William Strutz first came to the Alaska Small Business Development Center in late 2010 with the idea to start a bottled water business utilizing the water from the natural springs on his land. Strutz already owned a separate business but was looking for help creating a business plan for the new endeavor. Business Adviser Bryan Zak worked with Strutz to complete a financial projection for the business. The projection provided a firm foundation, which Strutz used to build his complete business plan. Zak also worked with Strutz to identify a specific NAICs code, which was used to request an SBDC.net search to gather market research on similar businesses to include in the business plan. Strutz and Zak reviewed the plan which Strutz then took to a loan officer to discuss funding options.
“Working with Bryan Zak at the SBDC went fantastic” said Strutz. “We spent six months building a business plan. It was really helpful”.
After the business launched as Ohlson Mountain Mineral Springs, Strutz and Zak continued to work together on marketing strategies for the new product. As the business grew, Strutz’s needs changed and Zak was able to work with him on production strategies, operations issues, and plans to purchase assets and hire employees they now found themselves needing.
Ohlson Mountain Mineral Springs is thriving in the Alaskan market as the only locally owned and operated spring water service on the Kenai Peninsula. They offer direct delivery to consumers along with water dispenser rentals. They can be found online at http://ohlsonmountainmineralspringsh2o.com .