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WHY PEBBLE PLAN? (THE BUSINESS)

The business exists to address this problem:  

Every day thousands of people reach the end of their professional & personal rope; and out of a combination of hope, fear, frustration, and impatience jump into business ownership, and the associated debt, without knowing what they are getting into and what it will cost them or their family.  Many times they end up ruining their finances, alienating their family, loosing hope, and loosing touch with who they are as a person.

This is a 'business problem' in as much as it can be improved or avoided with better business awareness; but it is also a personal, and community problem that requires more than just the right facts and figures to solve.  We can provide the business knowledge part of the solution, but we need partners that we can work alongside to strengthen their work as they provide the financial, personal, and community parts of the solution. 

PEOPLE ARE STILL THE HEART OF SMALL BUSINESS

After spending years trying to replace my work as a small business coach & consultant with software that could closely resemble the information I provided in live consulting sessions.  I ended up with great software that got great reviews from economic developers, ecosystem builders, lenders, CDFIs and SBDC directors, but was not actually helping many entrepreneurs.  By focusing on the convenience and efficiency aspects of the software I ended up with people who were using the software apart from the counsel of a person that could guide them when they felt stuck or reassure them when they felt inadequate.  It turned out that early stage entrepreneurs valued the personal interaction and feeling understood more than they valued 24/7 access to software that could help them solve problems faster and provide more detailed technical explanations/answers.   

It was a pretty humbling miscalculation, but it was a great reminder that business is personal and that more answers (even if they are the right answers) does not equal more success.  So, after taking time to regroup, rethink, and consider how to efficiently and simultaneously support thousands of entrepreneurs across the country, we have pivoted to join the technical assistance strengths of the Pebble Plan system with the personal guidance, encouragement, and accountability provided by other coaches & consultants. 

We now focus on making it easier for business coaches, life coaches, lenders, ecosystem builders, economic developers, and ministry professionals to support the entrepreneurs they work with without having to be experts in the technical aspects of starting and growing small businesses.  As your clients lean on you to help them work through the specific situations that hinder their success, you can lean on us for help with business modeling, business planning, customer discovery, inventory, cost analysis, pricing, business financials, etc.  Together we can help more people overcome their challenges to plan, build and rebuild successful businesses without ruining their family or financial lives.     

WHY PEBBLE PLAN? (THE NAME)

I wanted a name that spoke to the core of what the business is all about, helping entrepreneurs count the cost of starting, restarting, or growing their business.  I had been thinking about that and was kicking around a few ideas, and one day I started down a rabbit trail about the origin of the phrase 'count the cost' and found that in Greek it translates to 'psephizo', and that the word psephizo also means 'pebble'.   As soon as I saw it something clicked, and I knew that this was the name.  If you break it down our name means 'count the cost plan' and that's exactly what it is.

 
The context that the word was used in was this: "Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost ?"  I'm pretty sure this question was being asked to a group of entrepreneurs who were excited about the potential of the opportunity in front of them, but needed to be reminded that along with the awesome times comes times of difficulty; and that before you commit make sure you are ready for what you are signing up for.  Building a tower takes vision, planning, resources, a tolerance for risk, and a willingness to put your work out there to be used by others.  Sounds like entrepreneurs to me.

THE TEAM

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Tracy Shea

Founder / CEO

Tracy draws on 25+ years of professional experience with careers in banking software, insurance software, and higher Ed., to compliment 12 years of business ownership and 9 years of small business consulting.  When not at his desk Tracy spends as much time as possible outside, preferably hiking or camping. 

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Jennifer Shea

COO

Jennifer has been working with small businesses and non-profits in marketing and management roles for 20 years. Her unique combination of creative, technology, and analysis skills make her an invaluable contributor to all parts of the business.  When Jennifer is not at work she enjoys painting and testing new tech.

Team Talk

Coming Soon

Coaching Coordinator

We are looking for a passionate professional with experience transforming talented and independent individuals into a team.  This person will lead the expansion of our coaching partnerships and implementation of curriculum.  Experience as a business coach, consultant, or mentor in a technology context strongly preferred.  Ownership / equity track for the right person.

SOME THOUGHTS ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP

If these thoughts resonate with you, you will love working with us.

  • By helping would-be entrepreneurs get to awareness points & decisions points early in the process of considering starting a business, we can diffuse the impatience factor long enough for them to choose to honestly evaluate if they are ready to start a business.  They have to choose to be honest with themselves, but we can set the stage.

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  • By providing superior business planning tools we help would-be entrepreneurs realize the difficulty of the path forward without crushing their dreams, and enable them to more-objectively gauge their likelihood of success.

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  • By framing the business planning process as something that increases readiness for success and avoids future financial mistakes we can shift the thinking of those that choose to move forward away from seeing self-employment as a way out of a job, and towards a distinctly different financial path that requires thorough preparation.

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  • Helping someone realize the truth when they are not ready to start a business is a huge win, and their decision to be responsible with what they have now, as they plan for the future should be supported, not derided.  Chasing the status associated with entrepreneurship has driven many people into bankruptcy 

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  • Debt is a necessary tool for some situations, but should not be described as necessary or expected when guiding entrepreneurs.  It is better to help someone build a business that pays them a little but has no debt than one that pays them well but that they are a slave to because of the debt service.  The small business can scale with less risk, but one mistake with a highly leveraged business can be the end of it all.

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