PROSPER®

PROSPER --- GOING UP
Right Place,
Right Time
OAKLAND COUNTY EMBRACES
ENTREPRENEURS
By Wensdy Von Buskirk /
Photography by Jake Turskey
WHEN BINGO PET SALON GROOMS A
rescue dog, the canine is bound to get adopted.
With prime storefront in the heart of downtown
Royal Oak, every doggie in the window begs
attention.
“There’s a lot of foot traffic and people
driving by,” says Bingo co-owner Brian Lane.
“We love our location."
Lane is among many Oakland County
entrepreneurs whose ventures are thriving, and
who credit Oakland County’s One Stop Shop
Business Center for helping them along the way.
START-UP TO SECOND STAGE
Lane turned to the One Stop Shop for
assistance writing his business plan, evaluating
demographics, finding investors and honing
marketing strategy.
But the center’s resources, services and
support go far beyond that. The team works with
every level of enterprise, from start-ups looking
for the best location, through to second stage
companies seeking to expand or export.
According to Senior Business Consultant
Cathie Abad, it’s a good place and time to be an entrepreneur.
“We are seeing things pick up. Everyone is busier, there are more
financial opportunities. The banks are loosening up (their lending
practices),” she says. “The biggest challenge our business owners have
right now is finding talent.”
One Ferndale business has a unique approach to making great
hires, she says. Betterform, which crafts medical shoe insoles, draws
from the deaf community.
“Now I am completely fluent in sign language and many of our
new employees really enjoy learning sign language, too,” says David
Epstein, founder and president. “It’s been very rewarding.”
Clockwise, from top left, Bingo Pet Salon; Betterform owners Valerie
and David Epstein; and a worker at Betterform.
Epstein says his location in Oakland County offers central access
to ship products across the country and around the world. He and
his wife, Valerie, have been at it since 1992, but they still seek guidance
from the One Stop Shop.
“Sometimes I feel bad because I’m asking questions I should
maybe know the answer to, but they’ve always tried to assist us,
make recommendations and follow up,” he says.
52 OAKLANDCOUNTYPROSPER.COM 2016