Entrepreneurs Benefit from Pro-Business Spirit
Published May 27, 2009
Inspirational words decorate a colorful meeting space at Merlot Marketing Inc., which was founded in Sacramento in 2001.
If you’re thinking about starting a business, there may be no better place than California.
A 2007 ranking of startup activities nationally found the Golden State was No. 1 or No. 2 in a dozen industries. These successes come as no surprise to Tracie Stafford, who sits on the California Small Business Board and owns a Sacramento-based event marketing and planning company, Exceptional Events Inc.
“Before starting Exceptional Events, I was in management for a high-tech company,” Stafford says. She chose to build the business in California – as opposed to, say, Nevada – because “there are so many programs here to support entrepreneurs, including the governor’s Small Business Board, where folks come together to make sure small-business owners have a voice.”
Stafford’s devotion to California was further strengthened by her travels elsewhere. “I found California is one of the most innovative states. There’s definitely a spirit of entrepreneurship here that I didn’t see in other states.”
Stafford, who in 2007 became the first African-American to win the Mrs. California pageant, says she’s also been impressed with the state’s efforts to reach out to minority-owned businesses. “There are so many small minority businesses aided by programs the state offers to ensure there’s equality in the distribution of government contracts.”
Governor Sets Tone
The administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger strongly supports entrepreneurship and small business, as evidenced by the first Governor’s Conference on Small Business & Entrepreneurship held in Los Angeles in November 2008. Schwarzenegger invited entrepreneurs and small business leaders to discuss ideas on improving the partnership between the private sector and state government to stimulate the economy.
“The governor understands that in times of economic change like we’re going through now, you have to have a process to listen to what constituents need, and that was the whole purpose of the conference,” says Marty Keller, director of the Governor’s Office of the Small Business Advocate. “Clearly, the governor has a very strong commitment to ensuring entrepreneurs have the opportunity to be successful and are not stymied by state policies.”
One example of a successful small business is Merlot Marketing Inc., a full-service marketing agency started in Sacramento by entrepreneur Debi Hammond in 2001. It now has a full-time staff of 17 and recently added a San Francisco office.
In fact, about 98 percent of California enterprises are small businesses; they number 3.6 million companies and employ about 52 percent of the workforce. And that workforce is highly skilled, “thanks to our community college network,” Keller says.
Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by Jeff Adkins
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