Start Me Up: Is
Small Business Entrepreneurship in Your
Future?
Nan Knight
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Ask college students majoring in the sciences
about "mainstream" employment for scientists
in the United States and they're likely to point
to the large corporations that set up recruiting
booths on campus. "This is a widely held
misconception," says Sharon V. Vercellotti,
President and Founder, V-LABS, INC., of Covington,
Louisiana, and Chair-Elect of the American Chemical
Society (ACS) Division of Small Chemical Businesses.
"In chemistry, almost half of all recent
graduates go to work for small businesses. Not
only are small businesses a part of the great
American scientific entrepreneurial tradition,
but they provide a surprising preponderance of
the jobs that are available." In 1999, the
federal government listed 13,534 chemical employers.
Only 2.3% were classified as big businesses, and
42% had less than 20 employees. Today, more than
99% of employees in chemical businesses work for
companies with fewer than 500 employees.
Even in an economic downturn, most analysts agree
that business prospects can be bright for small
chemical enterprises. If you have an original
idea, a unique or in-demand set of skills, or
an innovative approach, starting your own business
may offer new horizons of freedom and rewarding
challenges. Making the leap to small business
ownership requires a careful analysis of tangible
and not-so-tangible assets and a realistic assessment
of your capabilities and prospects. A number of
small chemical business owners spoke with JobSpectrum.org
and offered advice about the rewards and pitfalls
of going out on your own.
Sidebar:
How Big Is Small?
The Best-Looking Boss
is the One in the Mirror
"The first advantage to owning a small business
is that you're the boss-you decide where the company
goes and what it does," says Donald Lorenz,
PhD, founder of Ridge Scientific Enterprises,
Basking Ridge, NJ. Lorenz left his job at a large
scientific corporation in 1991. "In a large-scale
industry, you can find yourself buttonholed into
one narrow area of focus. If the company is yours,
you can decide to take on new challenges and new
areas of investigation." Vercellotti agrees
that being able to choose new horizons makes small
business ownership especially attractive: "Not
only are you in charge of the company's areas
of focus and direction, but this flexibility means
that you are better equipped to adapt to satisfy
the specific needs of individual customers, something
that the structure of large corporations often
makes very difficult."
The advantages of this freedom extend to work
environment and culture. As the boss, you're free
to choose your co-workers and decide how you'd
like your workplace to look and function. If you've
always wanted an office with a pinball machine
or cappuccino maker, this is your chance. If you
want to locate the workplace in a scenic rural
area, that's your call, too. None of these decisions
can be made without considering the consequences,
but if you're the boss, they're your decisions
to make.
Whether you start your business alone or with
partners, the most obvious advantage is that success
can bring you direct financial gain. If the company
prospers, you prosper. For many entrepreneurs
the return on hard work has been exponential and
increasing financial rewards far beyond any income
they might have made in traditional salaried positions.
In addition to earnings and profits, a successful
company is a valuable asset. Managed well, the
sale of such a company may provide lifelong income.
Sidebar:
The Shape of Small Business
Is the Risk Right for
You?
Risk taking and entrepreneurship are closely
connected: if you aren't comfortable with the
first you probably won't succeed with the second.
"Even after you've done substantial research
and have a solid strategic plan in place, you
still have to be a risk taker to make this leap,"
says David Armbruster, PhD, of Armbruster Associates,
Inc., of Summit, NJ. Armbruster is past president
of the Association
of Consulting Chemists and Chemical Engineers
(ACC&CE) and Chairman of the Board of the
New Jersey Group of Small Chemical Businesses.
The Small Business Administration (SBA), which
provides an umbrella of financial, informational,
and other support services for entrepreneurs,
emphasizes that not everyone is cut out for starting
a new business. The SBA
Web site offers a checklist of questions to
rate your own entrepreneurial spirit, recommending
that you look carefully to decide if you are:
- A self-starter? You'll need to make decisions,
strategize effectively, organize, and then make
sure everything is carried through according
to the plan. Moreover, if you're planning a
very small business, such as a one-person consultancy,
you need to think about whether you're comfortable
working alone most of the time.
- Able to get along with different people and
in different capacities? As a small business
owner, you're not just the boss. You're a client
to those from whom you buy supplies and services,
a vendor, a renter, a public relations specialist,
a mediator, and a human relations specialist.
To wear all those hats you'll need to call on
a special set of social skills.
- A good decision maker? Every day brings new
decisions large and small, and you'll need to
be able to trust your own judgment in making
decisions quickly and well.
- A motivated worker? Being your own boss may
sound like easy work, but you will probably
find yourself working harder and longer than
you ever dreamed you could. Especially in the
early days, you may be on the job from dawn
to dusk and past and for six or seven days a
week. Make a realistic assessment about whether
you (and your family and friends) are up to
this challenge.
Advice from the Experts: Be Prepared
Experience: Even if you've really
invented that better mousetrap, making the world
beat a path to your door can be a challenge, especially
if you're a new graduate and have little experience
in your industry. People who have previous work
experience run the most successful startups in
chemistry. "Most of our members became consultants
and small business owners after having been employed
in chemical and pertinent areas for a number of
years," says Linda Townsend, Executive Secretary
of ACC&CE. Armbruster agrees: "It's hard
to do this right out of school. You need experience.
The biggest obstacles to starting a successful
small business revolve around the responsibilities
that become yours and yours alone as the owner
and operator."
Donna Cole, President and CEO of Cole
Chemical & Distributing, Inc., Houston,
Texas, recommends a minimum of 5 to 10 years work
experience before starting out on your own. During
this time, future entrepreneurs learn "policies
and procedures to implement in their own organizations,
develop relationships, learn about products (test
methods, R&D, sampling, statistics, what works
and what doesn't) and how to determine exactly
what kind of small business they'd like to have,"
she says.
Previous work experience is also likely to impart
a broader view of the field you are about to enter,
an asset that's especially valuable in today's
fast-paced scientific environment. "You need
a broad background," says Lorenz. "The
more narrowly you define your area of expertise,
the more likely that your opportunities may be
limited. Sometimes a business is started because
there's an initial large demand, but this can
then wear out." Armbruster, whose business
has expanded from a consultancy to include international
seminars, emphasizes that a wide perspective on
the field can help with future flexibility: "Sometimes
the business you started may not be the business
you end up with."
Networking: If you're leaving one company to
found your own, the experts advise that you don't
burn any bridges. One of the most important elements
in your success will be your ability to network-to
leverage the contacts you have into new contacts
that will expand your business. In many cases,
your old company may be a customer of your new
enterprise. Sometimes companies choose to spin
off entire divisions, awarding the business to
ex-employees or making current employees into
consultants.
Both Vercellotti and Armbruster recommend membership
and attendance in professional organizations as
an excellent method for keeping up a strong network
of contacts and support. "The American Chemical
Society offers an array of services and programs
through the Division
of Small Chemical Businesses and through programming
and other divisions that help out those going
into business for themselves," says Vercellotti.
"And attendance at local and national meetings
helps in meeting people who can direct you to
new business or advise you based on their own
expertise."
ACC&CE extends the networking concept to
an active mentoring program. "Each of our
new members is assigned a mentor," says Armbruster,
who was instrumental in starting this initiative.
"Every new member of our organization gets
a mentor who is available for advice on a whole
range of topics, from finance and taxes to strategic
planning." Armbruster notes that networking
extends to ALL your contacts as a small business
owner. Good relations with customers, suppliers,
colleagues, and consultants are important in keeping
the lines open for new and continued business.
Strategic Planning: Even with the best
idea or product and a stable network of support,
you need a solid, long-range plan in place before
you make the move to start your own business.
Without such a plan, you won't be ready to meet
unexpected contingencies and you almost certainly
won't have the necessary documentation needed
to secure financing. SBA offers an excellent start-up
kit that includes guides for strategic planning.
Available in abbreviated form online,
the kit provides a complete how-to document, including
downloadable forms, glossaries, FAQs and self-assessments,
and an essential list of resources and contacts.
Of special interest to every small business owner
is the description of financial and advisory services
SBA provides on an ongoing basis.
"Everyone has questions when starting out
a business," says Lorenz. "How much
to charge? How to find customers? Although mentors
and others can help identify the answers to these
questions, strategic planning is important in
laying solid groundwork for future development."
Be careful of hidden agendas when getting advice
on starting up a new company. A number of businesses
market start-up kits, financial advice, business
plans, and other tools, some at costs that can
become major investments. Consider first whether
you can get these same kinds of materials free
from SBA or by doing a little research yourself.
And consult your lawyer before making any long-term
or substantial financial commitment to a business
advisor.
Financing: Whether you're about to start a one-person
consultancy or a 300-person manufacturing company,
you'll need to have your financing in order before
you begin. Vercellotti and others advise at least
a one- or two-year personal financial cushion,
because you can't count on your new business returning
a profit that matches your previous income. Money
for start-ups can come directly from a bank, from
your own savings, through loans directly from
or guaranteed by SBA, or through investment by
other individuals or companies. The services of
a financial expert who has worked previously with
companies of the size and type you are starting
are essential in this process. He or she can advise
you on the restrictions and obligations that come
with some types of funding and point out how your
company should be organized to best protect your
investments. Careful financial planning and support
can see you over the initial rough spots in business
ownership and put you in a position for future
expansion.
Experts advise that start-up finance plans should
also cover initial insurance needs. If you are
a manufacturer, you'll need product liability
insurance, which requires substantial research
and airtight legal advice. If your services involve
consulting, you'll need professional
liability insurance, which ACS offers to its
members. In addition, if you have employees, you'll
need to provide health insurance and other coverage
according to federal, state, and local requirements.
Small Business Success: The Up Side to the Economic
Downturn
If your stock portfolio has taken a recent drubbing,
you may think that this is not the best time to
start up a new company. Paradoxically, as the
economic indicators edge downward, the opportunities
for startups may be expanding. "Many larger
companies are closing some of their research and
development areas," says Vercellotti. "Their
R&D needs won't disappear. They're looking
to outsource their problem solving needs, and,
increasingly, smaller companies are being tapped
for these tasks." Part of the impetus for
this move to outsourcing comes from the fast-paced
research environment, in which many large companies
cannot afford to maintain groups of narrowly focused
specialists for what are sometimes only temporary
requirements. "The smaller, more specialized
company becomes the ideal resource for this kind
of work," says Vercellotti. "Such outsourcing
often helps the large companies increase speed
to market, and ends up increasing the financial
performances of both large and small businesses."
The hottest areas for current outsourcing in
chemistry, not surprisingly, are the same areas
in which the demand is greatest for new employees:
biotechnology (especially in areas related to
genetics) and new materials. The key for small
business owners is to stay on top of the new technologies
and identify coming needs. Again, flexibility,
networking, and planning are essential in staying
ahead of the economic curve.
A Job Well Done
There's always satisfaction in a job well done,
but that satisfaction increases markedly when
you're doing it for your own company. "I've
really enjoyed having the vision to see the big
picture, quickly analyzing situations, making
decisions and conceptualizing processes and then
implementing projects to completion," says
Cole of her experiences as a business owner. "I
have numerous choices to make and, even though
many things happen outside my control, I know
that there are many things that I can do to prepare
for change and meet change head on." The
challenges of charting an individual course in
business may not be for everyone. But for those
who've asked themselves the right questions, made
detailed plans, and secured the right financial
and contact support, the rewards can include a
stimulating workplace, new scientific and intellectual
horizons, and substantial financial compensation.
Nan Knight is a freelance science writer and
editor whose credits include Smithsonian exhibits,
Discovery Channel Web sites, and a wide range
of publications on radiation in medicine.
Related Reading
Chemical
Employment in Small Companies. Finding and
working for small companies is a unique process.
There are ways to find hidden jobs and posted
jobs in small companies. This publication from
the ACS Department of Career Services offers some
insight into the process.
Small-Business
Posts Offer Safety Amid Turmoil from CareerJournal.com
Recommended Resources
Your first stop and best new friend will be the
Small
Business Administration Web site, often called
"the most customer-friendly enterprise of
the federal government." It's all here: the
how-to's, the pitfalls, answers to all your questions,
downloadable forms from A to Z, and directions
on how and where to get assistance and guidance
at an SBA office near you. The SBA also operates
a toll-free "Answer Desk" at 1-800-8-ASK-SBA
(1- 800-827-5722), to give callers direct referral
to appropriate sources of information.
Association
of Consulting Chemists and Chemical Engineers
The members of this New Jersey-based organization
are consultants in chemistry and chemical technologies.
The organization provides resources, mentors,
networking, and referrals and publishes The Chemical
Consultant.
eWeb
Entrepreneurship Education site at St. Louis University
A short course on small business startup, with
good links, educational advice, and business plans.
Business
Owner's Toolkit
This site includes an advice column, references,
downloadable checklists, model business plans,
and is especially helpful on federal regulations,
tax, finance, and legal issues.
Idea Café
Excellent small business site with frequently
updated content, including news, articles, and
resources. This accessible site makes an especially
effective "point of contact" for owners
of sole proprietorships or very small businesses.
National
Technology Transfer Center
University-based site with strong government ties
that assists businesses in taking technologies
to the international market through e-commerce.
Offers a number of services, including commercialization
strategy development, training, technology commercialization
evaluation, and competitive intelligence reporting.
Small Business
Advancement National Center (not affiliated
with SBA)
Affiliated with the University of Central Arkansas,
this site offers multifaceted small business counseling
and electronic information resources.
Small
Business Resource Center (not affiliated with
SBA)
A private individual with an interest in small
business development began this site. The site
has good links and an excellent list of resources,
including sometimes hard-to-find advice for building
a Web presence for your company.
StartUpBiz.com
This site offers a seven-step startup program
for entrepreneurs. The emphasis is on risk evaluation
and positive action. The site offers a range of
other resources.
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