The Business Source
www.thebusinesssourcellc.com
Customer Development Firm Praises Support of SBDC in Launching Business
John Russell is in the business of helping small businesses, and he is quick to praise the help he received from the UW-Madison Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to get his own venture off the ground. Russell launched Middleton-based The Business Source, a full-service customer development firm, shortly after taking the Entrepreneurial Training Program (ETP) through the SBDC in 2007.
Through the program, UW-Madison SBDC Director Neil Lerner and Business Counselor Linda Davis provided the coaching and assistance Russell needed to complete a business plan and start his business. “I couldn’t have done it without the SBDC, particularly the ETP. Being in an environment where you are essentially supported by the SBDC team and having the encouragement to write a business plan and then have it reviewed by people who are professionals at doing that, enabled me to have the confidence to start my company.” says Russell, who even credits the ETP class for the name of his business.
“The company name wasn’t going to be The Business Source to begin with,” notes Russell. “We had a focus group in the class, and they said ‘here are three or four ideas and here’s why we think you should change the name.’ So I did.”
Helping Clients Increase their Customer Base
Russell started his business in the face of the recession. “Everybody thought I was crazy, but I believe so passionately in what I do - helping small businesses that are struggling during this economic time of change, to provide cost effective solutions, so they can have a positive outcome.” The Business Source offers a single-source solution to small businesses wanting to increase sales. Unlike traditional agencies, The Business Source offers a complete cost-effective package of services. “I’m the only business that I know of that brings to the table all three principle drivers of customer development: advertising, marketing and sales training,” notes Russell.
Business Grows Employment
That model has been successful for Russell, who now employs three people and contracts with several others to provide a full range of services to a list of clients that has grown from three to 20 in just three years.
Goals and Inspiration
“I’d like to grow my business and expand my sales staff and administrative team to provide the kind of customer support that is necessary to help small businesses today that are struggling,” says Russell of the expectations he has for his business going forward.
To achieve those goals, he is thankful that the SBDC is just a phone call away. “I guess the whole concept of the SBDC continues to be an inspiration to me. I know it is a place I can go to for support.”
All material Copyrighted @ 2010 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Small Business Development Center, all rights reserved.
If you have any questions or comments about this page or any of our other pages, e-mail us at sbdc@uwex.edu.