Small Business Success

By Kelcie Eminian ‘20

Thanks to the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Bradley University, Peoria-area resident Sara Skolaski left behind a stable career to start her own business. The teacher left an education career to launch The Spot, a mobile coffee shop in October 2016.

Skolaski took advantage of the SBDC’s help for business basics such as planning, price points, tax documents and permits to launch the coffee shop. The greatest benefit the center provided her with, however, was the pool of resources and networking opportunities she was able to connect with locally.

“The success of my business is owed to Ross Miller (of the SBDC),” she said. “He took off with the idea and was so diligent and instrumental in setting up the basics of my business. We were under a time crunch to get started and he made every minute of my time count. I can’t even sum it up because he was so wonderful.”

Initally, the business was going to be a shop in Elmwood, Illinois. However, the proposed business location wasn’t zoned to be a restaurant. Instead, Skolaski took her business on the road. She remodeled a small camper trailer to become the business’ traveling home.

The Spot continues to travel, and is actively engaged in the community. Skolaski participates in multiple fundraising events, working with local schools to donate portions of sales. She also works with special needs students to provide them with career-related skills necessary for the workforce.

Skolaski says her main motivation to start her own business revolved around her passion for people, and her ability to engage in a diverse customer base. She grew her venture by cold calling local businesses, proposing their lots as possible locations for visits by The Spot.

"We were blessed enough to have people who believed in us and allowed us to grow,” she said.

She credits The Spot's success to a variety of supporters, including local-area businesses as well as her customers. She treats them like family, and even has some who follow The Spot to various locations every week.

Skolaski says this is where the greatest gain of the business comes into play. She enjoys seeing people pay it forward, and thrives on the ability to make her own schedule, travel and meet new people.

“My number one mission is to love on our customers,” she said. “I enjoy being in the community meeting new people and hearing their stories. We just want to show people kindness.”