Smoke Signals October 1993
Page 10
Entrepreneur of the Month: Guy McCarthy
Tribal member Guy McCarthy lives in one of the
fastest growing areas on the west coast. The community of
Bend, located in Central Oregon, is one of the most prosperous
places to be. Accordingly, so is Guy's business.
He owns Summer Wind Enterprises, a contracting
company that installs, repairs, and maintains garage doors.
Guy works in new and older homes, state businesses, and
private businesses.
"For me, business is really booming," he said. "I
rarely have a day off."
Summer Wind was the name of Guy's band. Before
he owned his own business, he and his wife were entertainers
and traveled all over the country performing.
"After we had a family, I decided I wanted to learn
a trade. Something I would be able to do no matter where
we lived," said Guy.
Guy had a friend who was a garage door hanger who
taught him the trade. He couldn't afford the pay Guy for
helping him, but he was willing to work for nothing. Now,
Summer Wind Enterprises is in its fourth year of operation.
Because Guy operates his business through his
home, he didn't incur much debt in starting up.
He explained, "I just paid for my contractor's licence,
bond, and liability insurance. Plus some tools. I got started
for less than $1,000."
Eventually, though, Guy would like to have an
office closer to the Tribe and offer a couple of apprenticeships to people who are interested in learning the trade and would
want to work for him. Living in Bend, he sometimes has to drive some extra miles to get to a job, but says he prefers being
his own boss and setting his own hours.
"It always seemed that when I worked for other people, the harder I worked, the more they expected. And I was
working to make them look good. Now, I work hard for myself," he said. "I thinka lot of small businesses fail because people
don't realize the work involved. There isn't a big return at first. You have to stick with it, work long hours. But what I have
learned is that the average person doesn't mind paying for a service that is done well."
Guy has lived in Bend with his family for ten years now, and has accomplished a lot of what he set his mind to do.
As for the future, he says, "As long as Oregon is growing and expanding, this is a good line of work."
". 'X X
OSU Book Donation
The tribal Small Business Development Center
owes Oregon State University a big "Thank you for your
support". Monday, September 13, Division Manager Mitch
Conley and staff person Shelley Hanson, (an Oregon State
alum) picked up several boxes of business related text books
that were donated to our tribal Business Development Center.
OSU Business School Dean, Don Parker, graciously answered
a written request for materials, and provided a wide assortment
of books. If you are looking for information about marketing
your business, financial management, or other business
management topics, we now have a good assortment of
reference materials to use. If you haven't been into the library
yet, stop by! Materials are available to tribal members
planning a business, who are in business, students working
on school reports, or anyone who has an interest in them.
Video tapes, magazines, and books on a variety of business
related topics are available to use.
t : mmr ,"i v
How Do I Get
Started in Business?
Do I need a taxpayer identification number? Where
do I get one? Should I incorporate my business? Will owning
a business affect my taxes? What happens if I want to hire
an employee?
These are just a few questions that often run through
a person's mind when thinking about starting a new business.
Do you want to know where to get the answers to these
questions and more? TheTribal SmallBusinessDevelopment
Center is always available to help, but here's a special
opportunity to do some "one-stop question answering". The
Small Business Development Center is offering a "How to
Start a Business" seminar Tuesday, October 2 1 at 6:30 at the
Tribal Community Center. All Business Development
Seminars are open to tribal members and non-members. So
bring a friend and join us!
Fax Service
Computer Lib
Library-Magazines, books &
videos
Phone Message Center
Mall Center
Phone Service
Photocopy Service
Business Planning &
Management Assistance
Training in Management &
Computer Usage
Locution:
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, OR 97347
it the Economic
Development PUnning
Modular
Hour
Monday thru Friday 800 am
to noon It 100 pm to 5O0pm
Spetiil TattdyHoam Sffl
totfflpm
Mitch Conley, Shelley Hanson, and Don Parker, Dean of the
OSU Business School
7t-ii at htoOAtmat
" STREP Factor"
Michael Woods of C. A.E. & Associates, 1992 SBA
Pacific NW Minority Business Of the Year contributes his
success to the "STREP Factor":
S SACRIFICESucceeding in business isn't easy. You
have to put other things in your life aside. It may take
working 80 hour weeks or longer .
TTENACITY This notonly applies to marketingyourself
and going after business, but also your relationships with
your banks. Money is crucial to growing and expandingyour
business.
R RESILIENCYYou must be able to bounce back from
adversity, which has a way off appearing regularly.
E EDUCATION This involves continuing education of
yourself and your workforce in order to keep up with
technology and your market.
P PERSEVERANCE You must keep beating down the
dqor of anything that appears in front of you. Learn from
ydur experiences and move ahead.
Above all else, you must have VISION. As a
business person, you have to look ahead to see where you are
going, develop a plan to get there and understand the lessons
from what you have experienced.
Computer Training
The Business Development Department is offering
several computer training classes in October. Space is
limited to three people per class, so call Debby and reserve
a spot now. The numbers are: 879-2251 or 1-800-422-0232.
If you are interested in a specific computer training not
offered, call and make an appointment with a staff member.
BASICCOMPUTERS: Come learnthebasics of the computer.
We cover an overview of the computer, learn to use the
mouse, and do a brief overview of Word For Windows.
Instructor: Shelley Hanson. Offered 1012 10:00-noon.
WORD FOR WINDOWS: Word for Windows is an easy to
use, quick learn word processing system. If you are wanting
to write letters or memos, or create reports, Word for
Windows is an ideal program for those projects. Instructor:
Mitch Conley. Offered 1028 1-3:00 P.M.
WORKS DATABASE: Database programs store large
amounts of information and are designed to be easily sorted
and printed. A sample database is your address book. Have
you ever wanted to mail letters or cards to only a few people
in your address book? Come learn how! Instructor: Elaine
Moore. Offered 1019 9-11:00 A.M.
PRINT SHOP DELUXE: Do you ever need flyers or signs for
your business or program? Print Shop Deluxe is easy to use,
and creates flashy designs. Print Shop Deluxe has a variety
of pictures and graphics to add pizazz to your flyers, signs,
calendars, or cards. Instructor: Debby Childers. Offered 10
21 1-3:00 P.M.
Capital Seminar in Klamath Fails
Oregon Native American Business and
Entrepreneurial Network (ONABEN) is sponsoring an
"Access to Capital Seminar", October 6 and 7 at the Comfort
Inn at 2500 S. 6th Street in Klamath Falls. Presenters will
include: the Small Business Administration, ONABEN, the
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Oregon Economic Development
Department, the Office of Minority, Women and Emerging
Small Business, and a variety of local bankers. There is a $40
registration fee, which includes the two-day conference,
materials, and lunch both days. Registration is limited to 40
people, so if you are interested, call ONABEN at 1-800-854-8289
to sign up.
Business Development Seminar Schedule
Seminars are usually held on the second or third
Thursday of eachmonth at 6:30 P.M. attheTribal Community
Center in Grand Ronde. They are open to the public. Here
is a schedule for upcoming months:
October 21 "How to Start a Business"
November 18 "Business Taxes: Strategies to Lower Your
Taxes" ;
December 10 "Overdraw, No Way! Business Cash Flow
Management"