Economic development is everyone's business
...and it begins at home.
Small Business Marketing Partners, Bill Hoke and Patricia Graf-Hoke, developed the 90-Minute Workshops after 25 years of working with hundreds of large and small business, numerouls non-profit organizations and government entities.
As veteran entrepreneurs and experts in marketing, advertising, public relations and business development, we saw a real need for a practical, affordable workshops created just for small, independent local businesses and non-profit groups. Nearly 50% of all jobs are generated by small business and nearly 37% of all news businesses are started by women. Our mission is to celebrate and encourage their entrepreneurial spririt and give them the real-world tools they need to succeed.
We also want to help educated business, government and civic leaders about the critical role they play in the economic vitality and sustainablilty of their local small business communities. Economic development is everyone's business and it begins at home.
For both work and pleasure, we have traveled numerous times back and forth across the United States, and around the globe to comfortable locales in England, Italy, France, New Zealand and Ireland, and to more diverse and remote locations in India, Nepal and Thailand. No matter where we have visited,
No matter where we visited, it is the quaint, vibrant, unique, historic, artistic, and friendly, towns filled with small businesses that made us stop to look around. From the cobbled streets of Venice, Italy to the wide walkways in Port Townsend, to the avenues atop Queen Anne Hill, these small business communities, provide culture, character, livability, and economic vitality. Small businesses are the center of "walkable" communities that help reduce carbon and support local farmers markets and artisans.
Our Mission: Helping Small Businesses and Communities Thrive.
In the past several years we have focused on creating 
programs to support small businesses. In 1993, we created the Buy It Right In Kitsap County campaign for Sound Publishing, a local newspaper chain in Washington State. The program is still in use today. We also developed numerous affordable "small space" advertising programs especially for small businesses to provide them with an affordable vehicle for advertisng in their local print media.
In 1990, we conceived and managed a three-year employment and business development program for the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council called We Have A Talent For Work which resulted in hundreds of job placements and national recognition. There is a place for everyone in a sustianable economy.
In 2001, we developed a non-governmental based business model for a local non-profit called Kitsap EZ-Earth which provide sustainable employment opportunities for people with special needs. Kitsap EZ-Earth recently received certifaction as a 100% Certified Organic product.
From 2001 to January of 2006, Patricia worked directly with Mayor Cary Bozeman on a wide range of communication strategies and programs to promote Bremerton's successful and highly publized retivaliztion effort. Targeted to investors, stakeholders and residents.
In 2005, Patricia was named a Women of Achievement by the Kitsap YWCA for her tireless work on behalf of the downtown Bremerton, Washington, revitalization and support of the arts' districts, local artists and musicians and helped to resurrect the downtown farmers' market.
Patricia is a member of the board of the Kitsap Community Foundation and Bill served on the Foundation Board at Kitsap Mental Health and was volunteer marketing chair of the United Way of Kitsap for five years.
Bill is a long time active mentor in the Washington CASH micro-lending program and leads a group of ten economically disadvantaged women in their business start-up efforts. In 2003, he was named Mentor of the Year by Washington CASH.
He was also one of the founders of the Kitsap Business Assistance Center at Olympic College.
Bill authored the Red Tool Box Book written for small businesses which was named one of the best books by the University of Washington. He frequently contributes to the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal and Marketing, the industry trade publication for Puget Sound.
