Conference urges entrepreneurs to take hope -- and action
| Tuesday, Aug 25 2009 05:11 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Aug 25 2009 05:12 PM
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A ray of light shone down about halfway through Tuesday's small business conference in downtown Bakersfield.
The director of the U.S. Small Business Administration office in Fresno had just told the audience of about 160 business people something they already knew: the economy has been rough on entrepreneurs. Then he offered them cause for hope.
"If you can last, you know, (through) these difficult times ... you're going to have a business for life -- a business that you can pass on to your children," director Carlos Mendoza said.
Such faith in the entrepreneurial spirit provided a unifying theme to the conference, guiding its many speakers and inspiring attendees inside the Bakersfield Marriott at the Convention Center.
Perhaps no one was more encouraging than the conference's host, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, himself a sandwich shop owner at the age of 19. He said 79 percent of new jobs are created by small businesses.
"What drives this country is the entrepreneurial spirit," he said, adding later that small business is "the way you build this economy."
After a pair of Cal State Bakersfield economists offered cautious but upbeat assessments of the local and national economies, several invited speakers offered advice on how best to heed McCarthy's call to action.
The head of Bakersfield's chamber of commerce outlined marketing and networking tips that revolved around becoming active in the community, especially with nonprofits.
When they donate their time to local groups, businesses are able to remind potential customers that they are still around, and not to give business to the competition, said Debbie Moreno, president and CEO of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce.
A small business specialist with the General Services Administration -- the agency that makes purchasing decisions for the federal government -- guided conference attendees through the process for registering for federal contracts.
The process he laid out was not a simple one, nor was it quick or even a guarantee of doing business with the government. But there was a potential reward: He said the agency recently received $5.5 billion in federal stimulus money for awarding construction contracts that include a new federal courthouse in Bakersfield. And he said 60 percent of prime contracts awarded by the agency go to small businesses.
The small business specialist, Anthony Caruso, referred interested applicants to an agency Web site: gsaelibrary.gsa.gov.
Further advice came from the director of Bakersfield's U.S. Export Assistance Center, Glen Roberts. He said entrepreneurs can diversify their businesses by tapping overseas markets. He also called attention to his office's counseling, market research and dispute settlement services.
The event seems to have achieved its goal of igniting the enthusiasm of some business people.
"It makes you want to bring your business here and hire," said John Ensor, sales and marketing vice president for Ensor Equipment Inc., a San Jose provider of automated sandbagging equipment.
The owner of Dagny's Coffee Co., Mike Walters, said after the conference that he appreciated listening to some of the speakers, including a panel of four business owners who shared their experiences.
There have been nights, Walters said, when he lay in his bed in a cold sweat worrying how he would make payroll. Now he knows others have been there and came through it.
"Just knowing that," he said, "you will get through it."
