Silver Sparrow Designs

By Malia Durbano

Kristi Smith took a windy road to owning her own business and creating beautiful jewelry. As a young girl, she enjoyed drawing, painting and all expressive, creative endeavors. Upon discovering beading, she began to make jewelry for everyone she knew. In a high school she took a silver-smithing class at the local community college and knew she had found her true love.

Learning that the equipment to get started was very costly, she took the conventional route and got a practical teaching degree. After four years of teaching, she had a baby and wanted to stay home with her. Miraculously, neighbors and friends and former silver-smiths gifted her with tools and a torch and so her business began. “I decided to call my business Silver Sparrow Designs because of my love of birds, sparrows in particular because they are simple and hardy, not flashy, like my jewelry.

But, shares Kristi, “I’m an artist, not a business person. Joe Keck helped me with all the details of running a business, acquiring the licenses, permits, learning about taxes and the difference between being a sole proprietor and an LLC,etc. He pointed me in the direction of lots of resources and helped me write the business plan.”

The business plan was nothing really formal, but it set me in the right direction and got me started. I took baby steps, and very slowly as I began to sell jewelry, I could buy more of what I needed.”

The most valuable information Smith received from the advice and the classes was, “Just that this was possible! I could start my own business. It wasn’t just some unobtainable dream.” Her etsy business took off right away so she didn’t have to get too involved in learning about the marketing aspect of running a business.

“Owning my own business is the hardest and most rewarding job I’ve ever had. The fact that everything falls on me is both a blessing and a curse. If something goes wrong, I’m the one to answer for it and when things go right, as they usually do, I know it’s because of my hard work.”

https://www.etsy.com/shop/silversparrowdesigns

P.S. Chocolates

Michele White is a lifelong artist who lives out her creative passion. She transitioned her career as an art teacher and into a self-taught business entrepreneur. Michele imported clothes and jewelry from Indonesia and sold them at her Satori Boutique, in Pagosa Springs. Michele sold the boutique after eight years, but continued to import items from Bali as she wondered about her next venture. On a day when she visited Santa Fe to sell her

Pura Vida

By Malia Durbano After four years in private practice, Naturopathic Doctor, Nicola St. Mary, decided it was time to pursue her dream of building a cooperative natural healthcare practice. With the vision in mind, she began assembling practitioners to join her and the search for a building. Dr. Nicola contacted Joe Keck to “totally understand the resources that were available.” After talking with Joe and his assistant, Lynn Asano, Dr. Nicola was referred to the

Love Untamed Collective

Meg Roberts is the owner of Love Untamed Collective. She specializes in elopement, wedding and event planning. Meg first fell in love with the wedding industry back when she was a stylist. During that time, Meg planned events at home, putting together parties for herself and friends. Her husband then encouraged her to get into the wedding planning business for herself. Meg said, “I did. I started by marketing myself as a bridesmaid for hire.” As her experience grew and creative

Durango Lawns: Keeping Durango Green

Some people adore yard work. Others prefer to leave their lawn care to the experts, so they have the freedom to go play. It is on this principle that Durango Lawns was founded. Although he is an electrician by trade, Pat Cass spent many of his early years working in lawn maintenance. He enjoys working outdoors and staying physically active, and for years, he dreamed of starting his own lawn company. Finally in 2019, he

KB Insurance Group

Ken Brengle is the owner of KB Insurance Group, headquartered in Cortez, CO. He studied business at Fort Lewis College. Outside of class, Ken did a lot of self study and sold cell phones at a local store. He was inspired by his business professors who became successful and moved to Durango for a better quality of life. Ken learned he was a good salesman, and with a sufficient income he thought, “Why should I pay thousands of dollars

Botanical Concepts

Botanical Concepts Garden Center (BCGC) is 1.3 miles east of north Main Avenue, at the intersection of County Roads 251 & 250. Janine Collins loves this location. She is the owner, and botanist, of BCGC. Janine views BCGC as a community where people come to immerse with nature. “I’m in a place where I am a part of the bigger picture.” Janine’s passion for botany began when she was an archeologist. She had more interest