Hands-on entrepreneurial advice a treasure

By Sean F. Driscoll

BusinessRockford.com

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ROCKFORD — Kathy Jilek had a pretty good business plan in place for her entrepreneurial idea, a store that prepares and sells fresh-made frozen dinners.

But after a few sessions of the self-employment training class offered by the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Rock Valley College, she’s already rethinking her location and target audience. She’ll probably keep tweaking throughout the eight-week class as she learns more about how to start her own business.

“The books and information they give you, it’s just helped me so much,” she said. “It’s information I knew I needed to look for but never knew where to find it. It’s given me a whole new perspective.”

Jilek of Rockford is one of 21 participants in the most recent training class, which started Sept. 1. About half the class said they were unemployed and looking to start their own business as a way of bringing in money; the other half, like Jilek, have work now but would prefer something different.

The class is one of several offerings the Small Business Development Center, located in EIGERlab, has for budding entrepreneurs. Director Pam Schallhorn says demand for the classes and business counseling has increased since the recession began.

The latest results from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas’ quarterly job market index show that 8.7 of job seekers gaining employment in the second quarter did so by starting their own businesses. That’s nearly double the rate from a year ago, and the highest since late 2007.

Jason Janes of Rockford is taking the class after being laid off from an advertising job. He’s started his own firm and already had some jobs lined up.

“The textbook they gave us definitely helps,” he said. “The classes are focused on going over the reading, but having the book is good because we’ll always have that as a reference.”

Jilek’s sister, Joan McMahon, took the class 13 years ago before she and her husband started their own business. Now the Roscoe resident, who recently lost her job at Monogram Systems, is taking it again to both help her sister start her business and maybe launch a restaurant of her own.

McMahon said the class has been a good reminder of not only the nuts-and-bolts of starting a business but also of the sheer amount of time and energy it takes.

“The people teaching the classes have a lot of hands-on knowledge,” she said. “Because my husband and I started our own company, I remember that it’s very, very hard work. I don’t think everyone realizes the work they’re going to have to put in.”

Reach staff writer Sean F. Driscoll at 815-987-1346 or sdriscoll@rrstar.com.

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