Juan Carlos Hernandez is a meticulous, creative business owner.
He had run his fine-art printing business, Print Innovation Lab, out of his home in west suburban Oak Park for about seven years.
His business had outgrown his space, but did he really need to open a brick-and-mortar location? Would it be cost efficient? The questions swirled through this head.
After working with the Cook County Small Business Source, Juan Carlos can now happily say yes to all those questions.
In 2024, The Source connected him with the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC)—one of its 13 Business Support Organizations.
The WBDC then connected him to a local real estate broker–and fellow Source client–who helped him find the perfect location in the heart of Oak Park.
Today, Juan Carlos is proud to run his business at 137 N. Oak Park Ave., Suite 128, inside a vast commercial space in his home community.
Taking a leap of faith with the WBDC—and advisor Kelly Gumbiner—has paid off.
“There was a lot of fear and a lot of resistance in me, and I think that that’s where the WBDC and The Source helped me a lot,” Juan Carlos said. “Since I connected with Kelly, I’ve been able to find a lot more confidence in what I do, in my abilities as an entrepreneur. It’s helped me understand my business a lot more—my financials. And that gave me the security into doing this.”
Print Innovation Lab prides itself on being a print studio for artists, photographers and art collectors who want “museum-quality” prints and reproductions.
Juan Carlos “fell in love” with the process of developing photos as a young adult. Although his career took him to digital advertising, he eventually turned to his passion of print development.
While Juan could pride himself on his quality work at Print Innovation Lab, running his own business was not easy. He needed support.
And after signing up for no-cost business advising with The Source, that’s where Kelly stepped in.
Kelly helped him address marketing needs, but she also broached the idea of moving into a storefront. The idea had its pros and cons—Juan Carlos was interested in hiring staff, but he was reluctant to have strangers coming in and out of his family’s home.
However, he also knew a brick-and-mortar location meant more expenses.
Despite his hesitations, Kelly introduced Juan Carlos to Ildiko Kresz, a local realtor/broker and fellow Source client working with the WBDC.
Juan Carlos had spoken to other realtors, but he wasn’t ready financially—or even emotionally—to move forward.
Ildiko changed that, working within his budget to help him lease a location that works for many reasons. Not only does he work in the community where he lives—and where his children attend school—but his business is accessible: Pedestrians can easily walk or ride their bikes to the shop, and the Chicago Transit Authority’s Green Line train is a few steps away.
Juan Carlos praised Ildiko’s expertise.
“I think that one of the things she did an amazing job at was listening to my needs and pairing them with what the reality was in the commercial space here in Oak Park,” Juan Carlos said. “And that’s why we’re here. It’s a fantastic space. The building is beautiful. It’s central. Our customers can find us easily.”
Juan Carlos “fell in love” with the process of developing photos as a young adult. Although his career took him to digital advertising, he eventually turned to his passion of print development.
Ildiko, who has worked full time in real estate for about 20 years, places great care in meeting her clients’ needs.
She hopes to forge a long-lasting relationship with Juan Carlos.
“I want happy clients,” Ildiko said. “This relationship is not from April to May, or until we sign the lease. That’s forever. That’s for a lifetime.”
Ildiko has worked in both residential and commercial real estate, and while she is proud of the network she has built, she still values the resources The Source offers, including access-to-capital opportunities and informative webinars for business owners.
She often tells her commercial-space clients about all The Source provides.
“Whoever comes in as a new tenant—and [even] the old ones, I always [tell] them to contact The Source,” Ildiko said, “and find out what is available at that time.”
Thanks to his newfound space, Juan Carlos now has a new, larger printer that can churn out more of his products more efficiently. He can also use his space to host events for photographers and other artists.
He lauded Kelly’s “holistic approach” in helping him grow his business.
And she is proud that he trusted her enough to make such a bold business decision.
“I really try to inspire entrepreneurs and get them to see their potential,” Kelly said. “And oftentimes, there could be conversations that evolve out of fear. … One of the things that I pride myself most on is when a business owner says that the vision they have is impossible. I know it’s possible. But part of that is making it become achievable. And how you do that is really identifying steps to get the business owner there. … For any business owner that is really thinking about transitioning from a remote space to a physical location, I would really encourage finding mentorship so that you can build that bridge from strategy to execution.”
Juan Carlos and Kelly can now turn their attention back to marketing his business and expanding his network. He teams up with a framing business, and he has helped artists have their works displayed in the local business community.
He also continues to work with 1% for the Planet, an international nonprofit organization that allows businesses to donate to environmental causes, which is near and dear to his heart.
Those questions Juan Carlos had a year ago? They were answered—thanks to a call from Kelly.
“I’m overall grateful for everything that’s happened ever since I decided to take that call,” Juan Carlos said. “Not only my personal growth, but everything that’s come with it.”
