. Al Gore was contemplating “The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change”.

They started poised and respectful of each other’s contributions to the topic and their work to date. Barbara’s questions were insightful and calm. Al Gore started quietly but in the end he nearly jumped from his seat as he wound up and delivered on the six drivers of global change.

From his perspective, those are:

the increasing economic globalization that has created Earth Inc.,
global communications that can reach billions of people at a time,
the shift of global economic and political power without perhaps the USA at the center,
a deeply flawed economic compass leading us to unsustainable use of all resources,
biotechnology, neuroscience and life science revolutions with power in only a few people’s hands, and
a radical disruption of ecosystems and human consumption that impact energy systems worldwide

What he shared was depressing and definitely overwhelming, and yet here was another inconvenient truth from Al Gore. The silver lining of his message was to take a small piece of an issue — community based or national — do something different and bring others with you. One small step by each one of us could be one giant step for all of us. He views it as “a contest between the Global Mind and Earth Inc.” How this battle plays out depends on us, and, particularly, on the revitalization of democratic institutions in the United States. Let’s discuss and act!

A Day in the Community

Last Saturday (before the World Series started nearby… Go Giants!) I attended the 23rd annual Potrero Hill Festival, a gathering organized by the Potrero Dogpatch Merchants Association (PDMA). The festival was a benefit for the Potrero Neighborhood House. Twentieth Street was teaming with people enjoying the live music, sampling tasty treats from food trucks, learning about a variety of important causes, and supporting Potrero Hill and other San Francisco businesses. It was a full day of sun, fun, music and food, with many families with young children in attendance.

This festival was a great way to remember the strength of community that comes from the neighborhood and in particular, the local businesses that make it a vibrant place to live and work. A variety of local food establishments were involved this year, from the new restaurant Skool, to neighborhood anchors Good Life Grocery and Farley’s.

To be a part of a community, we need to show up, get involved, and support our neighbors. This year, after 20 years of doing business on Potrero Hill, I was invited to join the PDMA board of directors. I am learning a lot, working with other small business owners/volunteers, and seeing how a few people can make a significant impact through their involvement in local businesses, schools, organizations and the political process. Wherever you live I hope there are opportunities, like this festival, to come together as a community. If not, maybe it’s time to take the lead and organize something in your neighborhood!

Outstanding Service

October 10, 2012
Entrepreneurship Training, Events & Community, Profiles
PTA
4 Comments

Last week I received the Outstanding Service Award from Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center. This award was presented by CEO Sharon Miller to recognize over twenty years of work with Renaissance as an independent business consultant in developing classes and incubator programs and as the primary business planning instructor and coordinator.

receiving the Renaissance Outstanding Service Award

It was such an honor to receive this award in front of colleagues, students, friends and family during Renaissance’s gala event, “Small Business, Big Impact: Celebrating 28 Years of Small Business Success” on October 2nd at the Bently Reserve in San Francisco.

It was quite surprising to realize that I have taught over 5,000 business planning students and supported over 100 incubator tenants at Renaissance. The secret is that I’m constantly inspired working with new and emerging business owners. I love the experience of helping students to explore options, get organized, develop practical business skills and take the steps necessary to make their small businesses work. I am inspired each day by the diversity of people who want to start their own businesses, the variety of business ideas, students’ focus and passion, as well as their willingness to put in the time and make the commitment to be successful.

While the award was so appreciated, the people who truly deserve the accolades are the Renaissance graduates — the new entrepreneurs who are doing research, creating prototypes, testing concepts, launching on a trial basis, and then jumping into the marketplace.

with fellow Renaissance graduate award winners, Heidi Gibson, Yvonne Hines and Alphonso Rhodes

These small and micro businesses are the engines of our local and national economy. We need to support them so they can thrive, continue to expand, offer jobs, and become community-based institutions for our neighborhoods and cities. When you choose to frequent small, independently owned businesses you are directly building the local economy and, in the process, supporting some amazing, dynamic people. Our small business owners are heroes. They are making a difference through their focus on sustainability and their attention to the local community. We need to award the local, small business owner for outstanding service!

Eating Well from Street to Street

August 20, 2012
Business of Food, Current Climate for Small Business, Events & Community, Support Systems, Trends in Small Business
PTA
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On Saturday I joined the crowds in San Francisco’s Mission District to experience La Cocina’s fourth annual Street Food Festival.

The sunny streets were full of happy people enjoying tasty delights from 85 vendors—including from some of my former students: Gail Lillian of LIBA Falafel, Claire Keane of Clairesquares, Antoinette Sanchez of Endless Summer Sweets, and Neal Gottlieb of Three Twins Ice Cream. What a treat!

Neal and Paul at SF Street Food Festival

As a small, start-up food business it is a challenge to break into the industry and be successful. Food entrepreneurs can have great ideas and delicious recipes but they also need to afford legal kitchen space and the start-up costs to open their businesses, find a niche, compete for shelf space and break into a crowded marketplace. Motivated entrepreneurs like Gail, Claire, Antoinette and Neal are making it work by renting kitchen space and/or selling out of a food truck. (Neil started very small over 6 years ago and now sells ice cream in almost every state.)

Luckily, food businesses don’t have to jump into business ownership without some support. La Cocina’s non-profit kitchen incubator and programs for low-income, immigrant and women-owned food businesses and Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center’s programs and small business incubator provide valuable training and support. There are other non-profits and businesses sprouting up around the city to help food entrepreneurs and strengthen the local food movement—from the Underground Market and Forage Kitchen, to the new Good Food Merchants Guild and Good Eggs.

City government is also helping to make the climate easier for food start-ups, such as easing regulations for street food vendors and even passing an ordinance to allow community gardeners and city farmers to sell their produce directly to the public on site. And we’re all waiting to see what transpires with the California Homemade Food Act.

It was great to see the success of small street merchants and so many supporters of the Bay Area’s local food movement this weekend. Let’s keep up the support for sustainable food businesses!

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