Ernie Anderson and Kenneth White were ready to take their business, Anderson Parking, to the next level when they enrolled in the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center’s (UGA SBDC) GrowSmart course in Gwinnett. The course not only helped them sharpen their strategy but also sparked an ongoing relationship with UGA SBDC business consultant John Stowell.
With his guidance, the two improved their management structure, mapped out financial projections, and enhanced their marketing strategy. Today, Anderson Parking has seen 15% year-over-year growth and plans to expand to additional locations in the Southeast.
Anderson Parking provides comprehensive valet, door attendant and self-parking management for clients at luxury residences, office buildings and hotels. They offer customer-focused parking and transportation services, including garage assistance, airport rides, car detailing and item transfers.
When Anderson, founder and CEO of Anderson Parking, and White, the company’s managing partner, first connected with the UGA SBDC, they were eager to take the next steps to grow the business.
“When Ernie told me about UGA SBDC’s GrowSmart course, it couldn’t have come at a better time,” said White. “That’s exactly where we were in our growth journey—ready to spend time working on our business and not just in our business.”
Designed for businesses with more than two years of successful operation, the UGA SBDC GrowSmart program guides participants through a step-by-step evaluation of their business to develop a business plan with long-term vision and growth strategies. It gives participants the opportunity to step away from daily business tasks and dedicate 35 hours towards the future of their business.
A key takeaway from GrowSmart for Anderson Parking was the value of intentional and accountable conversations with employees.
“GrowSmart encouraged us to restructure how we do our one-on-one meetings with our team,” said Anderson. “We meet with our managers on a quarterly basis for performance reviews and those managers meet with their employees quarterly. During a GrowSmart session, we had a light bulb moment on the best way to structure our quarterly employee performance reviews. We evaluate on a quadrant using strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and next steps. We learned the importance of leaving conversations with next step action items during GrowSmart.”
Anderson and White also learned to lean on data and analytics, such as capturing usable metrics from online review websites and tying those into quarterly employee reviews.
After the GrowSmart course, they continued to meet with Stowell at the UGA SBDC in Gwinnett for personalized business consulting.
“John really helped us think about our finances and how we structure our management,” said Anderson. “Best practices on meeting with employees, holding them accountable and internal communications. He really helped us be more intentional about how we set up these structures, which ultimately allowed us more time to work on the business.”
Anderson and White credit Stowell for helping them make sense of the challenges their business was facing and providing clarity during a critical stage of growth.
“We were getting into a sludge and didn’t really know what steps to take next for the future of our business. John helped us streamline our thoughts, focus on our business goals and make a plan of how to get there,” Anderson said.
As their business continues to grow, Anderson and White regularly utilize the resources available through the UGA SBDC. They’ve taken several courses and continue to meet with Stowell.
“Anytime we have a new opportunity come up, John is able to put together financials and projections,” said Anderson. “And those tools really help us analyze and make better informed business decisions.”
Since working with the UGA SBDC, Anderson Parking has seen 15% growth each year and their employee count has grown to 56. Based in Atlanta, they also have operations in Nashville and are looking to expand in other locations in the Southeast.
For entrepreneurs just starting a business, White and Anderson recommend finding a mentor.
“If you are starting a new business, get involved with the UGA SBDC early in your business journey. Find that mentor. As entrepreneurs, like anything else, you don't know what you don't know. The more we learned from the UGA SBDC, the more light bulbs were going off on what we could do with our business. I just wish we’d gotten connected a lot sooner.”
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
All programs of the UGA SBDC are open to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.
The UGA SBDC is an accredited member of America’s SBDC.
The University of Georgia
Small Business Development Center
382 East Broad Street
Athens, GA 30602-5412
P: (706) 542-2762
