Kitchen Tune-Up - Boise

James Bammert had some experience in woodworking and cabinet installation and knew that buying a Kitchen Tune-Up franchise was a good fit for his skills. But he also knew he needed assistance in becoming an entrepreneur. In October 2001, he approached the Idaho Region III Small Business Development Center for help developing a loan request letter for $35,000 to purchase the local area franchise. During his first month with the Idaho SBDC consultants, he worked on his financial plan, began structuring his business plan, developed an initial marketing plan and began a study of local competition in this field. He attended an SBA loan orientation briefing and met with SCORE volunteers for help with his business plan.

With the help of the Idaho SBDC, the loan request and business plan were completed and his SBA loan was approved. James committed to the parent company of Kitchen Tune-Up with the franchise fee and agreement, and left for an extensive training program offered by Kitchen Tune-up.

But that's not all the Idaho SBDC did for him. The consultant linked him to other university-based resources. Doug Lincoln, a marketing professor at Boise State University, had a marketing class do an in-depth analysis of the potential market for Kitchen Tune-Up in the Treasure Valley. In addition, the students made specific recommendations on pricing, media sources and concepts for marketing his services, created sample fliers and brochures, outlined target marketing strategies and, in general, reinforced his excitement for the opportunity for this business to succeed in Boise.

The SBDC consultant also introduced James to the Idaho Virtual Incubator, a non-profit entity operating out of the Lewiston SBDC office. The IVI develops and hosts startup websites for small businesses in Idaho under a grant from the state and federal government. While James attended his training program, the students employed at the IVI created his website, an important element in his marketing plan.

By April 2002, Kitchen Tune-Up was actively marketing its services. James had acquired a new van, which proudly displayed his company identity and services. He began getting serious inquiries and bid successfully on several projects totaling over $10,000 in sales in his first month in business. He worked with the Idaho SBDC to develop a new bidding system that incorporated the various elements of his services into a working model. His sales growth has been exceptional. Demand caused James to add an additional employee in late 2002, and he added a sales and marketing employee in 2003.

James has embraced the finest qualities of an entrepreneur. He sought out and selected an opportunity, trained and prepared himself with the skills needed for the work, sought assistance to develop his business plan, developed strong marketing, operational and financial plans and executed them appropriately. His Kitchen Tune-Up company has exceeded his expectations for sales, employee and profit growth. His success story is a tribute to a very deserving, hard working entrepreneur.