DI Squared: Dream It, Do It, Episode 9

Welcome to DI Squared….a ten-part weekly feature of KBOO News ….

DI Squared stands for “Dream it, Do it.”  Today we present Episode 10, the final episode in the series.

 We’ve been asking this question every week for over two months:  Have you ever thought about starting your own business? Have you wondered, Could I make a living….doing something I really like doing?

 This is the last episode in a series that’s designed to help you understand the basics of starting a business, and whether you might want to think about doing that.  Each week we’ve told another local success story and we’ve tried to give you some of the tools you need to start a business of your own. 

 We’ve been focusing on minority businesses, mostly people of color.  Last week we visited the Mercado on Foster Road in Southeast Portland.  We met a man whose family came from Oaxaca in the mid-1980’s and now operates the Mixteca food cart at the Mercado and sells fresh food at five City markets. 

 Today we meet a successful woman with native American roots, Loretta Guzman. Loretta had a vision, and it came to her in a dream in the form of a bison, and now she operates a coffee shop on Cully in Northeast where you can feel that spirit while enjoying a cup of coffee and a snack…  Then, to wrap things up, we’ll briefly revisit a few of our earlier episodes and sum up some lessons learned along the way from Portland’s entrepreneurs and business advisors.

 Here’s Loretta, talking about her roots and her business and the dream that got her started:

That was Loretta Guzman. 

 Music---briefly

 Now we go back and sample a few memorable DI Squared guests over the past two months:

Bertony Faustin talked about how his business changed his life…

 Here’s Christian Kofi, Portland Moving Company, talking about what guides him….

 Eric Ufer is a Pest Control fanatic.  Keep your day job, Eric suggests…

 Sam Brooks of OAME is a legend in Oregon’s Business world.  This is Sam talking about his five crucial points of success…

 It was a treat to meet Julie Derrick, J.D. Shoe Repair, and here’s a point she made…

 Nita Shah of MESO offered this advice for those who have poor credit…

 It’s nice to hear of success.  Michelle Sanders and her husband Miguel Salinas have come a long way….

 And Laura Locker of Northwest Mercy Corps told us about the IDA program…

 MUSIC ---- ---continue through this outro---yes, start high, then low and build to sign-out

  Thanks for listening. If you want to review what you’ve just heard, go to KBOO.FM and look under evening news for today’s date---or look in KBOO”s podcast section for all ten episodes.

 That’s it for DI Squared.  We’ve run our course, and it’s been fun. Like everything else, it has to end sometime.  We hope you’ve enjoyed hearing these stories and perhaps making a decision on whether you….should….Dream It, Do It….

 For KBOO News, I’m Tom Flynn

Welcome to DI Squared….a weekly feature of KBOO News….

This ninth show features Gaudencia Felipe of Mixteca Catering.

Our expert guest of the week is Chris Bailey from the Hacienda Community Development Corporation..

Is there ANYONEworking in a business, large or small, maybe a factory, or a store, or in the government, or in a school,…ANYONE…who hasn’t thought, and maybe even dreamed, of starting their own business, and working for themselves?  ANYONE?

 At one time or another most of us want to work for ourselves, not for someone else.  Have you ever had a moment at work when you thought of that Johnny Paycheck song, “Take this job and shove it…”

In those moments we’re all eager to take the risks of running our own business in order to reap the benefits of working for ourselves….Uhhhhhh, wait.. What about those risks?  Who said we’re ready to take risks?

 That’s the starting point for this KBOO news feature, “DREAM IT, DO IT.”  We’re calling it “DI SQUARED.”  Dream it, do it.  Our goal is to wake you up, and get you thinking, about starting a business of your own.   Maybe you’re a person who should start your own business, take the risks.  Dream it, do it.  Or maybe not…

Here's Gaudencia, who comes from Oaxaca, Mexico.

And next we speak with Chris Bailey, a consultant on the development of small food businesses and a food maker in his own right.

There is no one "right" set of characteristics for being a successful entrepreneur but  certain general traits and practical skills will help you succeed.

That’s it for DI Squared for today.

Thanks for listening. If you want to review what you’ve heard, go to the KBOO web site and look under evening news for today’s date.

 And send your questions to theroadlive@gmail.com.  We’d like to make your questionthe featured questionfor one of our shows.

 We’’ll be back in a week with a final episode, and you can find out the difference between a bison and a buffalo! Tune in then for the next episode of DI Squared.

 From KBOO News, I’m Tom…

Welcome to DI Squared….a weekly feature of KBOO News….This eighth show features Yvette Penson of Sweet Temptations.

Our expert guest of the week is Ruth Miles from the Oregon Office of Secretary of State.

At one time or another most of us want to work for ourselves, not for someone else.  Have you ever had a moment at work when you thought of that Johnny Paycheck song, “Take this job and shove it…”

 In those moments we’re all eager to take the risks of running our own business in order to reap the benefits of working for ourselves….Uhhhhhh, wait.. What about those risks?  Who said we’re ready to take risks?

 That’s the starting point for this KBOO news feature, “DREAM IT, DO IT.”  We’re calling it “DI SQUARED.”  Dream it, do it.  Our goal is to wake you up, and get you thinking, about starting a business of your own.   Maybe you’re a person who should start your own business, take the risks.  Dream it, do it.  Or maybe not…

The entrepreneurs we plan to cover are all people of color in the Portland area, and people who have created businesses that range from… asbestos removal to…. wine-making.

You’ll hear their stories and maybe you’ll be inspired.  Or maybe not. No matter, you’ll find the best examples in the Portland region of what people can do if they want to work for themselves and they set their minds to it….They dreamed it, and they did it. And that’s what DI Squared is all about.

Here's Yvette Penson, a woman who grew up in Portland and now has her own catering business. 

 And here's Ruth Miles, from the Office of the Secretary of State of Oregon.

 We’ll ask you to examine your own personal strengths and weaknesses and compare them with those of the typical entrepreneur, so that you can get a sense of how well this career will fit with your personality.

 There is no one "right" set of characteristics for being a successful entrepreneur but  certain general traits and practical skills will help you succeed.

MUSIC ----4 seconds…

That’s it for DI Squared for today.

Thanks for listening. If you want to review what you’ve heard, go to the KBOO web site and look under evening news for today’s date.

And send your questions to theroadlive@gmail.com.  We’d like to make your questionthe featured questionfor one of our shows.

We’’ll be back in a week! Tune in then for the next episode of DI Squared.

From KBOO News, I’m Tom…

Welcome to DI Squared….a weekly feature of KBOO News….This i9s the seventh in a ten-part series.  Today we feature an entrepreneurial couple, Michelle Sanders and Miguel Salinas of Attic Journals.  Our expert guest of the week is Laura Locker of Mercy Corps Northwest.

   MUSIC ----4 seconds…

 Is there ANYONEworking in a business, large or small, maybe a factory, or a store, or in the government, or in a school,…ANYONE…who hasn’t thought, and maybe even dreamed, of starting their own business, and working for themselves?  ANYONE?

 At one time or another most of us want to work for ourselves, not for someone else.  Have you ever had a moment at work when you thought of that Johnny Paycheck song, “Take this job and shove it…”

In those moments we’re all eager to take the risks of running our own business in order to reap the benefits of working for ourselves….Uhhhhhh, wait.. What about those risks?  Who said we’re ready to take risks?

That’s the starting point for this KBOO news feature, “DREAM IT, DO IT.”  We’re calling it “DI SQUARED.”  Dream it, do it.  Our goal is to wake you up, and get you thinking, about starting a business of your own.   Maybe you’re a person who should start your own business, take the risks.  Dream it, do it.  Or maybe not…

The entrepreneurs we plan to cover are all people of color in the Portland area, and people who have created businesses that range from… asbestos removal to…. wine-making.

 You’ll hear their stories and maybe you’ll be inspired.  Or maybe not. No matter, you’ll find the best examples in the Portland region of what people can do if they want to work for themselves and they set their minds to it….They dreamed it, and they did it. And that’s what DI Squared is all about.

Here's Laura: 

In the next few episodes we’ll start to explore what it it that makes a person likely to be successful as an entrepreneur. 

 We’ll ask you to examine your own personal strengths and weaknesses and compare them with those of the typical entrepreneur, so that you can get a sense of how well this career will fit with your personality.

 There is no one "right" set of characteristics for being a successful entrepreneur but  certain general traits and practical skills will help you succeed.

MUSIC ----4 seconds…

That’s it for DI Squared for today.

 Thanks for listening. If you want to review what you’ve heard, go to the KBOO web site and look under evening news for today’s date.

 And send your questions to theroadlive@gmail.com.  We’d like to make your questionthe featured questionfor one of our shows.

 We’’ll be back in a week! Tune in then for the next episode of DI Squared.

 From KBOO News, I’m Tom…

Welcome to DI Squared….a ten-part weekly feature of KBOO News.  This is the sixth in a ten-episode series. 

MUSIC ----3 seconds…

 DI Squared stands for “Dream it, Do it.”  Today we present Episode 6.

 Have you ever had an idea about a product or a service that you thought could be a big hit in the market place?  Have you wondered, Could I make a living….doing something I really like doing?

This is the sixth in our ten-part series that’s designed to help you understand the basics of starting a business, and whether you might want to think about doing that.  And in the course of telling a local success story, we want to give you some of the tools you need to start a business of your own. 

We’ve been focusing on minority businesses, mostly people of color.  Last week we talked with Dimas Diaz, who came from Cuba in 1981 and now sells commercial insurance.  Today we meet a woman who came from Idaho and now repairs shoes

Julie Derrick repairs shoes at a store in North Portland.  Julie started her business seven years ago and she’s been growing it, slow but sure, ever since.  She got some help from an organization called “MESO,” Micro-Enterprise Services of Oregon, which also has an office in North Portland.  Julie’s here at KBOO today, along with Nita Shah and Tatsonga Davis of MESO, to describe how Julie launchd her business and how MESO helped her and, maybe, could help you.

 Julie, tell us your story…

That was Julie, of J.D. Shoe Repair, who repairs shoes at her shop on North Alberta, along with Nita Shah and Tatsonga Davis of MESO, MicroEnterprise Services of Oregon .

Listeners, you can learn more about what the MESO has to offer by looking at its web site, making contact with them and asking for the help you need.  This is an organization that can help you with advice about getting started along with specific research and marketing tools that could be very valuable. All you have to do is walk through their door…The homework will come later.  And you’ll learn first hand about “this thing called projections.”

 Next week we meet a husband and wife business team who make new things out of old books.  They’re makers and recyclers who found a way to make a living while working out of the home. Their story may open a new chapter for you.

MUSIC ----4 seconds…or---continue through this outro?

That’s it for DI Squared for today.

Thanks for listening. If you want to review what you’ve heard just now, go to KBOO.FM and look under evening news for today’s date---or look in KBOO”s podcast section for episodes of DI Squared.

 And send your question to theroadlive@gmail.com.  We’d like to make your questionthe featured questionfor one of our shows.

 We’’ll be back in a week! Tune in then for the next episode of DI Squared----Dream it, Do it. 

From KBOO News, I’m Tom Flynn

Welcome to DI Squared….a ten-part weekly feature of KBOO News

DI Squared stands for “Dream it, Do it.”

 This is the fifth in our ten-part series that’s designed to help you understand what an entrepreneur is, and whether you are or could become one.  And in the course of doing that, we want to give you some of the tools you need to start a business of your own. 

 We’ve been focusing on minority businesses, mostly people of color.  So far we’ve meet a black wine-maker, a Liberian man and his wife with a moving company, a pest control fanatic who escaped Wall Street , , and a guy who sells styling products for men…. 

Today we meet Dimas Diaz, a man who came to Portland in 1981 from Cuba and who now sells commercial insurance.  Here’s Dimas to tell you about his long journey, from Havana to Portland .  Bienvenidos, Dimos…Welcome to KBOO…

That was Dimas Diaz, a commercial insurance specialist.

Each week we introduce an organization in the Portland area that has resources to help entrepreneurs get started and succeed.  We’ve told you about OAME, a Portland-based networking organization for minority businesses, OEN, another networking group and Prosper Portland, the economic development arm of the City of Portland.   Today we take a leap into the federal bureaucracy and introduce you to the Small Business Administration, known as the SBA…

 Our featured expert today is Marty Golden, who heads up the SBA’s Portland office. Marty gave me some background on the SBA:
Oka  y, ------- here’s our Question of the Week

I’VE HEARD THAT THERE’S A LOT OF PAPERWORK ASSOCIATED WITH A LOAN FROM THE SBA.  IS THAT TRUE AND IF SO, WHY WHOULD I BOTHER TO APPL?   I FEEL LIKE I JUST DON’T HAVE TIME FOR PAPERWORK AND RED TAPE.

Listeners, you can learn more about what the SBA has to offer by looking its web site, making contact with them and asking for the help you need. There are special programs for vets, women, minority people and others.   This is a complicated organization and it may test your patience to figure out…what it can do for you…but we do have a federal government and I still believe that  you can  make it work for you…

 Next week we meet a woman who can fix your shoes.  Don’t we all need that kind of help from time to time?  I know that our listeners are the kind of people who buy good shoes and keep them for decades.  This lady will be good for your soles.

 And we’ll tell you about a door you can walk through right here in Portland where you can get specific tools, like market research and mailing lists, that could help you be successful.  It’s on North Mississipi, near the shoe repair shop, in case you want to….cool your heels.

And we’ll continue to explore what it is that makes a person likely to be successful as an entrepreneur.  We keep hearing that word, passion, and next week we’ll give you a new term to chew on, that’s “proof of concept.” It’s not enough to be passionate. You have to do the hard work of testing the viability of your idea. 

That’s it for DI Squared for today.

 Thanks for listening. If you want to review what you’ve heard just now, go to KBOO.FM and look under evening news for today’s date---or look in KBOO”s podcast section for episodes of DI Squared.

 And send your question to theroadlive@gmail.com.  We’d like to make your questionthe featured questionfor one of our shows.

 We’’ll be back in a week! Tune in then for the next episode of DI Squared----Dream it,Do it. 

From KBOO News, I’m Tom Flynn

Welcome to DI Squared….a weekly feature of KBOO News….

This fourth show features MinNefer Menakhem, owner of Dirty Bastard.

Our expert guest of the week is Sam Brooks, Director of the Oregon Assn. of Minority Entrepreneurs

Is there ANYONEworking in a business, large or small, maybe a factory, or a store, or in the government, or in a school,…ANYONE…who hasn’t thought, and maybe even dreamed, of starting their own business, and working for themselves?  ANYONE?

 At one time or another most of us want to work for ourselves, not for someone else.  Have you ever had a moment at work when you thought of that Johnny Paycheck song, “Take this job and shove it…”

In those moments we’re all eager to take the risks of running our own business in order to reap the benefits of working for ourselves….Uhhhhhh, wait.. What about those risks?  Who said we’re ready to take risks?

 That’s the starting point for this KBOO news feature, “DREAM IT, DO IT.”  We’re calling it “DI SQUARED.”  Dream it, do it.  Our goal is to wake you up, and get you thinking, about starting a business of your own.   Maybe you’re a person who should start your own business, take the risks.  Dream it, do it.  Or maybe not…

This is the fourth in a series of of ten episodes.  Each week we’ll feature these three elements:

First, a featured entrepreneur profile ofsomeone who’s done it, who’s actually set up a business of their own and is making a living from it.

Second, a featured resourcethat you can use to find funding or other types of support to get started or expand.  The resources will range from government loan pools to internet funding sources like Kickstarter.

Third, we’ll have a question of the weekfrom a listener and a response from an expert that focuses on a specific burning issue that you as an entrepreneur face in getting started.

 The entrepreneurs we plan to cover are all people of color in the Portland area, and people who have created businesses that range from… asbestos removal to…. wine-making.

 You’ll hear their stories and maybe you’ll be inspired.  Or maybe not. No matter, you’ll find the best examples in the Portland region of what people can do if they want to work for themselves and they set their minds to it….They dreamed it, and they did it. And that’s what DI Squared is all about.

 We’ll ask you to examine your own personal strengths and weaknesses and compare them with those of the typical entrepreneur, so that you can get a sense of how well this career will fit with your personality.

 There is no one "right" set of characteristics for being a successful entrepreneur but  certain general traits and practical skills will help you succeed.

 That’s it for DI Squared for today.

 Thanks for listening. If you want to review what you’ve heard, go to the KBOO web site and look under evening news for today’s date.

 And send your questions to theroadlive@gmail.com.  We’d like to make your questionthe featured questionfor one of our shows.

 We’’ll be back in a week! Tune in then for the next episode of DI Squared.

 From KBOO News, I’m Tom…

Welcome to DI Squared….a ten-part weekly feature of KBOO News  

DI Squared stands for “Dream it, Do it.” Our guests for this show are Eric Ufer, Pest Solutions, and Tony Campbell, City of Portland.

Is there ANYONEworking in a business, large or small, maybe a factory, or a store, or in the government, or maybe a radio station,…ANYONE…who hasn’t thought, and maybe even dreamed, of starting their own business, and working for themselves?  ANYONE?

 Maybe you’ve got passion and a vision to do something, but you’re in one of those minimum wage jobs where you struggle to make ends meet.  Or maybe you’re a contractor in our gig economy where you get short-term contracts that pay okay but have no health care, no vacation, not even a desk.  Not to mention a future…

 You could be a company of your own.

 This is the third of ten episodes.  Each week we feature these three elements:

First, a profile of afeatured entrepreneur, someone who’s done it.

Second, a featured resourcethat you can use to find funding or get other types of help. 

Third, a burning question of the weekfrom a listener.

  The entrepreneurs we’re covering are all minority business people, most of them people of color, in the Portland area, and people who have created businesses that range from… asbestos removal to…. wine-making.

 Maybe their stories will inspire you.  Or maybe not. No matter, these are people who dreamed it, and then did it.  And that’s what DI Squared is all about.

 Today we’re speaking with featured entrepreneur of the week, Eric Ufer.  Eric is passionate about bedbugs, cockroaches, rats and other critters that bug us.  Six years ago Eric started Pest Solutions, Inc.   

 And a quick heads-up: if you’re a bedbug listening to this, you may want to get under the covers, there’s some bad news coming. 

Here’s Eric to tell his story:

 That was Eric Ufer, of Pest Solutions, a man who is passionate about…bedbugs.

 Our special guest this week is Tory Campbell, Director of the Office of ___________________, part of Portland Prosper, the economic development arm of the City of Portland. Besides managing the City’s program to help entrepreneurs, Tory is an entrepreneur himself, the founder of ______________, a company that makes sauces….

And that brings us to our question of the week

QUESTION

Listeners, you can learn more about what the City has to offer by looking at the Prosper Portland web site, making contact with them and asking for the help you need.  There are lots of resources out there that you can access in getting started.

 Next week we’ll continue to explore what it is that makes a person likely to be successful as an entrepreneur.  Just keep in mind that there’s no one "right" set of characteristics for being a successful entrepreneur. 

 But as we learned today, like many deep commitments, it starts with passion, what The City’s guy, Tory, called “hunger” ---even if it’s a passion whose object is the lowly bedbug.

 That’s it for DI Squared for today.

 Thanks for listening. If you want to review what you’ve heard just now, go to KBOO.com and look under evening news for today’s date.

 And send your question to theroadlive@gmail.com.  We’d like to make your questionthe featured questionfor one of our shows.

 We’’ll be back in a week! Tune in then for the next episode of DI Squared----Dream it,Do it.

 And bedbugs, watch out…don’t say we didn’t warn you…

 From KBOO News, I’m Tom Flynn

Welcome to DI Squared….a ten-part weekly feature of KBOO News….

 MUSIC ----3 seconds…

 Is there ANYONEworking in a business, large or small, maybe a factory, or a store, or in the government, or in a school,…ANYONE…who hasn’t thought, and maybe even dreamed, of starting their own business, and working for themselves?  ANYONE?

 At one time or another most of us want to work for ourselves, not for someone else.

That’s the starting point for this KBOO news feature, “DREAM IT, DO IT.”  We call it “DI SQUARED.”  Dream it, do it.  Our goal is to wake you up, and get you thinking, about starting a business of your own.   Maybe you’re a person who should start your own business, take the risks.  Dream it, do it.  Or maybe not…

This is the second of ten episodes.  Each week we’ll feature these three elements:

First, a featured entrepreneur profile ofsomeone who’s done it.

Second, a featured resourcethat you can use to find funding or get other types of support to get started or expand. 

Third, we’ll have a question of the weekfrom a listener and a response from an expert that focuses on a specific burning issue that you as an entrepreneur face in getting started.

 The entrepreneurs we are covering are all people of color in the Portland area, and people who have created businesses that range from… asbestos removal to…. wine-making.

 You’ll hear their stories and maybe you’ll be inspired.  Or maybe not. No matter, these are people who dreamed it, and then did it.  And that’s what DI Squared is all about.

shaker. 

We spoke with featured entrepreneur of the week,  Christian Kofi, at KBOO’s studio.  Eight years ago Christian and his wife, Natalya,  started Portland Movers Company LLC.  Here’s Christian to tell his story:

 That was Christian Kofi, of Portland Movers. 

 And that brings us to our question of the week, and that comes from Sam Bowman:

QUESTION

To answer Sam’s question, we invited Maggie Finnerty to KBOO.  Maggie is President and Executive Director of Oregon Entrepreneur’s Network.

 Listeners, you can learn more about what the OEN has to offer by looking at their web site, making contact with them and asking for the help you need.  There are lots of resources out there that you can access in getting started.

 Next week we’ll continue to explore what it is that makes a person likely to be successful as an entrepreneur.  Just keep in mind that there’s no one "right" set of characteristics for being a successful entrepreneur. 

 I’m quoting the winemaker we interviewed last week, Bertony Faustin:

 MUSIC ----4 seconds…

 That’s it for DI Squared for today.

 Thanks for listening. If you want to review what you’ve heard just now, go to KBOO.com and look under evening news for today’s date.

 And send your question to theroadlive@gmail.com.  We’d like to make your questionthe featured questionfor one of our shows.

 We’’ll be back in a week! Tune in then for the next episode of DI Squared----Dream it,Do it.

 From KBOO News, I’m Tom Flynn