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No-Cost Consulting

Diego Leyes

 

 

Bilingual / Digital Marketing

Diego is a bilingual independent contractor consultant for the Larimer County SBDC, and owner of Baboon LLC. He currently specializes in the area of Digital Marketing, so he is so excited to help the small business community, specially the Hispanic community, to move forward with their business. Therefore, If you have a startup and need help with your marketing efforts, then Diego is your option.

Diego es consultor de negocios para el SBDC del condado de Larimer, y es el dueño de la empresa Baboon LLC. Actualmente, se especializa en el área de marketing digital, y está muy contento de ayudar a la comunidad de pequeños empresarios, especialmente la comunidad Hispana, a sacar adelante su negocio. Por lo tanto, si usted tiene una pequeña empresa y necesitas ayuda en el área de marketing, entonces Diego es su opción.

Consulting Expertise Includes:

If you’ve never met with a Larimer SBDC consultant. 

Please provide a 24-hour notice of cancellation if you are unable to make this appointment. Although we understand that emergencies arise, cancellations made within 24 hours of the appointment will count as 1 hour of the consultant’s time. As well, our normal cancellation policy applies: cancellations made less than 24 hours of the appointment may result in a requirement to attend a class before you can reschedule an appointment.

Martha Todman

Martha Todman

 

 

Bilingual / Financing

Martha has 14 years of experience in the banking industry, she started her career at KeyBank as a teller and did all the in between positions such as a Lead Teller and Banker until she found herself managing branches. She has managed branches in the Ft. Collins area to the Boulder County area. Currently Martha is managing the Longmont branch, she is a Longmont native born and raised so taking over the Longmont branch was awesome for her! Her parents are both from Chihuahua Mexico, which is where she learned Spanish. Spanish is her first language and serving the Hispanic community is a passion!

She is also the business banker in the branch. She helps clients from start-ups to businesses that are in their mature stage. Her favorite thing to do is watch a start-up grow to the point they need advising/consultation on what to do next. She specializes in the financing piece for small business, but loves to work with start-ups!

Consulting Expertise Includes:
  • Bilingual
  • Financing
  • SBA
  • Lending
  • Cash Management


HAGA CLIC AQUÍ /CLICK HERE

Si nunca se ha reunido con una consultora de Larimer SBDC. /
If you’ve never met with a Larimer SBDC consultant. 

AGENDA UNA CITA CON MARTHA / SCHEDULE A FOLLOW APPOINTMENT WITH MARTHA

Proporcione un aviso de cancelación de 24 horas si no puede asistir a esta cita. Aunque entendemos que surgen emergencias, las cancelaciones realizadas dentro de las 24 horas de la cita contarán como 1 hora del tiempo del consultor. Además, se aplica nuestra política de cancelación normal: las cancelaciones realizadas con menos de 24 horas de la cita pueden resultar en el requisito de asistir a una clase antes de poder reprogramar una cita.

Please provide a 24-hour notice of cancellation if you are unable to make this appointment. Although we understand that emergencies arise, cancellations made within 24 hours of the appointment will count as 1 hour of the consultant’s time. As well, our normal cancellation policy applies: cancellations made less than 24 hours of the appointment may result in a requirement to attend a class before you can reschedule an appointment.

Martha Todman Read More »

CF&G Public Market & Coffeehouse

CF&G Public Market & Coffeehouse, located inside the historic Colorado Feed & Grain landmark in the heart of Timnath, is owned and operated by Becca Bay.  

The building has a long history that begins with its original construction in 1920. You can read all about it on the café table tops! Becca’s Public Market-style layout includes a café, artisan goods, and a Farmer’s Market that runs May through October as well an event venue.  

Becca graduated from UNC Greeley before spending time in Mexico teaching at a girls’ orphanage. She came back to Colorado and started as a bilingual Spanish teacher in Greeley, but something was missing. “I liked a lot of aspects of it…but if I’m in a school I love with kids I love and it’s still not working for me, something needs to change”. Teaching prepared her for the challenges she then faced, and the drive to keep going. “My heart was not going to take me easy places.” 

The opportunity for space in the CF&G building presented itself in 2018, after Beerwerks set up shop next door, and the timing was right. That’s when she contacted the SBDC to learn more and start researching how she was going to do this. She had been helping her parents with their business and wanted to learn more. Her growth as a business owner is evident in the transformation of the space. It can be seen and felt as soon as one walks into the building. A community space where you are fed and watered, where you can take your work or your life to a quiet corner and figure things out. It’s an experience, a heartbeat, a safe and welcoming place to gather. All of this with the influence of a bustling market one would find in a foreign city center. 

What does Becca see for the future? She’s been in business for 2 years now. With every new stage of growth, every goal met, it’s a hit of endorphins. “It’s forming into the final vision. At first, it’s distant and blurry, but as you keep going it becomes clear and you think, ‘yes, this is what I meant it to be.’” She’s focusing on sustainable operations so the business can be a cultural part of this space in the community for years to come. 

Her advice? “Approach everything with curiosity and it will save you head and heart aches. Say to yourself, ‘I wonder if I could….’ and be open to changing and adjusting. Lead with curiosity versus a rigid design and you will learn through that.” She credits the SBDC for help with people like her who have no history of being a business owner but want to learn the ins & outs, the nitty-gritty, of running a business. She enjoys that you can keep learning and build a solid foundation of knowledge for business with professional Consultants that can help you plan and reach your goals, no matter if you’re entry-level or advanced. “It’s a guide for practical use.” She also adds that it’s vital to have chemistry with your SBDC consultant. She has nothing but adoration for her go-to consultant, Peggy Lyle. 

Fun fact: Two of the chandeliers on the main floor were from her great-grandparent’s General Store in Idaho.  

CF&F Public Market employs 1 full time and 2 part time workers and is home to The Pig & The Plow Bakery. 

She’s most proud of her employee, Amanda. Since joining Becca two years ago, Amanda has grown, personally and professionally in Becca’s eyes. “It was fulfilling to coach her and to now see her coach others”.  

How did COVID affect operations? Like so many other small business owners, COVID was a whirlwind of many emotions. From fear to frustration to anger to sadness, the pandemic turned Becca’s day-to-day into an unpredictable mess. While she had to do the typical tasks of reworking her indoor seating, adding outdoor space, adjusting operating hours and employee schedules, etc., she also had to come to terms with the reality of her business model. She envisioned her business as a place to gather, a space for the community. It’s not something that can be replicated online, there’s no virtual alternative to meeting your neighbor for the first time because you happen to order the same type of coffee. Due to COVID, Becca struggled with both not being able to offer the one thing her business was built on and being recommitted to her community-building mission as the pandemic forced us away from our public spaces and gravely deprived us of our human need for interpersonal connection. 

CF&G Public Market & Coffeehouse Read More »

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