Are you a micro-business entrepreneur looking for help in starting or running your business better?

 

West Company offers free services as Mendocino's Small Business Development Center and Women's Business Center.


West Company also operates

Glenn County Microenterprise
Assistance Program.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you.

 

 

West Company provides free business consulting and training
services to both start-ups and existing micro businesses.

 

Business Leaders Luncheons

West Company hosts Business Leaders Luncheons in Fort Bragg and Ukiah - featuring guest speaker presentations of interest to local businesses.

 

Tammy Patrick, owner of Pacific Physical Therapy has created a haven for people who seek physical therapy or a personal fitness program. The facility features a view of the Pacific Ocean from the workout room and walls throughout are covered with the paintings of local artists. It is a comforting and peaceful building to enter. The added bonus seems to be that customers are greeted by name and inquiries about how things are going - physically, that is - are specific and genuine.

 

This would appear to be exactly the right business for Tammy Patrick to own and manage because she cares a lot that patients are nurtured and well taken care of. But she had planned to be a physical therapist, not a business owner so it was a bit of a surprise when her employer, the original owner of Pacific Physical Therapy, first offered an opportunity to buy half of the business and subsequently decided to sell out and leave the area. She was suddenly the person who - for beginners - had to build relationships with referring physicians; understand the financials; build the clientele; maneuver through the world of health insurance; keep staff happy; respond to patient needs.

 

At the time, in 1990, Tammy might have described herself as shy and lacking confidence - not necessarily the best qualifications to own and operate a major business. Something had to happen. And it did. She discovered that right there in Fort Bragg, West Company was gathering a group of 12 women who were thinking about being in business. They would become a Business Resource Group and would, with the help of West Company, discover the technical and the personal aspects of being in business. They would meet over a period of time and address issues that ran the gamut from rethinking cost/profit margins to overcoming fear of success. A perfect fit for Tammy at the time.

 

Almost twenty years later, Pacific Physical Therapy has 12-15 employees ranging in age from 19-83! Tammy is proud of the highly skilled staff and values the team's willingness to solve problems together and the flexibility of PPT to provide the best match of skills for each of a solid base of customers. Tammy hopes that Pacific Physical Therapy can keep providing this level of personalized service and respond to the challenges of balancing that with the design of the health insurance industry. Quite a challenge indeed.

 

As Tammy looks to the future of her business, she considers how it can address a number of market and global trends including opportunities to address prevention vs. sickness; ways to keep staff happy in times of an economic downturn; creation of services that may bring in new customers; a mandate to contain costs. Tammy and her staff have recently created a new tag line. It promises that Pacific Physical Therapy will rise to these challenges to provide personal, professional care - lasting results.