Media and Communications

Podcast Series
Published May. 16, 2011

 

http://www.paloalto.com/assets/sba_course/player.html

How To Articles
Published May. 10, 2011 application/pdf icon

Steve Strauss discusses how to keep your small business going through a tough economy.

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How To Articles
Published May. 10, 2011 application/pdf icon

Steve Strauss answers the question "What can you tell me about freelancing?"

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April Films

Picture this: a determined young woman from the Midwest comes to New York City to make it big in the world of filmmaking. Through her talent, dedication and hard work, she turns her dream into a small business that grows into a successful enterprise. The story closes with the young woman starting the cameras rolling on the set of her first feature film, with nothing but opportunity ahead.

Sound like the perfect feel-good movie plot? It’s actually the story of April Patrick, who has turned her childhood dream into an up-and-coming company called April Films.

Owner/Founder
April Patrick
My Location
New York NY
United States
Year Company Formed
1997
My Successes

Inspired by filmmakers Spike Lee and Oliver Stone, the Omaha native enrolled in New York University to study film production. After completing her master’s degree and gaining experience through various internships and media projects, she decided to get serious about growing her own film company. On the advice of her mother, herself a former small business owner, April contacted the New York City SCORE Chapter and began shaping her business plan with the assistance of volunteer mentor Harry Lowenstein. 

April Films was just getting off the ground when the tragedies of September 11th intervened.  One of the outcomes was a drastic change in business relationships that forced April to quickly close gaps in her production capabilities. Using her SCORE-based business plan, April applied for and won $20,000 from the Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Business Grant Competition. The funds allowed her to invest in state-of-the art equipment and accelerate April Films’ marketing program.

What's Great About My Mentor?

“Though I was confident in my technical skills, I was so naïve about business that I believed people would just seek me out and give me work,” April recalls. “Harry helped me make the connection between what it takes to start a business, and what’s needed to make it grow.”

April also worked with volunteer mentors Alvin Roselin and Al Korn, both of whom had vast experience in the media industry. Says April, “They mentored me in what Al calls ‘business therapy.’ Rather than telling me what to do, they provide guidance in deciding where to seek information and what questions to ask.”

How SCORE Helped

“The grant and SCORE enabled me to expand my network,” April says. “Along with pitching ideas to networks, we’ve stepped up our work producing electronic press kits and videos for the music industry. The revenue is just what we need to begin work on our first feature film next spring.”

With April Films on the verge of even bigger opportunities, April continues to visit her SCORE mentors for advice and guidance.  “They are great mentors and great people,” April says.  “SCORE is a big reason why April Films has made it this far, and why we’re on the verge of making some major leaps.”

Planning Commissioners Journal

Serving on a planning board can be a rewarding and sometimes frustrating experience. There's no doubt that these citizens contribute valuable time and insights to their communities. But given the contentious, often contradictory issues that regularly come before planning boards, many commissioners can't help but ask themselves whether the intangible rewards are worth the ever-present headaches.

Owner/Founder
Wayne Senville
My Location
Burlington VT
United States
Employees
3
Year Company Formed
1991
My Successes

Until 1991, there was no way for citizen planners to learn from each other's experiences and improve the quality of both their work and their meetings. That's when Wayne Senville launched a quarterly publication called Planning Commissioners Journal. Wayne, the former Planning Director for Vermont's Department of Housing and Community Affairs, got the idea from a newsletter he had published for his colleagues in the state. "The response to the newsletter was so good I felt that it could succeed nationally," he says.

Planning Commissioners Journal includes columns and features offering practical advice about issues such as population growth and land development, running effective meetings, resource conservation, media relations, addressing conflicts of interest, and working effectively with fellow board members and staff. Wayne's publication quickly became a valuable resource for citizen planners across the country. But after seven years, circulation for the Journal leveled off at 6,000 subscribers. Wayne had some ideas for a direct-mail campaign that would introduce his publication to new readers, but was unsure how to implement the ideas or whether they would work at all. With a limited budget available for the campaign, Wayne had to make every dollar count.

What's Great About My Mentor?

A colleague's suggestion led Wayne to contact the Champlain Valley Chapter of SCORE. There, he met with volunteer mentors Ted Hudson and Bob Coon to evaluate the Journal and brainstorm ideas. Ted and Bob encouraged Wayne to make sure all articles continually have the broadest possible appeal. "Basic planning issues are pretty common to most communities, but if the context is too narrow, you risk tuning out a large part of your readership," Wayne explains. "We want to ensure that our stories are relevant to people from California to New England."

Hudson and Coon also critiqued Wayne's plan for a direct-mail campaign and offered advice on the approach and design of the mailer. Sensing that the piece needed a less serious tone, Ted, an amateur cartoonist, contributed an illustration that complemented Wayne's advertising pitch. "I didn't realize that Ted was such a multi-talented person until I saw that cartoon," Senville says. "It really hit home with a lot of people. Since then, Ted has contributed a couple of other cartoons to the Journal."

How SCORE Helped

Thanks to SCORE's help, the direct-mail campaign netted Wayne 100 new subscribers. Other suggestions such as content guidelines and a new Web site have further enhanced the value of the Journal value to citizen planners. But the newsletter's impact goes far beyond its readers. A better understanding of planning issues and improved organizational efficiency means better planning solutions for the nation's communities.

Wayne knows where to turn the next time he needs help with his business. "Ted and Bob gave me some great ideas, and I really appreciate their time and input," he says. "SCORE is a great service."

How To Articles
Published May. 8, 2011 application/pdf icon

All entrepreneurs should write a business plan, but if you are trying to raise investment
capital, a written plan that conveys your vision to potential investors is a must.

The truth is that many successful businesses were started without business plans. While that may be fine for the likes of a few people, it’s generally not a good idea. If you're going to start a business, the smartest approach is to write a business plan.

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The Business Plan

A business plan provides you with a comprehensive, detailed overview of all the aspects of your business. This overview is the skeleton of your business—the underlying structure that provides the basis of your entire operation. Prepared in advance, a business plan allows you to review the pros and cons of your proposed business before you make a financial and emotional commitment to it.

There are three reasons to create a written business plan:

Cor Productions, Inc.

Behind every closed door lies a new opportunity. No one knows this better than Helen Hempstead, Steve Schoen, John Leimkuehler and Jorge Riopedre, owners of Cor Productions. After being laid off from their jobs at a production studio, these former co-workers couldn't let their expertise in television and radio production go to waste. "We knew we worked well together, explains Helen, so we decided to make it happen." The only catch was that none of the potential partners had business experience.

Owner/Founder
Helen Hempstead, Steve Schoen, John Leimkuehler and Jorge Riopedre
My Location
St. Louis MO
United States
Employees
4
Year Company Formed
1994
My Successes

With a $100,000 loan and production expertise, the young entrepreneurs, all under the age of 30, formed Cor Productions. Cor, meaning "heart" in Latin, was the mantra of their business. Coming from a social justice, nonprofit background, the team sought to produce the highest quality of value-centered videos, documentaries, public service announcements and commercials.

The team's video production expertise and its openness to business advice allowed Cor Productions to profit quickly. Cor began paying three full-time salaries only two months after the company began. One year later, the company was sustaining four full-time partners and covering health care benefits. Today, Cor Productions is experiencing revenue of a $250,000 annually.

The team spent the first three years of operation building a firm foundation and positioning Cor as the leader in non-profit video production. With a desire to expand the company's services to non-profits and reach out to new clients, a new opportunity surfaced. Cor partner Jorge Riopedre discovered that as a native Spanish speaker and communicator, there was a high demand for his Spanish communication expertise. Cor began marketing to non-profits, commercial businesses and other communication companies such as public relations, marketing and advertising agencies, to fulfill their Spanish communication needs, both domestically and abroad.

The team has shot on location in Europe, Central America, Canada and throughout the United States for clients such as CFCA, Oblate Media, Benziger Publishing, Swank Motion Pictures and Defiance Innovations. They also produced "Body & Soul: Health Care in America," a nationally televised documentary hosted by Hollywood actor Martin Sheen.

This team of young, creative and successful professionals continues to search for new ways to reinvent themselves and increase their marketability. As communication becomes more dependent on technology, Cor has evolved into a total communications-solutions company and is moving full speed into the realm of multi-media. Today, Cor provides a wide range of products in both Spanish and English including foreign-language translation, communication planning, promotional videos, educational videos, product information pieces, public service announcements, commercials, broadcast documentaries, Web site design, Web site translation and CD ROM creation. With an enthusiastic and friendly team offering cutting-edge communications solutions, it's no surprise Cor Productions has experienced such astounding success.

Quality work and the rapid demand for Spanish-language productions have helped Cor Productions carve a profitable niche in the video production market. Hispanic-oriented productions such as videos and radio spots now account for half of the company's business. In 1999, Cor Productions was named the Hispanic Company of the Year by the St. Louis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "We've also done video projects for local universities, industries, and publishing companies, as well as for international clients," says Helen.

What's Great About My Mentor?

In 1994, Helen and her partner John walked into the St. Louis SCORE office and requested sales and marketing help for their new business idea. They were teamed-up with SCORE mentor Robert Dierkes, a former national sales manager, who offered the production team insightful and unique sales and marketing advice.

Robert visited Helen and her partners at their production studio for regular mentoring sessions over a two-and-a-half year period. Focusing on building Cor's client base, he offered marketing suggestions that Hempstead feels had a tremendous effect on their business. "He advised us to visit potential clients—to drop by marketing materials rather than simply putting it in the mail . . . which, let's face it, would be a lot easier," says Helen.

How SCORE Helped

Helen recently moved to the other side of the camera, participating in a SCORE-produced satellite training program, "Skills for the New Millennium: Making Connections that Count." She's also becoming a frequent visitor to SCORE's web site. "After six years, we've begun thinking about changing our corporate structure," Helen says. "So, we went to www.score.org and downloaded some information about various options. Soon, we'll call our local chapter and speak with a counselor to find the option that is best for us."

How To Articles
Published May. 6, 2011

Please go to our Official Silicon Valley SCORE website at www.svscore.org

Templates
Published May. 6, 2011 application/vnd.ms-excel icon

 

This spreadsheet walks you through the process of developing an integrated set of financial projections.
 
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This spreadsheet walks you through the process of developing an integrated set of financial projections.
 
Templates
Published May. 6, 2011 application/msword icon

The business plan consists of a narrative and several financial worksheets. The narrative template is the body of the business plan. It contains more than 150 questions divided into several sections. Work through the sections in any order that you like, except for the Executive Summary, which should be done last. Skip any questions that do not apply to your type of business. When you are finished writing your first draft, you’ll have a collection of small essays on the various topics of the business plan. Then you’ll want to edit them into a smooth-flowing narrative.

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