Consulting Firm Preps Sweet Bay Business for Future (Bottom Line)

Lawrence Lee wasn’t looking for help running Sweet Bay Coffee. The business had been very successful since Lee and his parents bought it in 2000.

In June, Strategic Business Partners, of Arlington Heights, Ill., approached Lee. SBP had examined Sweet Bay, and decided it could help the coffee company tighten the bolts.

“They came up with a basic plan to help us improve what we’d already done,” Lee said. “And it turned out to be a good deal.”

Unlike other consultants, SBP doesn’t just come in, offer some advice, then leave, he said.

After initial contact, SBP makes sure a potential client is agreeable and committed to change.

The process involves two visits in a year. Beyond the initial review – which costs less than $1,000, depending on the size of the business – prices vary widely depending on the scope of the changes each client wants to pursue.

Many times, small business owners reach a point where they are so involved in day-to-day operations, they don’t get a chance to step back and look at the big picture, said Jack Kramer, a senior business consultant with SBP.

“I tell that to clients all the time,” he said. “If you’re too busy with everyday problems, how are you taking the time to watch what’s coming down the road?”

One area that can get overlooked in a growing business is employee evaluation and training. This is why SBP developed its skill matrix system, which allows managers to evaluate workers in an objective and quantitative way, Kramer said.

SBP helped Sweet Bay implement the skill matrix to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each of the company’s 70 employees.

“Our employees are our most important asset,” Lee said.

If a client’s established goals aren’t met, SBP will come back on its own dime and continue to work with the client until those goals are realized.

Strategic Business Partners has worked with hundreds of small businesses all over the central United States since the company began in 2002. The firm has has grown from a revenue of $170,000 in its first year to more than $10 million in total 2006 revenue.

Buckner, Osborne Start Franchise Consulting Firm

Small business owners who need a hand expanding their company – whether through franchising, product licensing or marketing – now have a local option.

Buckner Osborne & Associates specializes in franchising, but can handle any task an entrepreneur may need, said James Buckner, president and chairman. Buckner started the firm with Ryan Osborne, CEO, in February.

Since then, the pair have worked with several businesses around the state and region, including Loafin’ Joe’s and MosquitoX, a Little Rock outfit that developed an anti-mosquito misting system. The firm is also in the process of an “A to Z rebranding” of Café Santa Fe.

Buckner and Osborne have first-hand experience in the franchising world, with TCBY – of which Buckner was a senior vice president – and Shake’s Frozen Custard, where both he and Osborne have served as senior officers.

The firm is one of the only in the immediate area that focuses on franchise consultation, Osborne said.

The process of becoming a franchisor is an arduous one, with huge amounts of documentation involved. It’s also expensive, and the price can cause sticker shock for some small business owners, Osborne said. Assembling a universal franchise offering circular, essentially the blueprint for a franchise, can start at $25,000 to $35,000.

But the payoff can be worth it for someone with the right business model. Buckner said his firm ensures success because it tailors franchise plans to each business, and doesn’t offer the cookie-cutter formulas of some larger firms.

Submit news tips or topical ideas for small business and small business management directly to Robert Bell at [email protected].