Entrepreneurs leave seminar with tips to improve their companies

'100 Business in 100 Days' workshop graduated 25 students

Twenty-five Inland entrepreneurs recently graduated from a business improvement class hosted by the City of San Bernardino, Economic Development Agency, Office of Business Development.

The Helping 100 Businesses in 100 Days workshop was presented by Opis Network, a Newport Beach-based business consulting firm. The seminar was designed to help companies reposition and succeed in the post-recession economy.

The final part of the class involved participants presenting a PowerPoint display and submitting to evaluation by a panel of judges. And although some of the criticism was harsh, participants in the class said they benefitted from the review. 

Beverly Rubio, owner of Bar Strategia, a marketing communications company in Riverside, said the course helped identify areas she needed to improve and provided great constructive criticism. Rubio won Opis' Judi Kaminishi Business Excellence Award for best presentation.

"They are telling you things other people won't tell you," Rubio said. She added that the best part of the course was the competitive analysis, where instructors compared companies to rival firms in their industry.

Jacqueline Stokes, owner of Seminars By Jackie and a graduate of the class, said all the participants benefitted from the trainers' brutally frank assessment of their companies.

"Their assessment was honest and up front," Stokes said. "It is brutal, but when you finish the class it forces you to examine where you are, and where you need to go."

"The Helping 100 Businesses in 100 Days was one of several workshops the Office of Business Development provided that help local entrepreneurs improve their businesses," said Lori Tillery, San Bernardino Economic Development Agency economic development manager. "All of the graduates of the seminar, left with an improved understanding of how to make their business profitable and successful."