Wharton center helps small firms

Eight months ago, Market West Athletic Club was just an idea for partners David Salkin and Biz Stark. But today, with the assistance of the Wharton Small Business Development Center, the Center City fitness club is busy preparing for its opening in late November. Salkin envisioned a club -- complete with fitness center, sports shop, and aerobic studio -- that was more responsive to members and better operated than what seemed to be the standard in Philadelphia. However, he found little support from friends and family members for his idea. On the recommendation of the Chamber of Commerce, Salkin approached the Wharton Small Business Development Center. "I was in need of some support for my ideas," Salkin said. The SBDC is a free business consulting service that caters to new and emerging small businesses in the Philadelphia area. The staff of the SBDC includes 21 part-time consultants -- three undergraduates and eighteen MBA students. These consultants are required to have previous experience working in a business environment. SBDC consultants provide their clients with both one-on-one attention and with collaborative ideas when needed, according to SBDC spokesperson Jackie Reses. However, a client generally works with one assigned consultant, she said. Salkin, with the assistance of an SBDC consultant, first developed financial projections relating to the opening of the health club, and then a marketing plan, which targets businesspeople as well as the residential market. At this point, Salkin and Stark applied and were accepted to the SBDC summer program, where they received attention on a more intensive level. Now, the partners are organizing a direct mail campaign as a means for reaching potential members. Marketing Director Salkin indicated that this campaign is an inexpensive and highly effective way to gain memberships. "It's almost the best thing [the SBDC has helped with] so far," he said. Lou Norsworthy is another local businessman who took advantage of the SBDC services. Norsworthy had plans to open a casual restaurant. Now he owns Cafe Cafe, a French bistro that caters to a theater-going crowd. He felt that SBDC consultants could help him create a financial package "that lenders might take more seriously." Norsworthy attended several initial meetings and was then assigned to one consultant who worked with him on a financial plan. President Bernard Elliot of Grapevine Software had attempted to open several businesses before his successful venture with his present firm. Grapevine Software develops and licenses products and also develops patents. The company needed assistance, not in becoming established, but in determining what to produce and what markets should be targeted. Elliot gives credit to the SBDC for contributing to his success. "Not only did [the SBDC] provide good and very useful help, but they included us in the process of figuring out problems," Elliot said. "[This gave us] more confidence in the conclusions they were reaching." In addition to its free consulting services, the Wharton SBDC offers classes on aspects of business management as well as seminars for those interested in starting new businesses. The SBDC also co-sponsors the annual Philadelphia Top 100, a project that highlights local firms with large increases in revenue in recent years. These companies will share their experiences with other entrepreneurs at a conference to be held today. The SBDC is accepting resumes from graduate and undergraduate students interested in working as consultants. The deadline is today.

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