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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 attention.

“Getting to know my clients on a name-by-name basis creates a much-appreciated personal touch that seems so old-world in our culture these days,” said Schlisner. “A friendly familiarity in a business that deals much with intimate and emotional events and situations really goes a long way.”

Schlisner credits the Denver Metro SBDC for “giving her hope.”

“I had no idea how to go about buying a business. The Denver Metro SBDC gave me the straight facts and helped guide me through the process,” she said.

“An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off a cliff and builds a plane on the way down.” — Reid Hoffman

Entrepreneurs are passionate risk-takers who make an impact on our economy, and they‘ve made Colorado a top-five state for startup activity and for innovation.

Entrepreneurs know it takes a lot more than an idea to make a business come to life. Brenda Lane is co-founder of MindCraft Makerspace knows just that. Lane has poured herself into her businesses – a digital fabrication lab developed as a collaborative studio space for creative and inventive endeavors for makers of all ages – and entrepreneurialism has become her way life.

“As a maker, I owned my first business in my hometown at the age of 18. My uncle and I teamed up to open Lane’s House of Glass in Pueblo, where I spent eight years teaching stained glass, fusing and slumping,” Lane recalls.

MindCraft Makerspace is the second business devoted to educational endeavors for Lane and her business partner Adriana Santacoloma.

Lane first opened eXL Learning in 2011. She sought the advice of consultants at Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs across the Front Range. She coupled the consulting with the SBDC’s business planning course, Leading Edge.

“I rely on the SBDC to develop myself as a better business owner and operator, and I recommend this organization to anyone thinking of opening their own business,” Lane said.

Opening MindCraft Makerspace was a way for Lane to combine her passion for education and creativity. MindCraft Makerspace offers classes, workshops, equipment rental and memberships to learn about and use all tools, equipment and machinery accessible to the users – no matter the age.

“Our combination of labs, workshops and classrooms make it easy and fun for hands-on, ‘let’s make this’ kind of learning,” Lane said.

Their space is located in the newly restored Stanley Marketplace on the border of Aurora and Stapleton. The Marketplace houses over 50 independent companies under one roof.

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.”

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Entrepreneurs are known for having to perform many different roles. Many struggle with the financial and accounting aspect of their business, while others have a hard time understanding the power of social media. For Lori Johnson, owner of Lori J Photography, she’s the first to admit that her nemesis is marketing.

Lori J Photography provides a boutique photography service experience for Denver wedding photography, family portraits, and lifestyle headshots for entrepreneurs in Denver. The business offers a full product guide for home artwork decor, specialized ordering appointments for families and couples, and easy and quick sessions and ordering for Denver’s busy entrepreneurs.

Marketing may not be Lori’s strong suit, but she is gradually overcome her dislike. “Our work with Wendy and the Denver Metro SBDC team has allowed Lori J Photography to focus on our target clients,” says owner Lori Johnson.

“We have learned so much about our business needs that we didn’t know before. In the photography world, there is so much competition and as artists we are constantly critiquing. It can sometimes turn destructive and get in the way of the artwork we produce. In working with Wendy, we have learned to put the destructive critiquing aside and focus on the needs of the clients. We have gone from completely despising marketing to enjoying the process of creation and implementation of new marketing plans that our clients love.”

Lori’s revenues have increased by 280 percent per customer since working with the Denver Metro SBDC.

Lori J Photography has begun to expand its support network by becoming a part of photography groups across the world. Lori enjoys helping other blooming photographers as well. She says, “Of course everything is scary in the beginning. It is a huge leap of faith that makes you sick and overwhelmed with defeat. But it’s not this big scary thing anymore. It’s actually a work of art! The most important thing we have learned is to be consistent with marketing strategies. Getting started is the first key, without that leap the world’s inventors would not have given us electricity, cars, and computers. Consistency is also key, it’s not that we saw results right away, it took time, energy, consistency, and effort to keep the Lori J Photography business growing.

“Sticking with it has allowed us to push beyond barriers and get beyond the hatred of marketing and find the fun in getting our name out there. As the owner of Lori J Photography, I feel proud to share our hard work and efforts with Wendy and SBDC. We found results by working smarter, not harder.”

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Do you want a fun, easy-to-use way to consume your favorite craft cocktails and deserts? That’s where Gel-Oh Dolly! comes in. Gel-Ol Dolly! is a grown-up twist on an old favorite. They provide a gourmet Jell-O shot mix for you to create your own fancy shot.

For Dolly Fiedelman co-founder of Gel-Oh Dolly!, running her own company seemed natural coming from a family of entrepreneurs. The desire was always there – that’s why Fiedelman took a chance on her favorite summer go-to. Gel-Oh Dolly! was sparked at a tailgating party at Red Rocks. After bringing gourmet Jell-O shots, it soon became an expectation that she would be providing them at every gathering. “People kept telling me I should sell them, and here we are!” Fiedelman said.

Unlike your typical shot, these Jell-O shots use real food ingredients to create craft cocktail and gourmet dessert inspired mixes. You have the freedom to get crafty with glasses and garnishes, or keep it simple and just mix with your favorite spirit, chill and enjoy!

Fiedelman and her co-founder Terri Johanson joined LEADING EDGE for Entrepreneurs in spring 2017 to put a plan in place, and create a business from their idea: “The program allowed us to evaluate and understand our concept and decide if it was viable. It also pushed us to start thinking in the entrepreneur mindset.”

During LEADING EDGE, they created a plan for a brick and mortar, selling individual Jell-O shots and focusing on events. However, due to cost in the liquor licensing and perishability limiting scalability, they pivoted to the dry mix right before joining Trout Tank: Food Frenzy. They found themselves putting their pitch together in two weeks. Although they were the only company pitching at the event that was not selling at the time, Gel-Oh Dolly! received the People’s Choice award.

“Trout Tank led us to opportunities to do pop-up events and while we didn’t think we’d be ready to do so and sell in the timeframe given, it pushed us to take the leap,” Fiedelman said. With their pivot to dry mix, they now have a product that can be shipped world-wide.

Recently, they partnered with one of their favorite breweries, Intrepid Sojourner Beer Project for the Bacon and Beer Classic at Mile High Stadium. They experienced a great reception and collaboration, where they made an orange cream Jell-O shot that can be made with a light wheat beer. And, this is not the last time the two are partnering – they are in the works right now to plan future events together.

Back at their launch, Gel-Oh Dolly! served four year-round flavors. They have since launched six new flavors, including seasonal favorites like winter cosmo and spiced orange. “While we continue to grow our brand awareness, we pride ourselves on changing people’s perceptions of Jell-O shots,” Fiedelman said. As they continue to hone in on their operations, they plan to focus on large events, such as corporate events and weddings. This gives them the opportunity to work with the client one-on-one to not only create a custom label but flavor as well, to create a unique experience for each customer.