When the battered economy cost Diana Green her job, she decided to follow her dream of opening her own bake shop.

"I was passionate about cakes, but I didn't know the first thing about opening my own business," she said. "I didn't even know whether I could afford it."

Though the process hasn't been easy, Green is in the preparation of opening her business, Sweet Addictions Bake Shop, 701 Court St., West Reading.

"It's been both terrifying and exciting," she said of opening a business, which she plans to do by spring.

Because the process requires making so many decisions, she urges anyone planning to start a business to take advantage of the local resources.

They include the Small Business Development Center at Kutztown University, and the Reading chapter of SCORE, a group of volunteer business professionals who offer counseling and advice.

Start-up businesses that consult with KU's business center succeed far more frequently than those that do not, said director Ernie Post.

The center offers tips on topics including how to secure financing, which remains difficult, he said.

The center also helps guide budding entrepreneurs through the four steps of launching a business:
Coming up with an idea.
Developing a plan.
Marshaling resources (raising funds, selecting a property, forming a team).
Implementation.

Too many people get so bogged down in planning that they eventually give up, Post said.

While planning is important, it need not be a three- to six-month process, he said.

The KU business center can help budding entrepreneurs develop a model quickly, focusing on keys such as feasibility and pricing points.

"In one or two days, you can develop a really solid pitch," Post said.

The KU business center also can assist those buying a business - it's easier than starting from scratch, Post said.

Another crucial step for those planning a business is to speak with potential customers about their service or product, said J. Russell Hoke II, vice chairman of the Reading SCORE chapter. That can help them decide whether there is a demand for what they'll be selling.

SCORE, like the KU business center, provides not just counseling during the planning stages but also after the business opens, he said.

That's been a huge help to businesses such as Scrolls and Strings Violin House in West Reading, which sells and repairs stringed instruments.

"The SCORE counselors gave us a focus and direction and taught us the value of a business plan," said Shelly Reider, who opened the business with husband Jeffrey M. in 2006.

Contact Mike Urban: 610-371-5023 or murban@readingeagle.com.