Small Biz Focus

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This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

With more people embracing the cultures and stories of their native countries, it’s a wonderful time to celebrate our global community’s diverse businesses and entrepreneurship.

During this Hispanic Heritage Month, we will be highlighting the work of area Latin American entrepreneurs and how their cultures have inspired them to become business owners. Arlington County consists of 15% Spanish speakers; in this group of people, we can find endless stories, experiences, knowledge, and cultures.

And with some assistance from the BizLaunch en Español program, which provides business assistance to Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs, quite a few of these individuals with unique knowledge and passion have turned those skills into successful business ventures.

BizLaunch en Español has worked with a variety of industries in Arlington from restaurants, cleaning companies, beauty salons, and much more. Guiding entrepreneurs on the right path has become one of the most important aspects of the BizLaunch team.

Out of the Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs who have been helped, several did not have the necessary knowledge of the English language or the tools to navigate the Internet before reaching out to BizLaunch. For that reason, the BizLaunch en Español program has been an excellent resource for people who own a business or want to open one in Arlington County.

Conveying Culture

Our Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs often highlight their unique culture through the businesses they open.

For example, Los Chamacos, Café Sazón, and other restaurants shared their gastronomy with the community. Lyon Park Barber Shop and others shared their hairstyles,  The Cleaning Crew and BEJ Cleaning Services shared their work ethic and responsibility when cleaning houses. And, La Union Grocery, Garden of Dreams, and MTB’s Early Enrichment Center shared their passion to serve the community. These are just a few examples of many other entrepreneurs who used their own culture’s values, beliefs, and styles throughout their businesses.

In the same way that these entrepreneurs have shared their culture with the community, BizLaunch en Español is focused on being able to share all available resources easily and directly. Reliable information is crucial for people who have a dream to excel in this country. Therefore, having access to a program in Spanish has been very rewarding and helpful for entrepreneurs of Hispanic nationality.

What is next?

During Hispanic Heritage Month, we can see the triumph of Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs in the United States. Some say guidance from a coach is an essential tool in reaching their business objectives.

Entrepreneurs can also take full advantage of the various resources offered by BizLaunch en Español. To learn inspiring stories from entrepreneurs in the area and utilize of all BizLaunch resources, we invite you to our Brunch and Business: Celebrating Dynamic Hispanic Entrepreneurs, where we will highlight successful Hispanic-owned businesses in Arlington through a panel discussion.

 

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This article was posted on WTOP News and written by Vanessa Roberts as part of BizLaunch’s collaboration with WTOP News on Small Business September.

Although budding businesses in Arlington have long had BizLaunch as a stalwart partner, the county organization radically reimagined itself in several ways during the pandemic. And many of the changes it made to help small and midsize businesses survive are here to stay, says Director Tara Palacios.

“The pandemic I don’t think was on anybody’s bingo card,” Palacios told WTOP during Small Business September. “We did not know that this was going to happen.”

Palacios created BizLaunch within Arlington Economic Development 20 years ago with the goal of providing local government resources to small businesses and startups. “It really is a local municipality wanting to support its local small businesses so that they can thrive, survive, succeed, grow and build sustainably,” she said.

We talked with Palacios about BizLaunch programs and asked how they help SMBs launch and succeed. During the discussion, she shared ways that BizLaunch has evolved over the past two years and where it’s going next to continue its mission to help local businesses grow.

BizLaunch Flex 1: Engage with small businesses and underserved communities any way possible.

BizLaunch is no stranger to using digital and social tools to reach entrepreneurs and business owners in the community. It connects with people on all social channels, even TikTok, Palacios said. But it upped its game during the pandemic.

“We had to get extremely creative,” she said. “We were out putting up yard signs about our grants, about different marketing promotions and programs that we were having. And believe it or not, people were getting in their cars, they were seeing the yard signs, and calling and reaching out.”

It reinforced the importance of being adaptable. Palacios pointed out that it’s unfortunate when a business shares that it wished it had heard about a program or a support service available.

“The way we were using social media prior to the pandemic has shifted, and how you use search engine optimization and how you get your content out there is so different,” she said.

BizLaunch Flex 2: Ensure even the smallest businesses are digitally savvy.

“We were worried about the businesses that were used to having a storefront and people coming to the storefront,” she said. “With the stay-at-home orders, the whole way people buy products and services shifted.”

At first, BizLaunch focused on establishing new programming, webinars and educational materials to help SMBs learn how to market themselves in this new environment. But it increasingly began also expanding technical assistance so the businesses could establish online storefronts and offer other ways to sell and deliver their goods and services.

Given that many small businesses are micro businesses with often just a handful of employees, the organization also partnered with Amazon Web Services to help businesses design websites and ecommerce tools to compete in the world’s new normal, Palacios said.

“It’s very come as you are. Don’t feel that you need to be an expert. We’ll bring the experts to you, and we’ll help you through the process,” she said. “It’s been great. We’ve had about 200 very diverse entrepreneurs go through the program, and they have gone viral. They’ve had influencers come and visit them because now they’re discoverable. That’s been a lot of fun.”

Plus, it’s not a one-and-done program. BizLaunch gives each business a marketing and branding guidance book and a technical tactics book. It also continues to connect with businesses after the initial design and development phase to provide support, Palacios said.

BizLaunch Flex 3: Help SMBs create financial resiliency to pivot and be ready for future challenges.

A continual issue for startups and small businesses throughout the pandemic has been access to capital, Palacios said. It was why Arlington Economic Development immediately established grant programs. But access to funding has continued to be a chief challenge for SMBs, she said, and having a solid financial foundation is critical for resiliency and long-term success.

“On our horizon is looking at programming where we can educate people no matter what background, color, creed you are. We want to be able to help empower women-owned businesses, BIPOC — Black, indigenous and people of color communities — everyone to understand what you need to do to access capital and make that process very transparent and very understandable,” she said “We’re going to be doing a lot of work in this upcoming year on whether it’s debt equity, or venture funds, or whatever it is that you’re looking to do.”

To discover more insights for entrepreneurs, startups and SMBs shared during WTOP’s Small Business September, click here.

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This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

With summer ending and students getting ready to head back into the classroom, we thought we’d highlight one of Arlington’s newest childcare centers, Wonder Kids Learning Center.

Founded this year, Wonder Kids Learning Center is a Spanish immersion childcare program offering high-quality care for children between zero and five years old. Started by Paulina Enriquez, who also serves as the center’s director, Wonder Kids Learning Center is more than a business.

It is a place to contribute to children’s lives, providing a loving environment. Here they can learn a second language, develop skills and techniques to manage their feelings while respecting diversity, and love and value themselves. “My company is a result of my experience and passion for education,” says Paulina Enriquez.

Having worked in the County for the last 20 years, Paulina is no stranger to Arlington. “I chose Arlington because I am very familiar with the services, childcare regulations, neighborhoods and the needs of the families in Arlington,” says Enriquez.

“The most challenging aspect of opening my business has been the permits and regulations that affect my particular industry,” says Enriquez. However, to help her navigate the regulatory environment, Paulina sought support from BizLaunch.

Paulina worked with Tara Palacios and one of our SCORE counselors Richard Rose to help launch her firm. “Mrs. Palacios guided me from the beginning in the right direction to create my business and take it from an idea to reality. Even more than her knowledge of the regulatory environment, her kindness and encouragement helped me to achieve my goals,” says Enriquez.

“I am so proud to help Paulina open the Wonder Kids Learning Center. She is so committed to the Arlington community and worked so hard to open the center to take care of Arlington’s youngest members. Wonder Kids is a beautiful addition to Arlington, and we welcome the team with open arms,” says Tara Palacios, Director BizLaunch.

Of course, developing a business plan and finding a suitable commercial space for a childcare center doesn’t come without its challenges.

For help, Paulina turned to Richard Rose, a Washington, D.C. SCORE counselor.

“Richard Rose was my business mentor who worked with me to make my business plan and budget ‘one of the best,’ he told me. He guided me in my bank loan application, selecting realtors and attorneys and connected me with additional resources to establish my company,” says Enriquez.

As many entrepreneurs know, starting a business is a journey, with many stops along the way. For Paulina, starting Wonder Kids Learning Center was no different. “My favorite story was when my business mentor explained the process and said it will take 18 months or more to open; I was thinking, why that long,” says Enriquez. “However, he was right, it took us 18 months to get here, and everything happened as he said it would.”

For more information about Wonder Kids Learning Center, visit www.wonderkidslearningcenter.com, or join us for their grand opening at 12 p.m. on September 10, at their location in Ballston at 907 N. Quincy Street.

This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

In a previous Small Business Focus, we presented information from our market research database Demographics Now. In this month’s Small Business Focus, we wanted to revisit those databases and highlight another report that business owners can access called Consumer Expenditure Food, Beverage, Grocery Detail Comparison.

How is this helpful?

If you’re considering opening a restaurant or food service venture, data from the Consumer Expenditure report can give you helpful data on average household annual expenditures on various categories such as food away from home, bakery products and alcoholic beverages. Additionally, this report provides a five-year forecast.

For example, after looking at the data, it shows that Arlington households spend more on purchases of alcohol than neighboring jurisdictions do. On average, Arlington households spent $705.92 in 2021 on alcohol purchases, whereas our neighbors in Alexandria, D.C. and Fairfax spent $651.26, $667.13 and $673.76, respectively.

So how much do households in other jurisdictions spend annually on alcohol? Here is how Arlington compares to the region regarding annual alcohol expenditures.

Therefore, if someone is looking to open a restaurant, they’d want to also serve alcohol to capture additional sales. Many restaurants opt to have alcohol because of the added markup that alcohol sales provide.

Starting a business is like running up a hill, but with BizLaunch’s free database, you have the power to make smart business decisions. Our free databases provide up-to-date information on demographics, industries and business intelligence so your small business can start successfully.

For more information about BizLaunch visit www.bizlaunch.org, or book an appointment with one of our BizLaunch experts today.

This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

Joy! The word itself imbues happiness, positivity, and hope.

We need more joy in this world.

We celebrated the Joy of Black Entrepreneurship at the BizLaunch Brunch and Business on Wednesday, June 8 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. Four Arlington business owners told the truth of their entrepreneurial journeys and shared their motivation, support, challenges and unending joy of starting and sustaining a business.

Arlington business owners Jennifer Jones of Cosmopolitan Plated; Rudy Burwell of Encompass Supply; Daniel Logan of Columbia Pike Laundry and Khadeeja Honesty of Soultry Brand spoke about their motivation and the “why,” they got into business. The entrepreneurial journeys were tough and not always easy; however, steadfastness, authenticity, a focus on customer service and doing what they loved helped them to succeed.

According to a recently released Brookings Metro Report and Path to 1555, “…if our community grew at least 15% of Black businesses, you would create in the United States 600,000+ new jobs and add $55 billion to the U.S. economy.” The importance of supporting our diverse ecosystem is a win for us all.

On May 25, at the SWaMmy Honors in Richmond, Virginia, Casual Adventure was recognized as a 2022 SWaMmy Honoree for its legacy in Arlington going back 77 years.

“On behalf of our family, our staff, friends, and customers thank you to the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity for recognizing Casual Adventure for its history, current form, and potential,” said Stern.

Recognized as a 2022 SWaMmy Honoree for its longstanding commitment to Arlington, Casual Adventure is a family-owned small business founded at its current location along Washington Boulevard in 1945. Eric Stern currently operates the company, the fourth generation of Sterns to own Casual Adventure. In 1945, it was called The District Grocery Store, founded by Eric Stern’s great grandfather. “Our store has always been a family business focused on our community, and our staff shares this sentiment,” said Stern.

In the mid-1950s, Eric’s grandfather took over the store and changed the name to The Surplus Center. He altered the product mix from groceries and focused on Army and Navy surplus. After running a successful business for 30 years, Eric’s father took over the company, changed the name to Casual Adventure and added outdoor fitting brands.

Eric Stern has been at the helm of Casual Adventure for more than twenty years and has added sporting goods to the product mix, which many Arlingtonians think of as the Casual Adventure of today. “I’m constantly amazed by how our little footprint continues to make such a large impact. But I’m also reminded that I get to stand on the shoulders of those before me and those around me,” said Stern.

Of course, being in business for 77 years, the Stern family has seen their fair number of challenges. “Each of us faced our challenges: starting a business as an immigrant, living with multiple sclerosis, passing away from a brain tumor, staying relevant in an ever-changing society, just to name a few,” said Stern. However, each generation succeeded by tailoring the business to their strengths.

“I am honored to carry on the traditions set before me — a genuine interest and participation in local activities and organizations, a friendly and sincere engagement with our customers, an ability to adapt and overcome obstacles, and a sense of responsibility to perpetuate these life lessons,” said Stern.

For more information about Casual Adventure, stop by the store located at 3451 Washington Blvd., or check out the online store at www.casualadventure.com.

This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

In a previous Small Business Focus, we mentioned the release of two new market research databases that you can access for free with your library card, Statista and Demographics Now. We thought we’d use this week’s Small Business Focus to describe the advanced business intelligence you can discover for FREE using these two databases.

While Statista is good for gaining broad-based national and global statistics, Demographics Now is highly useful in seeing demographics within a city, state or even within one mile, three mile or five-mile radius from a particular address. One of the demographic traits you can view is pet ownership, available through the Simmons Pet Related Summary Report found in Demographics Now.

After walking Wilson Boulevard or visiting the Shirlington Dog Park, one would think that dog ownership in Arlington would be high. However, based on the reports in Demographics Now, dog ownership in Arlington is 41% below the national average. At the same time, cat ownership in Arlington is 27% below the national average. Based on the Simmons Pet Related Summary Report in Demographics Now, Arlingtonians are more likely not to have either a dog or cat. Among pet-owning residents, Arlingtonians are more likely to own a cat over a dog.

While the Simmons Pet Related Summary Report in Demographics Now seems to conflict with many people’s assumptions, the low pet ownership rate compared to the national average makes sense when understanding household demographics. For example, most housing units in Arlington (57.2%) are renter-occupied.

Many landlords don’t allow pets or have pet restrictions that may allow cats but not dogs, which may explain why pet ownership for dogs and cats is lower than the national average in Arlington. In the same report for Fairfax County, dog ownership is only 12% lower than the national average; however, the housing units are mostly owner-occupied (67.7%). The owner-occupied housing rate for Fairfax is 25% higher than that of Arlington.

Demographics Now offers a wealth of information on consumer demographics. If you have an existing business or plan on starting a business, this is a valuable resource to understand consumers’ demographics and spending habits within a particular area.

As mentioned in our previous Small Business Focus, the best thing about these databases, they are FREE to use with your library card. Additionally, anyone living within the DMV can access a free library card from the Arlington Public Library.

Is there a demographic question that you have? Drop it in the comment section, and it might be the focus of a forthcoming Small Business Focus. For more information about BizLaunch and to access our free market research tools visit www.bizlaunch.org.

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This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

After more than a two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic, BizLaunch events are springing into action this spring with two can’t-miss opportunities.

The SWaMmy Honors

In celebration of Business Appreciation Month, BizLaunch and the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity are partnering on the SWaMmy Honors. This hybrid event celebrates Virginia’s small businesses while recognizing the resiliency of small businesses as they build back our economy after the global pandemic.

This year’s event is on May 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 10 SWaM certified businesses from around the Commonwealth will be recognized. Businesses will be honored as a Legacy Business — those in business 20+ years, or as a Community Impact Business — those who have made a positive contribution to their community.

While the honorees will be recognized in person in Richmond, Virginia, attendees will be able to watch and participate via Google Meet. Register today and help us honor Virginia’s small businesses.

Brunch and Business: Celebrating the Joy of Black Entrepreneurship

BizLaunch’s signature program is back and better than ever with a brand-new partner, The Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, serving as our host for the event. We will feature and celebrate Black-owned companies in Arlington that exemplify what it means to launch and manage a successful business at this special event.

Panelists for this year’s program include:

• Jennifer Jones, CEO/Creative Founder, Cosmopolitan Plated
• Daniel Logan, Founder, Columbia Pike Laundry
• Rudy Burwell, President, Encompass Supply
• Khadeejah Honesty, Founder, Soultry Brand

Unlike previous Brunch and Businesses, we can have exhibitor space for Black-owned food companies. Interested Black-owned food-based businesses should reach out to Alex Held for more information about securing exhibitor space.

Join us on June 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. as we celebrate Arlington’s diverse small business community.

For more information about BizLaunch and to stay up to date on events and programs, sign up for our newsletter or visit www.bizlaunch.org.

Clips from the virtual SWaMmy Honors held in October 2020.

This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

A hairstyle helps people look fashionable, but it is also used to self-identify. Whether short, long, curly, or straight, people have found ways to use hairstyles to represent themselves and convey their personalities.

Due to COVID-19, many people let their hair grow. They were working from home, barbershops were closed, and most had no experience in cutting hair.

Those concerns and the resulting lack of customers hit small businesses like Lyon Park Barber Shop especially hard. Owner Janeth Gonzales decided to look for resources to help her achieve a new market and gain more customers. As a result, she heard about BizLaunch and applied for one of its programs, ReLaunch. The ReLaunch program has helped businesses like Gonzales’ reach new customers, create new marketing strategies and branding, digital presence, strategic planning, create a website and more.

“BizLaunch has provided me with tools and information to develop and improve my business. Also, the constant communication and assistance they offer have helped me to be aware of more opportunities for my business,” Gonzales said.

If your business is going through the same struggles as Lyon Park Salon, ReLaunch brings you the opportunity to understand better how to operate and recreate your business structure, obtain a website and more. In addition to this, your small business will grow and reach a new target market through one-on-one counseling.

As for Lyon Park Barber Shop, BizLaunch helped increase the customer flow through marketing and promotion. Now that she has completed the ReLaunch program, Gonzales’ customer flow and digital presence have improved.

If you would like to obtain the same benefits and advantages Janeth did, visit www.BizLaunch.org and apply today.

This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we thought we’d use this as an opportunity to highlight one of Arlington’s many women-led companies.

Founded in 2014 by Lindsey Hinton, Puppy Luv is a luxury pet company that provides dog walking, pet grooming, obedient training and pet sitting services to clients across the DMV. While Arlington is home to many pet care companies, Puppy Luv is unique because they focus on the community aspect of dog services.

Since the company’s founding, Puppy Luv has hosted over 100 dog parties, partnering with everyone from JBG Smith to Amazon. The events allow neighbors to come out and connect while their dogs play, making new friends in the process. “These events have been a contributing factor to our success,” says Hinton.

While Puppy Luv is a group effort made up of nine dedicated individuals, one team member that has been essential to the company’s growth is Jerome McCollum, who has been with the company for five years and wears many hats. Not only is McCollum the operations manager, but he also serves as the IT specialist and, for special events, moonlights as the company’s DJ.

“Jerome is dedicated and passionate about his job, and we’re so happy to have him on the team,” says Hinton.

An Arlington resident for the last 15 years, Hinton says she’s has seen the community change during that time.

“One of the best things about Arlington is that it’s close to city life with a suburban feel while still offering many outdoor spaces and parks for events and playtime,” says Hinton.

One of her favorite things to do in Arlington is to take walks near Long Bridge Park when not working. “Arlington is a wonderful place to live; it’s an even better place to work,” she says.

With the continued success of Puppy Luv Pet Services, in five years, Hinton would like to see her company’s growth measured in quality. “We are striving hard to create more volume and more awareness of our brand while continuing our sense of community,” she says.

For more information about Puppy Luv Pet Services and to book your next pet service, visit www.puppyluvme.com.

If you’re a woman owned small business in Arlington, we’d love to feature your business. Check out our free promotional opportunities today and sign up today to get your business featured for free.