In the scenic Port Austin area of Michigan, Lisa Szymanski had a clear vision for her family’s land: to create a space where people could connect with nature and with each other. What started as a Christmas tree farm, offering pre-cut trees, wreaths, and garland, has blossomed into Szymanski’s Creekside Acres, an agritourism destination complete with a sunflower trail, a pumpkin patch and even an adorable family of mini Highland cows.

Building a thriving, multi-faceted business wasn’t without its challenges. “Some of the challenges that we faced were setting up a business in a property that was literally a bare field, thinking about the future and what we wanted it to look like,” Lisa recalled. Beyond the initial physical setup, the day-to-day work of running a modern business presented a steep learning curve. “Websites, advertising, social media… Those all were new things to us,” she shared.

Lisa was introduced to the Michigan SBDC through a Facebook post by the Eastern Michigan Small Business Network. The post advertised a cohort program designed to offer both grant money and practical tools for business development. 

“The Michigan SBDC is uniquely positioned to assist agriculture clients, whether they are farming corn or soybeans or they’re raising Highland cows. We can help them with their marketing and bring in new ideas that they might not have already thought about, including growing into agritourism and expanding into additional product lines,” Business Consultant Shannon Schwabe explained. The consulting team helps with essential areas like business planning and financials, and for Szymanski’s Creekside Acres, the assistance went beyond the numbers and dove into how to attract visitors.

Working with the Michigan SBDC provided Lisa with the structure and knowledge to confidently expand her business. The program helped her refine critical operational components like merchandising and setting up workshops. “They allowed me to learn and grow and have access to more programs,” Lisa said of the team. This partnership led to tangible success: “We have been able to increase our revenue, and we’ve just generally gained a lot of knowledge that’s going to help us move forward in the future,” she confirmed.

With a solid plan now in place, Lisa is focused on the next phase of growth, including being open more often, integrating the beloved Highland cows into more programming and increasing their name recognition so more people “know where to find us and come have some fun with us”.

For Shannon, working with clients like Lisa is the most rewarding part of the job. “One of my favorite things about working at the Michigan SBDC is the variety of clients that we work with,” she shared. “And then watching them succeed and move through their goals and just have the business that they always dreamed about – knowing that I was able to provide them just a little bit of help to get them there is really so fulfilling”.

Lisa agrees that the assistance was invaluable. “Thank you to the Michigan SBDC for helping us on this journey, for helping get our information out there and helping us grow”.