Photograph by Robert Scheer
Elza Minor advises business owners at the Silicon Valley Small Business Development Center.
By TIM PERSYN
Entrepreneur and consultant Gale Maxwell once had a joint venture go bankrupt because he didn't have a marketing plan.
Now, Maxwell, who also has 12 years of experience owning his own business consulting firm and once owned a highly successful manufacturing and sales company, helps other entrepreneurs avoid the pitfalls of the business world in his position as senior consultant at the Silicon Valley Small Business Development Center.
The center is operated by the West Valley-Mission Community College District. It relies on state and federal funding.
The center, located in Sunnyvale, helps small businesses to grow and expand by providing consultation services. Elza Minor, the center's director, employs the resources of 35 contract consultants who have expertise in such areas as business plan development, marketing, finance, and law.
Through the center, small businesses can receive as much as eight to 10 free hours of consultation.
Minor said the center does face-to-face consulting with about 650 people a year. "Any problem or concern that a small business owner has, I try to have a consultant address that need," said Minor. The Silicon Valley Small Business Development Center serves south San Mateo County and Santa Clara County.
To be eligible for services, a business must gross less than $5 million a year. Before offering its help, the center checks to see that it can meet the needs of a business and that the business is serious.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 5, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.