Have you heard of Tay’s Auto Detailing or Sabor y Sazón Colombiano?

These two businesses have found success in our region with the support of Rosalina Perez from the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.

If you have an idea to start a business or need assistance in growing your small business, the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (NIIC) is a great place to start.

“It’s a hub for information for entrepreneurs,” Perez, an Entrepreneur Coach for the NIIC and 2023 Pioneer of the Year Nominee, said.

The NIIC offers 1-on-1 coaching, training and workshops, in English and Spanish, for aspiring entrepreneurs. Additionally, they offer co-working spaces for different industries, from healthcare to IT companies.

To get started, you can fill out the form on their site, give them a call, or just walk in. They will schedule you with a coach for an orientation. From there, you will go through a couple of fundamental sessions, including one on marketing and one on financials.

The NIIC offers information on government contracting, help with getting a business loan, assistance in scaling your business and connecting with different organizations in your industry.

Within the NIIC, there are a few different coaches with diverse backgrounds.

“Some of us have come through from real estate, retail, restaurants or a franchise. Obviously, all Spanish speakers come to me. My background is in immigration law. I helped an attorney open his firm and create the processes for operation,” Perez said

Perez launched the Hispanic and Spanish-speaking programming at NIIC.

“I’ve worked with the Department of Health, so I understand the back end when it comes to permits. A lot of the food businesses will come to me, and then another coach focuses on counties outside of Allen County.”

Entrepreneurs face challenges daily, and they come in different forms. It can depend on the industry, but usually, the biggest hurdle faced by most entrepreneurs is capital and trying to raise it.

“There are organizations and institutions that offer it, but I think a lot of entrepreneurs who don’t have the collateral, the employment history or the steady income stream in order to be given a loan,” Perez said.

Additionally, Perez said growing and scaling a business is another obstacle that can hinder a small business.

For Spanish and other non-English speakers, a lot of them struggle even just to get started the right way because of the language barrier.

The NIIC does offer Spanish on its website, including on the initial form to fill out for those getting started. However, the same can’t be said for other important websites for business owners.

“If it’s all in English, it’s very complicated. For someone whose second language is English, they don’t know how to navigate through it or understand it,” Perez said.

Setbacks are going to happen when starting a business. Progress is rarely a linear path upward. The NICC is there every step of the way.

“It’s your own marathon under this so I try to remind them, ‘Who are you comparing that setback to and with who else?’” Perez said. “I tell people to start having conversations with people better than you because they’re the ones that are actually at that next level you’re trying to get to and it is uncomfortable. You might feel like you don’t belong. But I tell people like you need to get in front of people who are better than you and are in different industries too because you can get different perspectives.”

Successful entrepreneurs are often those who are the most persistent, according to Perez.

“You’re going to get a lot of no’s from a lot of people. I always tell people, you have to remind clients 10-12, times, if not more, about your product or the service that you provide, in order for them to get interested and remember you,” Perez said.

Success for Perez is when a client doesn’t need to contact her as often.

“The pride comes from all the experiences that I’ve had. I never really thought that they would be useful, or I needed them, until these moments with these clients,” Perez said. “I’m like, wow, that’s where my sense of value comes in. That I really help them, and I’ve been a part of their journey.”