Widener University SBDC Client Success Story
Meeting the Moment: Preparing for Growth
Dr. Noel Ramirez is the proud owner of Mango Tree Counseling and Consulting LLC which is a mental health resource center that centers its efforts on the needs of the Asian-American Community in the Philadelphia Metro area and state of PA. He started his business in an effort to break barriers between the Asian-American community and the benefits of counseling. From the beginning his goal has been to provide his services to as many people as he can at an affordable price. His core values, which are the bed rock of his practice, are belonging, community, honor, and access.
When the pandemic hit, Noel was forced to transition into a virtual counseling business. He found the transition difficult but worth it if it meant he was able to uphold his commitment to supporting the Asian-American community. For his commitment to the community and excellent service, Dr. Ramirez was awarded a grant from Rise Up Philly/Comcast. With this prestigious prize came a new opportunity to grow his company and further service the backlog of clients he had been dealing with up until that point. This is where Noel engaged with the Widener University SBDC.
After attending the SBDC’s Mighty Value Proposition event in December of 2020, held in conjunction with the Diverse Chambers of Philadelphia, Noel was introduced to the team at Widener University SBDC. It quickly became apparent that because of Noel’s commitment, passion, and spirit his practice was poised to launch into the next level of success. His operations were longing to begin servicing a much larger clientele within the Philadelphia community well beyond his current operations. However, with this new growth opportunity, came challenges related to staffing, maintaining his core values, and navigating his finances. In a coordinated effort, Noel and Widener University SBDC began planning on a way to meet the moment and capitalize on this growth opportunity.
For help with his finances Noel, was connected with the Widener University SBDC Capital Acquisition Consultant who helped Noel get a clear understanding on his practice’s cash inflows and outflows. They looked at the costs associated with bringing on new team members, and how much work he’d need to sustain his efforts. In addition, Noel was also placed in the Widener University Management 451 course. As part of this course he was paired with a team of 7 seniors studying business. This team of future professionals put together a researched growth plan for Noel, with instructions on how he can use his team, develop new processes, secure a sustainable future, and better engage with new and potential clients all for the success of his business. Since working with the SBDC Noel has been able to bring on additional employees and plans to continue using all the resources and in-formation he’s received to continue his superb service to the Philadelphia Asian-American community.
