The Entrepreneurial Spirit Lives

In April of 2007 Splattered Ink and I were the subject of an article published in the Southern Business Journal, a Southern Illinois business publication. I also illustrated the cover. I thought it was appropriate to post here. The article with cover is below.

With some careful planning, you too can tap into your entrepreneurial spirit

By STEVE BINDER and JOHN D. HOMAN, SBJ Correspondents

Darryl Jones and his wife, Kelly, are a young couple with the world in front of them. Parents to newborn Isaiah Aubrey, the Murphysboro mom and dad said they chose last summer to tap into their entrepreneurial spirit.

Darryl had been working for about two years for a sign company, became manager and was asked to take on additional responsibilities.

“It was starting to become too much for me,” Jones recalled. “It was around that time that I started talking to Cavanaugh (Gray), and he became aware of how stressed I was and he told me it wouldn’t be that difficult to start my own business.”

Gray is director of business development for The Entrepreneur Café LLC at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center at Southern Illinois University Carbodale.

It wasn’t long before Splattered Ink was born.

Jones describes the new venture as a full-service corporate image company that can provide clients with marketing materials, illustrations for advertising and Web site design.

Darryl Jones shows off one of his panels for SIU Credit Union. Jones redesigned the company’s logo.

Less than a year after the start of the business, which is housed in Jones’ home, Darryl said he already has doubled his income.

“Things are going very, very well,” he said. “I’m going to be hiring someone soon, and I could probably bring a total of three people on board eventually.”

Jones has used his creative eye - he tells a story that his grandmother knew he would be an artist when she watched him painting Christmas ornaments when he was 4 - for several large companies, including Union Supplier of America, SIU Credit Union, Architechniques and Pepsi.

He said he would encourage anyone with a passion to strike out on their own, but do so first after some careful planning.

“So many people feel trapped, and that they can’t do anything about it. It’s not that hard, really, to start your own business if you put your mind to it,” Jones said.

He consulted with Gray, who helped him develop a business plan. In August, Jones was running Splattered Ink.

Folks like Gray want to help folks like Jones become successful business owners, and he has teamed with John A. Logan College to teach a spring class called “Making Your Idea A Business.”

Gray also is spearheading a forum titled “Start, Grow & Succeed in Business” on May 17 at the college. Go to www.ecafellc.com for more information.

Emily Carter, interim director for economic development at SIUC, manages the Entrepreneurship Center at the Dunn-Richmond Center in Carbondale. She said upwards of 500 clients passed through the center this past year.

“We are trying to integrate as many of our graduate students with our clients as possible to help solve some of their problems,” Carter said. “Our goal is to help sustain our local businesses and even help them grow.”

Carter said entrepreneurs are inherent risk takers whose desire, commitment and passion to build a business by “putting all of their assets on the line” sometimes make the difference in a successful or failed venture.

“We are here to encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs,” Carter said. “Everything we do here we do free of charge for our clients - accounting, marketing, finance, consultation and information on grant funding. We offer comprehensive support.”

Trecie Loyd, sole owner of Vienna Tax Service Ltd., doing business as Jackson-Hewitt Tax Service, said she has been a client of the entrepreneurship center at SIU for the last 10 years. She applauds the center’s work.

That work includes giving Loyd “a true and realistic picture of the business world. I have learned a lot about cash flow, balance sheets, financial reports and making five-year projections. You have to be a good planner to be successful.”

Loyd said she now owns 27 Jackson-Hewitt franchise operations in a four-state region, including Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri and Southern Illinois.

The Southern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center provides the following services:

* Coordinates support services for clients that address gaps and limitations in clients’ current operations.

* Conducts business assessments that identify gaps and limitations in the client’s current operation.

* Provides business coaching services to assist clients in developing professional funding pitches for investor meetings.

* Provides advanced financial assistance and planning, including determining capital needs and making investor introductions.

* Provides targeted accelerated services for clients that have high growth potential.

* Hosts quarterly entrepreneurial networking forums for clients to pitch their business idea.

The Illinois Small Business Development Center at SIUC is open to anyone currently in business or interested in starting a business. To schedule an appointment, prospective clients are encouraged to call 618-536-2424.

Community colleges in the area are also doing their part to assist business owners and propagate the entrepreneurial spirit in students.

Chris Barr, director of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center at John A. Logan College in Carterville, said the college’s center has helped bring over $800 million in state and federal funding procurement into Southern Illinois for small business development since 1985.

“We also assisted in the retainment or creation of over 300 local jobs last year,” Barr said. “The purpose of the procurement technical assistance center program is to provide specific marketing and technical assistance that will help encourage an increased share of the contract dollars that are procured each year by the government to the Southern Illinois business community,” he said.

The ultimate mission of PTAC, he said, is to provide technical assistance to familiarize firms with the government procurement process for a sound industrial and service base comprising government contractors that will serve to facilitate job creation and retention.

Assistance in the procurement process by PTAC is free of charge. The Procurement Technical Assistance Center was initiated to complement the state’s overall economic development efforts by helping established Illinois firms compete for government contracting opportunities. The PTAC serves the 30 southernmost counties of Illinois.

The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Shawnee Community College in Ullin has numerous opportunities for a new business or an existing business to expand, said Sarah Kinkade, public relations coordinator for the college.

In fact, most services, she said, are offered at no cost.

Kinkade said one-on-one counseling for small business owners and managers is provided at the center.

Counseling sessions will assist in the writing and development of a successful business plan, encompassing essential components such as day-to-day operations, marketing, financial management and legal requirements of a new and existing business.

Small business workshops and seminars also are offered, including entrepreneurship classes covering topics such as customer service, business management, public relations and insurance issues.

There is also valuable information, Kinkade said, about various agencies offering assistance with issues and regulations affecting small businesses in today’s marketplace. Information regarding financing options, bank financing, government-backed programs, non-bank lending options and technical assistance providers is readily available to the business client. Loan programs also are an option to help business owners locate the necessary funds.

- Steve Binder can be reached at 618-351-5605 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

- Read more of the Southern Business Jounral at www.sbj.biz