Dream Focused – Business Minded

August 2021

Success Story – Blue Pine Construction

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Blue Pine Construction

Blue Pine Construction is based in Wellington, and run by the husband and wife team of Mike and Lorilyn Bockelman. Their company does home construction/remodeling, and a variety of outdoor “decking” projects, throughout Northern Colorado. Mike’s construction background, combined with Lorilyn’s retail management experience, makes for a productive combination. They have grown the business significantly over the last few years.

Blue Pine Construction now has 10 full time employees, including a new production manager. Mike is a Air National Guard serviceman, and tries to hire veterans when possible. A project coordinator helps with client communication. Mike says “We spend a lot of time communicating status to our clients. Communication is our secret sauce.” 

In 2020, Blue Pine Construction participated in a specialized SBDC program called ScaleUp Smart, which was significantly funded by the Wellington Town and Chamber of Commerce. The program produced customized marketing evaluations and recommendations. Lorilyn said “We didn’t have any active marketing. This program helped us clean up our website, and gave us the knowledge to tailor our marketing, and we work on select tasks every month now.  It also helped us focus on more appropriate projects. Right after completing the ScaleUp Smart program we hired a marketing company to help with our social media and implement what we learned as well.”

Lorilyn adds “We got started with the Larimer SBDC through a HR class, done by Tina Todd of Simply HR. It was very thorough.”

Mike and Lorilyn also met with SBDC construction consultant Andy Meade. Mike commented “We discussed job costing, and also talked a lot about corporate structure; it was really helpful.” SBDC Director Mike OConnell also assisted with proactively using financial ratios to help meet profitability goals.

Today, Mike and Lorilyn report that Blue Pine Construction “is on track to meet all of our goals”, despite the current challenges of material cost increases and shortages.  “We got a great combination of SBDC assistance, across several aspects of our business, it wasn’t any one big thing.”, Mike remarked.

We at the Larimer SBDC look forward to continuing to work with this great local business!

Allison Seabeck

Allison Seabeck

 

Pandemic / Disaster funding programs

Allison has a passion for helping visionary leaders and growing organizations make greater and more positive impacts in the world. As an executive leader and business adviser, Allison focuses the process of scaling businesses, including building alignment and clarity of purpose with leadership teams during times of growth and change.

Consulting Expertise Includes:

Welcome Betina Meyer Pflug

Betina Meyer Pflug

We have a new team member that you’re going to want to get to know.  Please join us in welcoming our newest consultant Betina Meyer Pflug. We are excited to have Betina and the business expertise she brings to the SBDC family!

Betina Pflug is an entrepreneur, a business and life coach, a mother, and a marketing and CRM specialist. She has a degree in hotel management, received her MBA from Rotman School in Canada, and has completed three different coaching certifications, including a specialization in facilitating nonprofits, life coaching, and biopsychology to promote positive mental attitudes for mental and physical wellbeing.

Betina’s entrepreneurial spirit stems from a long family line of self-starters and business owners. Her grandparents first have immigrated from Europe to Brazil during World War II, and her parents having successfully built businesses in Brazil’s fitness and nonprofit industries. Betina’s story is truly one of inspiration and grit. Betina has invested herself in many different sectors throughout her life, ranging from hospitality to nonprofit development, event planning, education, technology, and the food and beverage industry. With each new business venture, she acquired new skills that presently offer high value to whoever receives her coaching. Bringing over 20 years of experience, she shares her expert knowledge in strategic decision-making, marketing, sales, government negotiations, quality control, public speaking, training, and analytics. Her international experience allows her to communicate in Portuguese, German, Swiss-German, Spanish, and English.

Betina’s openness to go after the opportunities that presented themselves to her even in the face of having to start over and rebuild demonstrates her courage and self-efficacy to grow, challenge herself, and always be learning the skills necessary to accomplish whatever goal she orients herself to. This is one of the best characteristics that make Betina an excellent coach because professionals who coach from a place of authenticity understand the effort and mindset needed to reinvent themselves time and time again. Her most recent transition of emigrating with her family from Brazil to Colorado in April of 2016 prove her wish always to innovate.

Everyone Who Wants To Change The World Should Have The Tools To Do So!

Betina’s mission is to help individuals organize their lives and bring presence, enthusiasm, and balance to their daily activities. Using her organizational skills, knowledge of technology, and nurturing healing with energy modalities, she helps her clients and family members invest in their relationships, become more efficient, and find pleasure in everything they do. Consequently, she helps her clients achieve their goals and create a balance between their personal and business lives.

For the past ten years, Betina has also devoted twenty percent of her time to help Nonprofits development. One of her goals is to educate them on becoming more efficient by implementing technology and marketing strategies. Her podcast, Wisdom for Nonprofits, was created in 2020 to highlight proven leaders in the nonprofit sector to share their experiences, knowledge, insights, and best practices with her listeners.

Betina is innovative and authentic in her approach and uses this to tailor her coaching to each individual. Consider Betina as your accountable partner to transform your life or organization.

Business Quick Start

Business Quick Start

What You Will Learn

• All the steps to becoming an official business – registering with the state, legal entity understanding, local registrations, license requirements
• The Business Model Canvas – a one page business plan outline to think through all the elements of running a business
• Marketing Plan considerations
• Budget fundamentals
• How the SBDC can support your on your journey

This workshop is full of information, hands-on activities to get those ideas out of your head and into a tangible format, and a stepping stone to further resources. Optional follow up activities include meeting with a SBDC consultant, signing up for a class, accessing On Demand videos, or finding a meetup group with other small business founders, owners and entrepreneurs.

Workshop Agenda

11:00 – 12:00 – Walk through the official steps to become a legitimate business
12:00 – 1:00 – Introduction to the Business Model Canvas
1:00 – 2:00 – Introduction to creating a marketing plan & budget

Beverages and light refreshments provided.

Prerequisites: Make It Official On Demand video (fee waived with registration for this workshop)

You will walk away with:
• A one page business plan outline
• A marketing plan checklist
• A budget checklist
• SBDC network of resources and services
• New small business acquaintances and friends!

Speaker(s): Gabby Lopez Morning Tea Coaching Larimer SBDC Consultant & Instructor

Gabby Lopez

Morning Tea Coaching Larimer SBDC Consultant & Instructor

Thank you to our sponsors!

Blue Pine Construction

Blue Pine Construction is based in Wellington, and run by the husband and wife team of Mike and Lorilyn Bockelman. Their company does home  construction/remodeling, and a variety of outdoor “decking” projects, throughout Northern Colorado. Mike’s construction background, combined with Lorilyn’s retail management experience, makes for a productive combination. They have grown the business significantly over the last few years.

Blue Pine Construction now has 10 full time employees, including a new production manager. Mike is a Air National Guard serviceman, and tries to hire veterans when possible.  A project coordinator helps with client communication. Mike says “We spend a lot of time communicating status to our clients. Communication is our secret sauce.”

In 2020, Blue Pine Construction participated in a specialized SBDC program called ScaleUp Smart, which was significantly funded by the Wellington Town and Chamber of Commerce. The program produced customized marketing evaluations and recommendations. Lorilyn said “We didn’t have any active marketing. This program helped us clean up our website, and gave us the knowledge to tailor our marketing, and we work on select tasks every month now.  It also helped us focus on more appropriate projects. Right after completing the ScaleUp Smart program we hired a marketing company to help with our social media and
implement what we learned as well.”

Lorilyn adds “We got started with the Larimer SBDC through a HR class, done by Tina Todd of Simply HR. It was very thorough.”

Mike and Lorilyn also met with SBDC construction consultant Andy Meade. Mike commented “We discussed job costing, and also talked a lot about corporate structure; it was really helpful.” SBDC Director Mike OConnell also assisted with proactively using financial ratios to help meet profitability goals.

Today, Mike and Lorilyn report that Blue Pine Construction “is on track to meet all of our goals”, despite the current challenges of material cost increases and shortages.

“We got a great combination of SBDC assistance, across several aspects of our business, it wasn’t any one big thing.”, Mike remarked.

We at the Larimer SBDC look forward to continuing to work with this great local business!

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