By Jenny Callison
Enquirer contributor

NORTH AVONDALE - Entrepreneurs in Greater Cincinnati need to create a community that allows them to share information and help one another, author and business columnist Rhonda Abrams said Friday.

RHONDA ABRAMS

Rhonda Abrams' weekly newspaper column, "Successful Business Strategies," reaches 20 million readers. She's also the author of three books on small business topics and owns her own small publishing firm. Friday, Abrams answered questions about her own professional history. After working in both government and the not-for-profit world, she found a position she really enjoyed doing business planning in a large corporation. Later, Abrams took six months off and attended the London School of Economics. Back home in San Francisco, she met a fellow dog-walker, who owned a small business. "We got to talking, and he asked me if I could write a business plan for his company." Abrams worked long and hard, and charged her new client very little. "I didn't see my first job as a money-maker; I saw it as a learning opportunity," she said. As she continued working as a freelance business consultant, she published her first book, The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies. The next year, in 1992, she began writing a small business question-and-answer column, "Help Me, Rhonda," that was carried by community papers. In 1987 she approached Gannett News Service's business editor about a small business column. "He said they planned to do that - one day," Abrams said. He called her in 1992 and said that "one day" had arrived.

"You have a number of key components in the Cincinnati area that help nurture entrepreneurship, such as universities, big corporations, a diverse economic base, and a number of community resources," she said. "Now you need to develop entrepreneur support groups. A network is so powerful."

Abrams spoke to about 120 small business owners and entrepreneurs at "Big Ideas for Small Business," a conference sponsored by the city of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and the Hamilton County Development Co.

The small business strategist, whose column appears in more than 120 newspapers including the Enquirer, was keynote speaker and a workshop leader at the event at the Cintas Center at Xavier University.

Abrams also challenged her audience to see themselves and their fellow business innovators in new ways. She emphasized three points.

• "You need to change your view of what is risky. Moving is not necessarily risky; staying still - doing things you have always done - can be risky."

•  "It's critical for everyone to redefine failure, because failure is a valuable learning experience. It's important to say 'experienced entrepreneur' rather than 'failed entrepreneur.' "

•  "People need to shift their view of what makes a successful company. They need to view individual sole proprietors as potentially great clients, but often sole proprietors get no respect."

To illustrate her point, Abrams cited some statistics from 2001, the latest year for which data are available. She said the 105,805 one-person businesses in this area generated $4.4 billion in sales during 2001.

"That's a lot of money," said Abrams. "And a lot of money means buying power: office furniture and equipment, software, copying services."

Businesses employing fewer than 20 people make up almost 80 percent of the employer (non-sole proprietorship) companies in the Cincinnati area and have a huge impact on the area's economy and community life, said Abrams.

"A lot of these small companies will grow bigger and will support arts and culture, community values, and will contribute to diversity," she added. "They are very loyal to their communities. They don't threaten to move out of a community if a certain piece of legislation isn't passed."

Abrams' advocacy of entrepreneurship communities resonated with David Leopold, a direct sales and marketing specialist who works out of his home in Landen. He came to the conference with the needs of micro-businesses very much on his mind.

"There is a great need for sole proprietorships to get together, discuss issues of common concern, and help each other out," he said. "There's a lot of us out there and unless we join chambers or whatever, there's no way for us to find each other."

A lively small business climate benefits everyone, said Ruth Clevenger , vice president of corporate communications and community affairs for the Federal Reserve of Cleveland. "Regional and local government plays a role in helping to create an environment where small businesses can survive and thrive; helping them make connections," she said. "The Federal Reserve Bank sees our role as convener, facilitator and catalyst."

Attendee Chelsea Heath of Mount Airy found plenty of helpful content in the morning "Business Basics" workshops.

"The most beneficial part for me was the session about creating a business plan," she said. "The information will help me get started, knowing what to do, what goes in to the business plan. Now I can complete it."

Heath, who is getting ready to launch a home-based sterling silver jewelry line, came to the conference looking for very specific start-up and marketing advice. In addition to that, she found encouragement.

"I liked what Ms. Abrams said, that you have to love what you're doing and not be in it for the money. Loving what you do will get you through the rough spots."

E-mail jcallison@zoomtown.com