When her son, Tristan, was born 12 years ago, Ellen was happy to trade her career as a licensed veterinary technician for that of stay-at-home mom. But with Tristan growing faster than most babies his age, Ellen found it increasingly difficult to find clothes to fit him. So she fell back on her old hobby of sewing and began crafting parts of Tristan’s wardrobe herself. The more she made, the more she enjoyed it. Soon, Ellen was making clothes for herself and her mother. But even though she gave in to the lure of a high-tech, computerized sewing machine, Ellen never gave any thought to making it a career. After all, it was just a hobby. And, with Tristan’s sister, Victoria, on the way, the job of full-time mom gave her plenty to do.

A few years later, however, a friend of her mother’s asked if Ellen would make some clothes for her, and help with some alterations. Ellen happily agreed. Her mother’s friend told her friends, who also came to Ellen with their sewing needs. Before long, Ellen found herself with a full-time home-based sewing business.

“By 1996, I had a solid customer base, and was making too much money to claim this as a hobby,” Ellen recalls. “One of my customers had started a business and suggested that I call SCORE. I had looked into other business assistance services, and figured SCORE would be a great option because it was free.”

Ellen’s business was doing well.  She now needed to consolidate her operations, which were spread out in several rooms of her house. Ellen was uncertain about moving to a storefront. “I enjoyed working at home because it allowed me to stay close to my family,” she says. “My husband and I decided to renovate our sun porch into a new studio for me. I now have a more spacious work area complete with changing rooms, countertops for my machines and a separate entrance for customers.”

The new studio gave Ellen an unexpected benefit: credibility. “Customers now look at me as a business owner, not someone who does sewing for extra money,” she says. “I have the look of a professional business, but also the flexibility to be home for my children. I’m also able to maintain my interest in my first love, veterinary medicine. I spend one day a week working at a local veterinarian’s office. He too is a customer and a fellow small business owner. We have a lot of fun exchanging ideas and experiences.”

Perhaps no part of Ellen’s career as an entrepreneur was as exciting as being selected for Rotary International’s prestigious Group Study exchange. In November 2001, she joined five other small business owners from around the country for a three-week expenses-paid trip to Japan. “The program is structured to provide experiences that will have an impact on my professional life,” Ellen says. “I spent a day at the Bluebird Kimono Sewing School, and visited a company that manufactures clothing beads, which is one of my niche markets.”

With the help of the Small Business Development Center at Clayton College & State University, the two aspiring entrepreneurs prepared what they thought was a solid business plan. Unfortunately, the loan officers they visited felt otherwise. “We would not get any positive response at all,” Hannah says. “Some wanted a lot of collateral while others simply said no.”

Hannah learned about SCORE’s free mentoring services and made an appointment to see Ray Silva, a retired business executive. “Ray reviewed the plan and told me that we had done everything right,” she says. “The problem was, we weren’t marketing it properly.”

And talk about instant success. On her first attempt after talking to Silva, Hannah secured a long-term, SBA-backed fixed-rate loan. She and Edward used the funds to construct and equip a 3,427-square-foot clinic near a busy mall in Union City. They also took advantage of a working capital loan from the Economic Development Center to cover some of their start-up costs.

Since opening Union City Veterinary Center and Emergency Clinic in 2000, two classmates-turned-business partners have watched their dream flourish. After starting out by trading grueling 12-hour shifts, they have added staff to handle the growing customer base. The practice grossed more than $1.2 million in 2004, outpacing even their most optimistic projections. 

Indeed, there are few things My Girl Friday cannot do for busy families. By sourcing vendors and employees who have time to spare, Julie’s business offers services such maid service, lawn and pet care, catering, deliveries, setting up or taking down the Christmas tree, children’s birthday planning and taking the car for repairs. By the end of her first year, Julie had expanded My Girl Friday to serve local corporations with office management, computer training and food deliveries. 

With companies helping promote her services, Julie was able to keep her marketing budget low.
She also followed Ruth’s suggestion to pitch her story to the press, which led to articles in the local newspaper and Woman’s World magazine.

With My Girl Friday a local success, Julie began looking for ways to take the business to the national level. She hosted a lunch/brainstorming session for several business executives, which generated a number of great ideas, including using My Girl Friday’s expertise in travel planning and ancillary services to provide personal services via travel agents and the Internet. That led to several new ventures, the newest of which debuts this fall as Julie teams with Interactive Sites of Phoenix to collect local vendors of ancillary travel services that hotels can offer on their own Web sites.

Julie’s life is every bit as hectic as it was on that awful day in 1999. But like thousands of other harried families, businesses and travelers who count on My Girl Friday, she can manage the increasing demands of today’s busy world. And, her daughter’s dinners are a lot healthier too.