Med-Fit

Med-Fit, PLLC provides physician-supervised individualized weight management systems designed to help overweight and obese clients lose and maintain a healthy weight.

Owner Dr. Angela Tran is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine and has practiced in primary care since 2007. Despite Angela’s extensive education and experience, she admits she knew very little about how to start a business when she decided to seek assistance from the Denver Metro SBDC in January of 2012.

Angela met with SBDC consultant Nancy Barnett for business plan development and review, as she was in the process of applying for a $400,000 SBA loan. Soon after, Wells Fargo awarded Angela a $230,000 SBA practice finance loan. Nancy also referred an attorney, accountant and banker, all of whom currently sit on Angela’s professional advisory board.

Angela also sought marketing assistance from SBDC consultant Wendy King, who helped her orchestrate and execute her marketing plan; including website development, advertising, public relations, search engine optimization, outreach and networking. Angela says, “I owe a lot to Wendy.”

“The assistance I received from Wendy and Nancy are the root of my success. They really helped to create structure and provided me with the resources and tools to make sure my business was on the road to success.” Angela dealt with many obstacles before opening her doors in September of 2012. “Believing in my product, who I am and how I add value has helped me to move forward despite my obstacles. And the SBDC gave me the confidence to overcome all the challenges I faced when starting my business.”

Just three months after starting her business, Angela built a client base of over 40 patients, with gross revenue of about $108,000. She has two full time employees, including a personal trainer and a medical assistant.

Angela is a true example of business success in the Denver community. A leader in the health and wellness industry, one of the fastest-growing industries in Colorado, Angela advises that other business startups be adaptable. “You have all of your plans in your mind and how you want things to occur, but the reality is that it could change. If you go with the flow you can achieve success.”

Under the Sky Event Rental

The idea to launch Under the Sky Event Rental came to Rebecca Anderson when she told her seatmate on a flight to Denver about her wedding. She and husband Patrick had their intimate wedding under katas—Nordic tents that resemble Native American tepees. But, she had only seen them rented in her native United Kingdom. “That planted the seed,” she said. Back in the U.K., there are roughly 30 kata rental companies, up from just seven

Create Cooking School

Create Cooking School has actively engaged with the SBDC community for two years by taking advantage of Leading Edge, Trout Tank, financial classes and multiple consultants within the network. And now, owners Erasmo Casiano and Diego Coconati are on the brink of opening Create Cooking School in the Stapleton neighborhood of Denver. Leading Edge played an important role in the growth of the company. Casiano learned that adapting and pivoting is beneficial to your business,

Collective Counseling Solutions

Collective Counseling Solutions serves clients and therapists across 10 states, from Colorado to New York, by providing high-quality care to patients and being a resource for their network of therapists around the country. An SBDC client since 2018, Collective Counseling Solutions has shown exceptional growth since completing the Trout Tank Pitch Accelerator program and becoming a finalist for Start-Up of the Year at the 2022 Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Business Awards! Founders Nicholas Mancini

The PB Love CO

“We want to feed people real, delicious food and make them happy!” That’s how PB Love CO , a Denver Metro Small Business Development Center (SBDC) company describes themselves, and it’s apparent in everything they do. PB Love is committed to creating stone-ground, handcrafted, artisan nut butter, using only real-food ingredients in every jar they make. Mario Esparza had been perfecting the flavor, consistency and ingredients of his own nut butter for over 12 years,

Big Sky Aerial Technology

In business, the sky is the limit for Big Sky Aerial Technology—literally. This start-up company captures high-resolution aerial images for use in precision agriculture, allowing farmers to analyze the health of their crops. Founded in 2015 by Ron Lester and Jerred Lane, the idea to launch Big Sky Aerial Technology was inspired by the years Lester and Lane spent working with land and air-based remote sensing technologies in the Middle East. “With some of the

Snooze

On any given morning, Snooze’s retro, 50’s-style space is jam-packed with people clamoring to get their names on a lengthy wait list. The draw? A stack of sweet potato or cinnamon roll pancakes, or what some have dubbed “the best breakfast burrito in the world.” A touch of upscale flair makes Snooze owner Jon Schlegel’s fare stand out among fellow bringers of breakfast and lunch. Offerings include “Vanilla Almond Oatmeal Brulée” or “Pork’s Benediction,” a