Pino Pies – Bishop, CA
“We started planning from the very beginning with our consultant’s help. Jim got us to think outside the box instead of struggling to do the same thing. We had no idea what we were doing. It was chaos. His calmness, expert advice, and just knowing we could call him was neat. With the SBDC, it really feels like people care.” Troy & Dulce Pino – Pino Pies
When you ask Troy and Dulce Pino what inspired them to start a business, they give two reasons. First, they simply like to eat. Second, Troy grew up in Bishop and is a chef on a mission to build a kitchen and change the food scene there. He sees great opportunity, especially with the number of travelers who drive through from both Southern and Northern California.
“We get local meats and pastries and vegetables and eggs and make savory and sweet hand pies out of it all,” notes Troy. “There’s no one else doing farm-to-table within 300 miles of Bishop, so I’d say it’s unique for the area. And they’re New Zealand style pies. My wife, Dulce is from New Zealand, so that’s where we got the idea from because they are everywhere there. We also do hot pies for lunch, frozen pies, and take-and-bake refrigerated pies.”
Troy and Dulce credit the SBDC consulting they received for being able to successfully apply for an EIDL early in COVID. “Jim helped us find a link when we were having trouble getting the EIDL. I couldn’t get through the website and it kept shutting down. Once he gave me the link, I was on and signed up within seconds. That money was crucial to getting us through a really tough time. It was probably one of the biggest things of how the SBDC helped us.”
Additional assistance was also a product of consulting: examining prices, ideas on how to increase sales, effect on sales if the client remains open two extra days per week.
For Troy, the most important aspect of SBDC assistance was the human connection. “It’s the expert advice and just knowing there are people we could call. Jim actually stopped here in town with his wife, and we had coffee one day. It was great chatting and for them to see what’s going on. It feels like somebody cares.”
Coupled with that, Troy likes the help he’s been given with the process of putting together a business plan. “It unjumbled everything in my head and made me write it down and create goals. If you don’t have goals, you don’t know what you’re shooting for.”