A failing national economy, an iffy local tourist industry, businesses being extremely conservative with their marketing dollars…Imagine That Creative, Inc. faced all these obstacles when it opened its doors for business in August of 2008. “We really questioned the wisdom of starting a new business given the local and national economies,” said Eric Ojala, Customer Service and Sales Director.
Imagine That Creative is a business-to-business company offering Web and marketing services to small businesses in the mountain resort areas of central Colorado. It started as a Web company, limited to building websites for small businesses in Summit County.
“One of our clients suggested we contact the SBDC and get some help thinking through the growth of our business,” said Jeff McElhattan, Marketing Director.
Tom Fellner, CEO and Creative Director states, “The SBDC has become a very important part of our business. It provides more than just a one-time counseling session; we use the SBDC to help us process major decisions. The wisdom and experience the SBCD brings to the table has helped us avoid doing some negative things as well as understanding the positive things we need to do. We don’t make major decisions without consulting the SBDC first.”
In spite of all the external factors working against a new business startup, Imagine That Creative is doing well. It currently employs two part-time employees and will be adding a fulltime employee in 2011. “We are in the business-growth business; the SBDC has helped us grow so we can serve our clients better.”
