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.”

Open Road Snacks

In January of 2007, Karen and Tim Bradley were looking for an opportunity to combine Tim’s expertise in consumer packaged goods, finance and operations with Karen’s background in graphic design, marketing and sales. That’s when they acquired Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company. “We work really well together and we wanted to use both sides of our collective brain,” Karen said. “With our experience in brand management, we recognized that, while Rocky Mountain Popcorn was proven in

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

Moss Pink

A love of flowers led Jil Schlisner to buy an existing flower shop in 2006, rename it and build her business by creating inspirational, beautiful atmospheres for clients. She believes people should wear flowers more often, in the form of corsages and boutonnieres—and on ordinary Wednesdays, not only proms or weddings. Moss Pink Flora & Botanicals, located on E. 23rd and Dexter streets in Denver, provides clients with beautiful shopping environment, as well as personal

Future Fit Foods

Future Fit Foods is a woman-and-minority-owned food startup out of Boulder, Colorado, bringing people diverse plant-based foods that prioritize the wellbeing and happiness of people and communities. They are also the winners of the 2021 Trout Tank CPG Pitch Event. Paloma Lopez, founder of Future Fit Foods realized the change people were making was incremental because the business models, brands, and products had not been designed with today’s sustainability and nutrition needs in mind. After

ECS

Jessica Acosta’s business philosophy is focused on three things: people, planet and profit. The Environmental Consulting Services (ECS) founder and CEO works to bring new jobs to the region while creating sustainable environment and financial stability. ECS, established in 2011, provides services ranging from design and development of stormwater management plans to training. Acosta launched ECS to serve and address environmental management and water quality compliance needs of private, federal, state, and local clients. “I’ve

Ristole

“Moving to Denver set me on a trajectory that changed the course of my life.” For Ristole CEO Jackie Adams, a woman whose life has already taken many turns, that’s saying something. Starting her career in computer programming, she quickly found the hours behind a computer screen tedious. She then applied for and was accepted to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania, where she taught high school math in Swahili. After returning to