Foothills United Way and Boulder County Community Action Program’s Personal Investment Enterprise (PIE) Initiative Celebrates 255 Graduates
Foothills United Way recently sat down with Armando, a 2014 graduate of the Personal Investment Enterprise Program (PIE), an initiative started by Foothills United Way and Boulder County Community Action Programs, to talk about the impact PIE has had on him as he pursues his dream to become a small business owner.
Even as a young child growing up in California, Armando knew he wanted to own his own business one day. While he watched his father work tirelessly in agriculture, he would work on various home improvement projects. Knowing how hard his father was working to provide food for the family, while he continued to work on projects at home proved to be a turning point in Armando’s life.
In 1999, Armando moved to Longmont and worked through high school and college. “I worked places where it was very difficult for employees,” he said. “Staff was overworked and time management was difficult.” Those experiences helped him pick up additional skills required for small business owners and kept him focused on his ultimate goal: opening a business and creating an environment where he would be able to provide more for his own employees one day.
He then heard about the PIE Program.
“A friend from college had a friend named Jessie who worked with PIE. She introduced us,” explained Armando. “Jessie and I sat down – I talked to him about the dream of owning my own business and he talked to me about PIE. Not long after our meeting, he recommended me for the program.”
The PIE Program taught him how to write a business plan, how to save money and build assets necessary to see his dream become a reality. “Without PIE, I would likely still be working in retail sales. This program opened by eyes to the generosity within my community.”
Today, as the owner of his own house painting business, A.G. Painting, Armando has five employees and is able to manage his own time, allowing for the flexibility he needs to meet with potential clients and for his employees to spend the time they need with their family.
“As a small business owner, I am able to manage my own time and now have the flexibility to meet with potential clients, my employees and spend time with my family” he said. “I feel good knowing that I can offer my staff the same flexibility.”
When asked what advice he would give to a young man who is in a similar circumstance that he was growing up in California, Armando says “If you have a dream or a plan for the future, keep pushing forward! Eventually, with the help of the right people, you will see your dream become a reality. The PIE Program really helped me become independent and provided me with the essentials I needed to get my business off the ground.”
Don’t be surprised to see Armando building custom homes in the future. As he said, “That is really my life-long dream.”
For more information or to contact Armando, visit the A.G. Painting Home Advisor webpage.
The Personal Investment Enterprise Program, a partnership between Foothills United Way and Boulder County Community Action Programs, provides tools that empower low-income individuals and families to save and build assets to strengthen their economic stability. To learn more about the program visit bouldercountypie.org. The first step in applying to the program is to attend an orientation meeting with Nino Gallo at Community Action Programs at Boulder County. Nino may be reached at 303-441-3998 or at ngallo@bouldercounty.org.
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