Success Stories

Running a restaurant has its challenges, but 2020 really took it to the next level. Thai Number 9 faced these challenges head-on all while keeping their customers fed and satisfied.

Thai Number 9 opened in 2018 and is a family-owned and operated authentic Thai restaurant in Grand Junction, Colorado. The dream of running a restaurant started years earlier when siblings and owners Jojo Barnes and Peter Unaboot enrolled in the GJ SBDC’s flagship-class “How to Start a Business in Western Colorado.” Since 2011, Thai Number 9 has met with multiple SBDC coaches on topics including marketing, cash flow projections, and general startup assistance.

When news broke about different state and local COVID-19 grant programs, Thai Number 9 was able to quickly apply and receive the funding they needed to keep their restaurant alive.

“The Incubator [and Grand Junction SBDC] helped us get through 2020 by guiding us with useful information and new ideas. With 2020 being so rough, they were able to provide us with [information about] forgiveness grants, whether local or through somewhere else,” said Barnes.

SBDC Consultants Jonathan Long and Laura Mercier met with the restaurant owners on multiple occasions discussing new ways to enhance the restaurant while balancing the changing and challenging health pandemic circumstances.

“They [Jonathan and Laura] have been nothing but kind, and their willingness to help is greatly appreciated,” said Barnes.

The restaurant offers this bit of advice for anyone interested in starting their own restaurant or business: “Follow your dreams and make sure you put your heart and soul into your business. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We have such helpful and great people in our community that are willing to guide you in the right direction!”

Louie is a six-foot-tall (and growing) house plant and the shop greeter at Alpine Autohaus. He was passed down from the original owner with the adage, “If Louie is doing well, the business is doing well.” According to Alpine Autohaus’ owner, Sean Cotter, Louie is doing very well.

Alpine Autohaus opened in 1995 as a one-man operation. Cotter was hired in 2013 when the original owner was ready to move on and with the understanding that Cotter would purchase the business in two years. Two years quickly changed to eight months and Cotter needed to complete a business plan to secure funding for the business purchase.

Cotter heard about the SBDC from the previous owner and began meeting with the Grand Junction SBDC Director, Julie Morey, on his business plan.

 “I had no idea where to start with the business plan. Without her help, I would have never been able to accomplish what I did. We had three or four meetings, and she helped me lay out what I needed for a loan and guided me in the right direction. Without her, I would have never gotten the business.”

With his completed business plan, Cotter was able to secure financing for a loan to purchase the business. Today, Alpine Autohaus, who specializes in European and Asian import automotive service and repair, has seven fulltime employees and is considering expansion. Cotter plans to continue investing in training and advanced equipment to meet the service requirements of newer, technology-focused vehicles.

“Six years later, we are six-times bigger than when I bought it,” says Cotter.

Cotter encourages those interested in purchasing or starting a business to not be afraid and to check out what resources are available.

“Don’t be afraid to try it. There are resources everywhere. I think the only thing that stops people is fear and lack of following all your resource trails. If one door closes, you’ve just got to pivot and find another one. It’s the same thing if you’re going to be a successful business owner; it’s the same thing you do every day for a living. Not everything is going to go smoothly all the time. The biggest thing that I would say is to be relentless.”

CrossFit Juke Joint (CFJJ) is a box, not a gym. Unlike gyms, CrossFit facilities (boxes) do not house treadmills or 20 weight machines. They resemble a box with four walls that contain weights, ropes, and bars. However, perhaps the most important piece of equipment a box can carry is a sense of community – something CFJJ owner Sung Hong cares deeply about.

An accomplished martial artist, Hong was first introduced to the CrossFit lifestyle while managing a fast-growing martial arts school in Virginia. Hong was immediately hooked by the challenging and rewarding fitness routine CrossFit offered, sometimes even working out twice a day.

In 2015, Hong decided to leave Virginia to pursue his dream of opening a CrossFit box. Armed with his list of 19 potential new cities to call home and a full tank of gas, Hong traveled across the country in search of a new location – preferably someplace warm and dry. After checking out 27 different CrossFit boxes in New Mexico, Arizona, and California, Hong met a couple who suggested he look at Grand Junction.

In 2016, Hong opened his first box in Grand Junction in a leased space next to a busy grocery store. While the space met his and his members’ needs, Hong wanted to own the building, which was not an option at this location.

In April 2019, a CFJJ member found the box’s new home, a former road sign company building just south of downtown. Seeking financial guidance to purchase and complete the building’s much-needed renovations, Hong was directed to the SBDC. Hong worked extensively with Grand Junction SBDC Director Julie Morey and SBDC Coach Helen Roe while developing and polishing his business plan.

“Julie Morey with the Grand Junction SBDC helped me as I planned for purchasing a new location to move my business, giving me her time and expertise to complete a business plan. Helen Roe patiently advised me on preparing my loan application,” said Hong.

Upon being approved for a $30,000 loan, Hong and his dedicated members quickly moved in and began renovations. Building renovations have not impacted membership numbers or classes. CFJJ’s membership has increased to 35 members since moving to its current location.

“Since we moved, we’ve added 10-15 more members,” said Hong.

The Story Behind the Name 

Hong thought of the name, CrossFit Juke Joint, while venturing south along the Blues Highway during his cross-country journey. He stayed at the historic Riverside Hotel, a popular resting place for well-known blues singers and, later, a juke joint. A juke joint is defined as a vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African Americans in the southeastern United States.

“It was pretty cool. It was a community. It was random people, but they loved playing blues together. So, it’s kind of like the same concept of CrossFit, too,” said Hong.

Hong credits his growth to the one piece of equipment many gyms or boxes lack – community. Hong hopes to grow the box to 60 members and plans to enhance the community-based atmosphere further by helping members prepare and enjoy healthy meals together.

When Tessa McInnis moved to Grand Junction just over a year ago, she left her training and teaching at Core Power Yoga with hopes she would find something comparable in Grand Junction. To her dismay though, there was nothing even close to similar so she decided to utilize her extensive training and open her own Power Yoga studio. While waitressing, Tessa worked with the Grand Junction SBDC taking the How to Start a Business class and one-on-one counseling to put her business plan together, get financing, and answer all the other questions she had in starting her company. The final result; Yoga: Vinyassa opened June 2008. The studio is heated and humidified to provide the clients a range of benefits including but not limited to better flexibility/greater range of movement for poses, increased metabolism, improved immune system, and more effective fat burning. Her main advertising is word of mouth so every client’s first class is free with a variety of visit packages and discounts available to fit everyone’s schedule and needs.