---

A new organization is working to help entrepreneurs realize their full potential in the Asbury area.

The Business Development Center [BDC], owned by Interfaith Neighbors, is located on the first floor of the Springwood Center. They conduct workshops and give classes to teach area residents how to run a business.

Roger Boyce [pictured above, left], a retired high-technology entrepreneur, heads up the efforts on behalf of Interfaith. The nonprofit normally focuses on “people on who are on the edge — homelessness, meals,” Boyce said. “We decided we need to get on the other end of the spectrum and teach people how to help themselves.”

Boyce acknowledged growth in the economy is still slow.

“Let’s face it,” he said. “There are not a lot of opportunities. Therefore, you must create your own. There’s no huge industry that’s moving to Asbury Park.”

This is a benefit, Boyce said, because many small businesses will take an economic shock better than one monolithic industry will.

“The notion is that if they come to Asbury, they’ll then continue to stay in Asbury,” he said. “We want to attract talented, creative people to the city.”

The BDC conducted 18 workshops in 2012, and will add new topics for 2013. They also provide business incubator spaces, large cubicles that function as entry-level offices for startups, in hopes that successful businesses will move out and occupy office space in Asbury Park.

The monthly workshops cover business plan-writing, entrepreneurship 101, and more. The BDC has partnered with the UCEDC, a nonprofit economic development company, and some UCEDC personnel teach workshops.

They’re offered for $112.50 per workshop for area residents, but if students attend all six weeks, their money is completely refunded. Some other courses carry small fees, as well. Those who don’t live in the immediate Asbury area pay $225. Some of the seminars cost less.

“None of them are totally free, because we want people to commit,” Boyce said. “If you want to start a business and you can’t commit $25, you’re probably wasting everybody’s time.”

Entrepreneurs who hope to make their mark in the industries of music production, baking, fencing, video, coffee and more have come through the doors of the BDC, Boyce said. Many of the BDC’s students are walk-ins to the center, which is located in a storefront on the bottom floor of the Springwood Center.

A GOURMET COFFEE STAND

Robin Elliott-Preston [pictured above, right], of Asbury Park, found out about the BDC when she attended workshop programs in Hillside, where she learned about the BDC’s five-week Entrepreneur 101 course.

Elliott-Preston has been trying to get her coffee catering business, RoBeans, off the ground for years, she said. Her goal is to cater weddings, seminars and other events with a mobile barista stand.

She’s attended several workshop courses elsewhere in the state, usually walking away “more confused than before,” she said.

After the BDC courses, though, she feels more prepared for what she wants to do. Elliott-Preston not only finished the workshop, but also secured a gig for RoBeans at a fundraiser through the program. She doesn’t have a formal background in coffee, but loves drinking it and saw a need for a travelling barista at different events.

A CONSIGNMENT BOUTIQUE

Marlie Laken [pictured above, center], of Oakhurst, signed up for a BDC workshop to take a shot at her dream business: an upscale consignment shop for children and especially teenagers.

“The economy is still moving slowly,” she said. “There are a lot of people who can’t afford to take their girls shopping at Hollister, Abercrombie and all of the upscale shops.”

She hopes to start Vibe, a store with a boutique setting that sells vintage clothing with upscale labels. She’s in the beginning stages, as this is the first thing she’s ever tried as an entrepreneur. She lives in Oakhurst.

Laken is a single mother of two and she’s been out of work for the past few years.

“I need to do something to support my children and my home,” she said.

Taking a class at the BDC “was fantastic,” she said. “It’s really good if you’re just starting.”

She learned how to write a business plan, how to market her business and how to determine what she could handle financially.

“Financially, I’m not ready to open a storefront,” she said. “So it was suggested to start it online and gain some capital, which will help me get different business loans so eventually I can move into a storefront.”

She will also continue to meet with Eric Peter, her instructor, as a mentor.

Laken also benefited from receiving feedback from other students, she said. “There were so many different people from different backgrounds, and everyone had a different idea,” she said.

For more information on the BDC, click here.

 

---