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hbg SMALL buSINeSS ArtICLeS Are ProuDLy SPoNSoreD by: " e biggest reason why I'm able to continue doing what I'm doing is because of all the friends I've made," he explained. "As long as you make a big enough noise and try to get involved and try to get to know people, and you're friendly and you want to be friends rather than just trying to find people to use them, then you'll succeed." New to the capital city, Black did not have the advantage of strong, established relationships here, but he recognized it as something that he needed to build. "In the beginning, I didn't have a network here," he said. "I didn't train in this area for years on end. Anybody would tell you I was crazy. You don't open a business in the area unless you have a solid product and a strong way of reaching people. I believed in the product, and I figured I'd reach people eventually." Upon arriving in Harrisburg from Washington, D.C., Black immediately joined a baseball team to meet people and started networking every way he could, and he soon started to feel the warmth of the neighborhood. "Harrisburg has been good," he said. "I've had people who have been supportive of the project." Many of his Midtown neighbors are now his friends and clients. But he especially recalls one guy who resisted his exercise pitch. "He said, 'I'll never work out, not here, not there or anywhere, but as a Harrisburg Midtown resident, I wanted to thank you for bringing your operation here,'" Black said. "It was really heartwarming, and I then knew that my business was all about the community." MAP It out & Look AheAD Research, research, research. All three entrepreneurs put in hard work and planning before starting their new businesses. "Do your research first," Brackbill said. "I've always been a go-with-the-flow type of guy, but that could land me in hot water. So, you can't just go with the flow. You need to make sure you're doing everything correctly. Keep learning and ask questions." Beyond friends, family and the Internet, Brackbill—to his surprise—found the government to be helpful. "When you're trying to be sure that you're doing everything correctly, the state and the city really help," he said. "I thought the government would be snub-nosing and slapping your wrist all of the time, but I didn't find that to be the case. ey help a lot. ey want to see you succeed, and part of their job is to see that business excels in the state." Prall, too, had a hand from a third party, a fellow successful restaurant owner, who, she said, helped her confidence and credibility as a restaurateur. Remember those projections that Prall worked endlessly on? She projected down to the day what she could potentially make in the business to see if it was feasible. "I really spent two solid years planning," she explained as she listed off questions she would ponder. "What kind of food would I serve? What feel would the restaurant have?" Prall remembered one specific moment while obtaining her liquor license. "I came up with a business plan that was pretty impressive," she said. "I was pretty proud that the business plan that I had was good enough for them to say, 'You can feel relatively confident that you're going to get your money back.'" Still, she knew that planning wouldn't make her journey flawless. "I understood that you might do absolutely everything right and still fail because of the market or a wave of crime or those things out of your control," she said. "I had a plan. If it failed, I had another plan, but I certainly didn't want to fail." She laughed briefly, then added, "I feel like I've been pretty consistent in life with things so I was like, 'Let's not fail.' And so far, so good!" Black, too, stressed the importance of pre-planning to help avoid mistakes. "When you're learning on the fly, in the time it takes you to learn. You could mess up and that could be bad for you," he said. "But there are so many resources out there for you to do your research. If you have a dream, just go for it. ere are some fantastic people doing fantastic things." To learn more about these businesses and their owners, visit: Next Step Performance: www.nsp.fitness note. Bistro & Wine Bar: www.notewinebar.com Urban Churn: www.urbanchurn.com

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