University of Wisconsin - Extension

MILWAUKEE - The time is right for Deborah Blanks and her son Geraud to form a business. The business name, Kairo Communications, is derived from the Greek word kairos, which means the opportune moment to accomplish a significant action.

The Blanks' first project is marketing a new book by Deborah, titled Weaving Diversity into the Fabric of America. The Blanks sought help from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UW-Milwaukee (UWM) to finish their business plan so they could finance the first printing of the book.

"They came to us with a pretty well-developed business plan. Only the financial projections were missing," says SBDC counselor Russell Roberts.

"We got the fundamentals here that helped us get financing," says Deborah. "The thing I like is that by going through the process, we got a clear understanding of the whole operation-break-even analysis and sales and cash flow projections."

While the book is the first project of Kairo Communications, it is the third that Deborah has written. As executive director of the Milwaukee Social Development Commission (SDC), she plans to keep her day job. "Until I partnered with Geraud, I didn't see this as a full-fledged business with income potential. He's a quick learner and a lot of the vision for this is his."

Geraud Blanks has a track record as an achiever. He is winner of the 1999 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Memorial Union Director Award, executive director of Student Creative Outreach Providing Education/Entertainment (SCOPE), and is pursuing a degree in Africology and Mass Communications at UWM.

Deborah Blanks operated an educational training and consulting firm before coming to the SDC. She has two masters' degrees, in educational psychology and public administration, from the University of Illinois.

The Blanks attended the SBDC's First Steps Small-Business Roundtable before their first meeting with Roberts. In the meetings that followed the Blanks refined their business plan. By August they were ready to present their plans to a lender. Their work resulted in a line of credit with Wells Fargo Bank.

The Blanks have several ideas for the subsequent development of their business, and Roberts says the SBDC is available to assist as the business expands. The SBDC is a unit of the Milwaukee Idea's new Consortium for Economic Opportunity.

For more information contact Russell Roberts at russellr@uwm.edu.