Athena program offers boost to 4 women-owned Erie businesses
Jim Martin, Erie Times-News
5 min read
Vicke Marz is confident she can make guests feel welcome when they walk through the doors of Victoria Inn Bed and Breakfast at 401 Peach St.
She feels just as certain that patrons will leave the table feeling satisfied after enjoying a house-made quiche or lemon-ricotta pancakes.
Holly McMaster, who bought the Juice Jar at 2620 W. Eighth St., in March of 2020, is just as confident with the all-natural smoothies she serves up, or the taste and quality of her avocado toast or vegan breakfast bowls.
Both women are quick to admit, however, that there's plenty they don't know about running a business.
And they're hoping that will change over the next 12 months.
Marz and McMaster, along with Allison Price, owner of Nutrition and Healing Center at 3624 W. 12th St., have been chosen by the Erie Athena Powerlink program to receive the services for one year of a hand-picked team of eight to 10 professionals, including lawyers, bankers, accountants, marketing professionals and information technology specialists who will meet with them regularly to provide free guidance.
The program, now in its 22nd year, has worked so far with 60 women-owned business professionals.
In the words of Linda Stevenson, founder and chairwoman for the Erie Athena Powerlink program, the advisory panels provide thousands of dollars worth of free guidance through a series of regular meetings.
"Women entrepreneurs have greater access to valuable resources that will help them continue to achieve their business objectives," Stevenson said.
Marz said that knowing Stevenson as well as several past Powerlink winners convinced her of the value of the mentoring program.
Marz, who started her career working as a member of a utility line crew before going on to work in the corporate world for many years, said the service part of running a bed and breakfast has been everything she had hoped.
"That part has been super easy," she said. "I love that part. It's the part about making sure I am not losing money and the business side of keeping the books. I have no idea how much it takes me to make breakfast."
As her husband sometimes reminds her, running the inn is a business, not a hobby.
"The big part is taking the bed and breakfast and turning it into a business. That is what I am hoping to do," she said.
A need for marketing
Price, who said she's confident in her education and expertise in the area of nutrition and holistic health, said she doesn't feel nearly as good about her ability to promote and market her business. So far, she said, most of her new customers have come from referrals.
She can envision some of what's missing.
"I would like to get some pamphlets with more information for people," she said. "I would love to get a new website here for people, one that's more user-friendly and also would have more information."
Like Marz, she's confident that her panel of advisers can help with all of that and transform her business in the process.
Understanding finances
McMaster, who bought her business just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, said that like some of the others, she understands her core business.
It's the technical end of finances and management training that could use some help.
"I could not be more excited to be under the mentorship of these talented men and women," she said. "Now is the time to really take it to the next level. They are going to help me understand my financials better so we can target the key drivers of the business."
She thinks her advisory panel could prove to be a game-changer.
"I am looking for another set of eyes, another set of experienced and knowledgeable eyes that can help me look and know what I can tweak," she said.
A new Athena model
Gisele Littrell, owner of the Tipsy Bean, a coffee shop at 2425 Peach St., was mentored on national television by Glenn Stearns in an episode aired last January of "Undercover Billionaire: Comeback City."
But like other Athena participants, she still has something to learn. The difference is that Littrell will participate in a pilot program with Pittsburgh Powerlink and Athena International.
Instead of meeting one-on-one with a personalized group of local mentors, participants will meet in online sessions with both mentors and other business owners from across the country.
"I felt like she was in a different time and place and it fit for what she wanted to accomplish," Stevenson said.
Littrell, who has owned a number of businesses over the years, said the mentoring provided by Stearns on the Discovery Channel show and the exposure that went with it helped double her business over a period of several months.
But she faces new challenges as she looks for other ways to expand.
"I am at the point where I don't have knowledge of scaling my company into the next level, whether that is packaging products or franchising. My hope is that this group will give me new direction about what is next."
She's hopeful that she will find answers to her questions by working with a national group of mentors. After all, she said, working briefly with Stearns doubled her business.
"What would it have looked like if I had spent six months or a year mentoring with him? I think the growth potential is huge over the next two to five years."
