BUSINESS

The
Entrepreneunal
1nt

JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER

A

few years ago,
Stuart Fine's job
turned into a ca-
sualty of the economy. He be-
came an unemployed architect.
In the months that followed,
Mr. Fine went on interviews
and did some soul-searching be-
fore concluding he would be bet-
ter off working for himself.
"I realized I could get clients
on my own," said Mr. Fine,
president of the 2-year-old Stu-
art J. Fine & Associates, Inc.,
in West Bloomfield.
In addition to practicing ar-
chitecture, Mr. Fine audits ex-
isting buildings for Compliance
Evaluations Inc. to determine
if they meet with the Ameri-
cans With Disabilities Act, en-
acted by Congress in 1992 to
stop discrimination against the
handicapped. His audits cover
architectural barriers in exist-
ing buildings.
Mr. Fine is one of more than
thousands of self-employed
Michigan workers who, each
year, start their own business.
In 1992, the year Mr. Fine cre-
ated Stuart J. Fine & Associ-
ates, 237,000 men and women
in the state went into business
for themselves.
The current business trend,
which indicates downsizing and
reintegration, has left a large
number of professionals look-
ing for jobs, according to Bob
Stevens, acting director of the
Michigan Small Business De-
velopment Center in Detroit.
As a result, people are explor-
ing different employment av-

enues, such as consulting or
self-proprietorship.
Murray Gula, founder and
director of the Michigan Con-
struction Protection Agency,
and Karen Eve Couf, chief pu-
bic relations consultant Of Pro-
duction Services, a public
relations and marketing com-
munications firm in Southfield,
both made recent career moves
by setting up shop on their own.
Mr. Gula, a 30-year veteran
of the construction industry, es-
tablished Michigan Construc-
tion Protection Agency, a
company that tracks and files
notices for the construction in-
dustry and specializes in pro-
cessing and recording
construction liens.
His firm provides legal con-
struction notices necessary to
protect contractors. Mr. Gula
started MCPA because he did
not fill out the essential paper-
work, and therefore did not re-
ceive payment for work he did
as a contractor.

Right: Gary Marcus
and Al Katzen take
shoppers on a
Fashion Quest.

Below: Stuart Fine
had designs
of his own.

In addition, MCPA publish-
es a list of all construction liens
and offers a homeowner pro-
tection program.
Ms. Coufs career path began
when she went to New York af-
ter college to pursue an acting
career. A decade later, after act-
ing and doing public relations
and marketing work, she came

Photo by Glenn Trleet

When finding
a job becomes
difficult,
professionals set up
their own shops.

back to Michigan. An offer to
start a video production and
marketing division for a ma-
jor video post-production facil-
ity brought her home.
Ms. Coufs job fell through
because of the unstable econo-
my. Aside from freelance offers,
she could not find work.
"I found myself in the middle

of a recession, trying to start my
life," Ms. Couf said. "I realized
I liked being my own boss and
I wanted to answer to my own
standards, not someone else's."
Unlike Mr. Gula and Ms.
Couf, whose business ventures
were career alteration, Gary
Marcus, who does financial
planning, and Al Katzen, who
is in the medical supply busi-
ness, stayed with their jobs
while embarking on their new
venture — Fashion Quest, a
Southfield-based men's cloth-
ing store. Located in the Clay-
moor apartment complex,
Fashion Quest offers high-fash-
ion sportswear and accessories
at a discount.
Entrepreneurs like Mr.
Katzen and Mr. Marcus agree
that starting a business can be
exciting and profitable, but at
the same time it poses some
risks.
"The financial risk is always
there whenever you start a busi-
ness," said Mr. Marcus. He and
his high-school friend, Mr.
Katzen, describe themselves as
ritualistic shoppers, spending
every spare moment at the mall.
"We realized our market
would be select because our
merchandise appeals to a small
audience — people who appre-
ciate clothing. That's why we
decided to open the store on a
small scale, as a boutique."

ENTREPRENEURIAL page B25