Jack Brown and Gretchen Gillespie sought assistance through the Duquesne University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to start an excavation business. They met with an SBDC consultant to determine the best method to obtain financing for necessary equipment.  These original plans were set aside, however, as Brown and Gillespie continued to work in the landscaping field where they both became proficient in the design and installation of ponds and waterfalls.

In 2003, Brown attended a First Step: Startup Essentials workshop, which covers the basic information needed to get a new business started. After attending this workshop and submitting the required paperwork, they were assigned a business consultant to help them set up a new business designing and installing ponds.  In preparation of their meeting, Brown and Gillespie prepared a long list of questions and concerns about getting started. 

The business consultant took them through issues such as structuring the company, filing licenses, obtaining insurance, and setting up recordkeeping. Both Brown and Gillespie were very thorough in laying out their concerns. Deciding on an income strategy, however, became a top priority. They had some options in working part-time for another firm and getting the business started slowly. They spent considerable time developing marketing strategies that would bring in maintenance contracts which would be the bulk of their business. Due the nature of the business being considered, networking became a large part of their marketing.

Brown and Gillespie said, “Our advisor also provided names of organizations to contact to answer questions that might have been out of her area of expertise. She was extremely helpful and was enthusiastic about discussing our ideas and helping us put together a plan of action. She helped us to focus on what was important in the initial stages and pointed out some possible obstacles that we should consider. She instilled in us the importance of putting together a plan and helped us with a checklist of steps necessary to organize and create our business as a legal entity. She stressed the importance of developing several realistic cash flow projections based on different scenarios. They helped us to prioritize our investments and to ensure that we could survive as a business, initially and long term.”

During the winter layoff of 2004, both Brown and Gillespie decided that the time was right to strike out on their own and establish their own business focusing on designing, installing and maintaining water gardens. This decision was difficult because both needed to derive an income from the business at the start of the next landscaping season.

Brown and Gillespie started operating “Pond Creations” in March 2004. When contacted, they said their advisor and the SBDC “made us feel much more confident about our venture and encouraged us to put our plan into effect. She helped us to determine when the initial planning and organization was sufficient enough for us to begin to operate as a business. She promptly returned our calls and e-mails to help us with questions and concerns that we had during the early stages of development. It is now October and we have accumulated over 50 established customers and will show substantial earnings for the year. The business has been running quite smoothly thanks to the initial help and planning of the SBDC. This winter we will be working on a plan to grow our business throughout 2005.”

For more information on Pond Creations’ business, please visit their website at www.froghomes.com.