Is now a good time for small businesses to hire workers? Deena Pierott, founder of Urban Entrepreneurs Network, a Vancouver-area advocacy group for entrepreneurship, finds business-building the perfect outlet for her energy. Yet in a March 21 interview, I found that this dynamic businesswoman views hiring employees as a daunting challenge. Her hesitancy to add employees, typical of many who venture into start-ups, explains why small-business hiring has yet to emerge from the deep recession.
Pierott, a Vancouver resident since 1996, formed two businesses here when her job with the City of Portland ended several years ago. Capitalizing on her knowledge that many businesses want a more diverse work force, she founded Mosaic Blueprint in 2007 to place qualified minority job-seekers into professional positions. Discovering a secondary need, in 2009 she founded Urban Entrepreneurs Network of Southwest Washington (UEN), now consisting of 28 small-business owners and entrepreneurs who meet monthly in the Clark County area to develop relationships within the broader business community. Pierott credits fellow entrepreneurs Eloisa Bolivar of LMS Cleaning Services, Kevin Tabor of RynoMotors, Leiliani Russell of Pathways to Excellence, and Clark College students Travone & Artista Roberson as UEN leaders.
Some of the owners had to be convinced, she says, that networking with the broader business and government sectors could help them. One owner of a small flower shop became convinced when learning that floral displays are common at conventions and meetings, and that networking through UEN opened up markets with customers such as the Port of Vancouver.
Many of the “solopreneurs” in UEN represent minorities , but Pierrot argues passionately against depending upon racial-minority status. She believes UEN will help the most by including entrepreneurs regardless of ethnic and racial backgrounds. She contends that becoming state-certified as a Minority Business Enterprise, though helpful, is no substitute for building strong relationships within the business community.