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Growth Becomes a Reality for Salt Lake Entrepreneurs: Growing a Business, Creating Jobs and Building a Community

For many entrepreneurs, owning a small business brings both great challenges and rewards. With the economic downturn, business growth has been especially challenging for many.  The education, business support services and capital made possible through the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at Salt Lake Community College helps business owners address and overcome challenges that may be limiting their growth.

“Another business owner in our program explained it so well—being a part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is like ‘Entrepreneurs Anonymous’. You go in there, you cry, you laugh, you scream, and everyone is working on the same things. And then, you leave encouraged, inspired and motivated,” said Sabrina Morales, Co-Owner of Linguistica International. “After every single session, I went into my office and changed something, and then changed something else.”

Morales, who was honored by Utah Business Magazine as one of the 30 Women to Watch graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at Salt Lake Community College on May 22 along with 32 other business owners.   

Morales represents one of 17 women-owned businesses that participated in Salt Lake City’s first training program, which is the largest group of women that have participated in a single cohort since the national entrepreneurial training program launched.  Joining Morales on the graduate list was Dr. Donna L. Milavetz, M.D., MPH, the CEO and Founder of OnSite Care who was also selected for the 2013 list of 30 Women to Watch.   

Lucy Santana, of Elegant Universal Stone, is another female business owner who graduated from the program. Her business specializes in custom-made countertops and design consultations for a variety of natural products including granite, marble and quartz.    

Reflecting on her experience with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Santana said,  “We were 33 businesses, but in the end we became one.  Everyone could relate—as entrepreneurs we all have problems, like cash flow, or employees or marketing.  You learn that you are not alone and that other people are there to share their ideas and help you.”  

“Before the program, it was as if I just kept walking into the very bottom step of a set of stairs—only I didn’t even know that there was a set of stairs in front of me to go up,” says Santana. “I kept walking into that same step, instead of going up it. The program has helped open my eyes, and now I can see each and every step in front of me. Because of the growth plan we created, now I know where the future is going to take me.” 

Santana has already put her growth plan into action; hiring an additional two employees, and expects to fill three more positions in the near future. Keeping and growing jobs is what keeps her motivated.

“It’s really important for me to take care of my employees, and if my business goes down, then they loose their jobs,” says Santana.  “One of my best employees came to us in 2009 when the economy went down. He came to us unemployed with kids and a family and said he was looking for any kind of work because he was behind on his rent and bills.  We decided to bring him on during one of the hardest times in the business—but we needed to hire him to help him out. Now he gives us so much, he always takes extra steps to help us out, and I want to keep supporting him and others as I grow.”

At Linguistica International (Morales), employment opportunities are the cornerstone to the business. The company provides global interpreting and translations in 190 different languages to non-English speakers in a variety of organizational settings. 

For Morales, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program was a way to learn strategies to grow the business, create more jobs and connect to more non-English speakers in need of specialized interpretation and translation services.  “I love the fact that I can help people that need a job,” says Morales.  “Just earlier this year we hired an Arabic interpreter.  Her English is perfect and she is a very qualified individual who had been looking for a job for a long time.  She started crying when we offered her a position. I thought…what a rewarding opportunity!  First we are helping her, and then she is going to help others.  The fact that we are doing something that is so relevant to humanity is very rewarding.” 

All together, the 33 businesses that completed the program have created over 80 new jobs since the program launched in January 2013.

“In the end, I got everything I wished for,” says Santana. “On the last day of class, when I walked out the door I could see all around me the relationships and networks that had been created.  The experience is going to be with me forever, and when my business grows, it will be because of all of the people I met in this program—the faculty, my business advisor and all of the other students.”   

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at Salt Lake Community College will be offered several times per year, for the next five years.   Salt Lake Community College is currently accepting applications now through June 3 for the second cohort, which will begin August 16, 2013.  To learn more or apply visit the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.

For more information about Linguistica International visit http://www.linguisticainternational.com or call 866-908-5744.

For more information about Elegant Universal Stone Inc., visit http://www.elegantuniversalstone.com or call 801-978-7300.