50+ Entrepreneurs

Beyond Made in America

Date
Thu, 2012-12-20 09:21

This holiday season ABC World News has been encouraging viewers to have a Made in America Christmas. That if all of us spent even just a small portion of our gift budget on American-made, we could create thousands of jobs across the country. That goes for here at home too.

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More Boomers Taking the Entrepreneurial Route - 55 Plus Business - Ken Little

Date
Wed, 2012-12-19 10:22

About 10 Percent of Older Adults are Self-employed "The number of older, unincorporated self-employed workers in nonagricultural industries increased from fewer than 2,6 million in December 2007 to almost 2.9 million. In March 2012." While the number has increased, the percent of older workers who are self-employed has remained about the same: 9.7percent in March 2012, compared to 10 percent in December 2007, according to a 2012 analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Constitution Quest

When was the last time you had fun learning about the US Constitution?  A study in 2011 revealed that fewer than half of Americans could answer basic questions about the Constitution, a document critical to our country’s history and present. Two teachers from California, David and Pamela Barret, identified this need in the market and used their years of experience in the education field to create an engaging and effective way of filling that need.

www.constitutionquest.com

Owner/Founder
David and Pamela Barret
My Location
Temecula CA
United States
Employees
5
Year Company Formed
2010
My Successes

David and Pamela spent many months brainstorming, researching and outlining questions on Post-it notes that lined their bedroom wall before the board game became a reality.  They chose to manufacture the game within the U.S. despite the higher production costs.  It was an important marketing decision that has paid off.  In just 3 months of production, they sold 600 games.  Pamela commented, “We are just thrilled.  I would love to get it in as many hands as possible.  Our goal is constitutional literacy.”

The Barrets originally identified their target market as homeschool families looking to incorporate civics into their lessons.  But they’ve also noticed demand coming from other groups including classrooms, grandparents, chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and individuals preparing to take their citizenship exam.

What's Great About My Mentor?

The couple spoke of their SCORE mentor saying, “Bob Godlasky has connected with other experts at SCORE to ensure that we are on track toward success.  We know that we can shoot an email to Bob to get advice on answering those burning questions that keep us up at night.”

How SCORE Helped

The Barrets say, “We have built our small business with tons of blood, sweat and tears!  It’s been nice to have listening ears and a guiding hand along the way.  SCORE of Orange County has encouraged us and suggested trainings that have proven to be very helpful in terms of advertising, social media, financing and writing a business plan.”

Published Dec. 7, 2012 application/pdf icon

Running my commercial printing business is more than a full-time job, and I often feel like I’m out of touch with what’s happening outside the business. How can I keep current on business- and industry-related developments in an efficient manner?  Read more.....

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Deaf Photographer Fights to Get Off Government Assistance - James Summers

Date
Thu, 2012-12-06 09:17

The competition for photography jobs has always been tough. Being deaf has always made it harder for Kevin Haggenjos to get hired. With the economic down turn the competition for those jobs has gotten even harder to land.  Tenacious, creative and entrepreneurial, Haggenjos decided to launch Haggenjos Photography.

Working with Michiana SCORE, Haggenjos identified a market niche and has turned what many call a disability to strategic advantage.

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Merit Enterprises

My Location
1628 NW 28 street
Miami FL
United States
Revenue
5 plus million
Employees
50
Year Company Formed
1986
What's Great About My Mentor?

Dan Reinhardt would not give up until he got what was needed.

How SCORE Helped

My Score counselor helped me with a large need for financing to overcome a working capital shortage. He worked with me through 4 different organizations until he got what I needed and has not stopped!

At 84, Mainer Gets Handle on Business of Knives

Date
Mon, 2012-11-26 13:03

Bruce Bohrmann's magic, after 50 years of honing, still flows from his fingertips.  In the last two years, Bohrmann's hobby has exploded into a full-fledgled business.

When Bohrmann's commemorative knife took off, one local SCORE mentor, Skip Orem, was fascinated with Bohrmann's process.  "I got so enthralled by what he was doing, I said, 'I think I'll take this guy,' " said Orem, 83, of Harpswell, a former submariner and executive of a marine propulsion company.

 

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How To Articles
Published Nov. 24, 2012 application/pdf icon

When I began my civil engineering firm three years ago, I wrote a business plan to guide our growth. We’ve been somewhat successful to date, but the marketplace and a lot of our initial assumptions have changed, so it’s time to update our plan. Any tips you can offer?  Read more.....

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Useful Links
Published Nov. 16, 2012

SBA - Ten Steps to Consider when Starting a Business

Corporate Social Responsibility / Annemarie du LeBohn

Sometimes accomplishing the “unimaginable” is the only means to overcoming the “unthinkable.”  For 30 years, Annemarie du LeBohn had lived with fear, self-doubt and low confidence as a result of being raped and stalked by her attacker.  In 2010, she took matters into her own hands and decided to challenge herself to accomplishing the ultimate physical and mental challenge: the Ironman.  A 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run – and of course, the mental discipline and perseverance to do it all – turned out to be the prescription for turning her life around.  Suddenly life was not only possible but fun; she could create goals and accomplish them.  One of those goals was turning her story into a motivational speaking business and SCORE mentors Tom Patty and Betty Otte helped make that a reality.

www.dulebohn.com

Owner/Founder
Annemarie du LeBohn
My Location
Santa Ana CA
United States
Year Company Formed
2010
My Successes

Annemarie’s motivational speech shows people that they can overcome anything and succeed.  The speech shares 3 mental tools to create a positive mindset and 7 Ironman training tools that anyone can use to achieve their goals. 

Annemarie has been a guest speaker on national radio shows, featured in Toastmasters International magazine (distributed to 135 countries in 7 languages) and had speeches booked a year in advance. She was featured as an inspirational athlete in USA Triathlon magazine. In October 2012, she spoke at TEDxOrangeCoast on the theme of Redefining Relevance.

Through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) side of her business, she is currently working with a Fortune 1000 company on their CSR communication efforts and she’s spoken about the topic at trade shows and in social media.  She has partnered with the Microsoft Store to host corporate social responsibility workshops for Microsoft’s clients in Southern California.

How SCORE Helped

Mentor Tom Patty focused on helping and inspiring the public speaking side of Annemarie’s business while mentor Bette Otte mentored the CSR side.  Tom outfitted Annemarie with public speaking advice including defining her message, practicing the speech 20 times and using the same confidence she’d needed for the Ironman.  Betty helped Annemarie to focus on tasks to build the corporate social responsibility business including creating a business priority list, defining her brand, and developing a prospect list.  And just as importantly, she coached her on how to say 'No' to projects that were not beneficial to her goals.

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