Success Spotlight
JP NetQuest™, Inc.
In 2007, Norbert Barszczewski and his wife weighed the pros and cons of starting their own business. They agreed that starting a business was a mutual goal and a natural next step in their careers. They felt the Chicago area offered sufficient opportunities. But should they both be involved at the start, or only one of them? They determined that the smarter course would be for only one of them to be involved initially, and that the other person should remain employed full time. Their assessment of their potential risks made it clear that their decision to dedicate only one person to the start-up would provide the couple a comfortable level of financial security and healthcare benefits, both very important factors in the first 6-12 months of any new business.
In July of 2007, JP NetQuest was launched. The company specializes in Web Development, HTML Email Marketing, Social Media for Business Training, Online Advertising and other computer related services. Norbert learned quickly that running your own business requires a lot of skills beyond the core of your profession. To be successful, you need to be a marketing expert, a PR pro, have some good knowledge of accounting practices, and be good at general organizational skills. Norbert’s education and prior experience is important, but being a successful business owner requires flexibility and creativity as well, especially in today’s competitive environment.
Norbert’s specialty focusing on internet services and practices is very dynamic. He’s found that it’s critical to develop new solutions and products, closely monitor the market, and stay ahead of the competition. The Social Media has proven to be “the next big thing,” and Norbert truly enjoys being part of this process and teaching others about the best practices, success stories, and general understanding of the concepts.
Norbert knows he must increase his brand recognition, locally and in the industry. To that end, he will continue to offer workshops and training, participate in networking events, stay involved in professional associations, and work with non-profit organizations as a way of giving back to others less fortunate.
Hard work, skills, a professional public relations and marketing approach, competitive and well priced products are all important for success. But only a well thought out and comprehensive business plan and approach will yield success in the long term. Norbert recalls a presentation he attended at the Mt. Prospect Library about starting a business. It was presented by Kriss Knowles, the Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Elgin Community College. The IL SBDC was truly instrumental in the early stages of getting his business off to a good start. Kriss was especially helpful in explaining how to successful manage his company’s books. The IL SBDC also organizes and hosts networking and training events. Norbert reflects how useful these events were to him. He not only learned how to communicate and network effectively with other business owners, but he also made some great contacts that are now “power” partners. Norbert reminds everyone that the IL SBDC is a great resource.
Because the counseling services of IL SBDC are free, and the training programs they offer are modestly priced, Norbert appreciates how he saved money for business and accounting advice. And saving money, while still getting expert advice, makes very good business sense indeed.
For more information or to schedule a session with a small business counselor, please call 847-214-7488.
Applied Behavioral Coaching Moms
topApplied Behavioral Coaching Moms help provide the building blocks for families futures!
Applied Behavioral Coaching Moms or ABC Moms, Inc. opened its door on July 1, 2008 to provide two distinct services, in-home support and support within an educational environment to help parents succeed at parenting. In the home, ABC Moms qualified Parenting Coaches come into a family’s home and work with them to find the answers to their unique family dynamics. They are there to observe, coach, and leave each family with individualized tools to achieve their own parenting success. In an educational setting, ABC Moms provides research based educational training, informative parent seminars, invaluable consultations, customized materials, and individualized behavioral plans.
The founders of ABC Moms have extensive backgrounds in education and a combined experience of more than 25 years in education. Dana Burke has spent the past 12 years working with children, parents, and educational teams in both public and therapeutic school sectors, providing support as a speech therapist assistant, a classroom teacher, and as a behavior analyst, developing and implementing behavior plans for children. During this time she created and presented many interactive lectures and workshops to educational professionals and parents on the best practice strategies for working with children. Dana also has extensive experience in working with individuals diagnosed with autism and in training their caregivers. Dana looks forward to sharing her knowledge and extensive experience with families to promote an optimal home environment. She has a bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from Southern Illinois University and a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University in Special Education.
Jennifer Schuler is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked with countless children, families, and other professionals as a counselor, consultant, and an educator. Her extensive and varied experiences over the past 14 years in hospitals, specialized therapeutic schools, public schools, as well as in private practice, provide her with knowledge and insight to share with families in their everyday interactions with one another. Numerous solution-oriented interventions have been successfully developed out of her expertise in the area of behavior. Jennifer prides herself in using proactive support and reinforcement to create positive relationships within the home. She has a bachelor's degree in Applied Psychology and a master's degree in Social Work, both from Loyola University in Chicago.
Throughout their experiences, Dana and Jennifer have encountered numerous parents who needed hands-on support in dealing with difficult behavior in their homes. As educational staff members, they felt limited in the support they could provide to parents away from the educational environment. As mothers themselves, Dana and Jennifer also had a desire to share their knowledge of human behavior and proven strategies to promote positive behavior with members of their own community. Dana and Jennifer are now able to combine these two desires by providing parent coaching and therefore helping families to make the most of each and every day.
ABC Moms feels that they provide a unique, hands-on service by individualizing each family’s support and materials. Through their small, information gather and problem solving meetings, family members feel comfortable about opening up about daily struggles within the family. Each family drives their service as each family is unique and there is no one size fits all plan, ABC Moms truly customize their strategies and materials for each family’s needs. They also value open communication and, therefore, make themselves accessible to families as they implement each new strategy or technique. Although the parents may be implementing the new recommendations by themselves on a daily basis, they rarely feel “alone” as ABC Moms are there to provide feedback and encouragement through out the entire process.
Recommended to the IL SBDC by a mutual friend and current client, ABC Moms feel that their small business experienced improvements as a direct result of the guidance and support provided by Kriss Knowles the director of the SBDC. Dana and Jennifer believe that the open communication, immediate feedback, honesty about their ideas and strategies, the teaching of small business accounting and, of course, patience were the most beneficial services offered to them from the IL SBDC at Elgin Community College.
“We greatly appreciate all that Kriss Knowles has done for our small business to be successful in our first year! We feel as though Kriss has been the perfect mentor for our small business. As our business continues to grow, so will our needs. Kriss and the IL SBDC will be our first step for guidance and support.”
To contact ABC Moms please visit their web site at http://www.abcmomsinc.com and for assistance with your exiting or start-up business, contact the Illinois Small Business Development Center located at Elgin Community College at 847-214-7488. Business workshops, classes and free one-on-one counseling sessions are available.
Earth Heart™ Inc.
topHerbal Aromatherapy for People, Places and Pets
Vicki Rae Thorne founded Earth Heart™ in 1992 as a sole proprietor and incorporated the business in August of 1996. She started studying herbs in 1974 out of a love of cooking. The concept of food as medicine and herbs as the foundation for prescription drugs fascinated her. When her older son suffered from recurrent ear infections she became serious about herbal medicine as a natural approach to common maladies. Echinacea was the first herbal medicine that she grew and made into a variety of herbal remedies, and it proved valuable for healing all sorts of infections. Vicki’s interest in aromatherapy started in 1992 when she purchased several essential oils after a weekend intensive seminar, and proceeded to formulate massage oils that were effective in treating pain and helping with relaxation. Positive personal results and additional positive feedback from massage therapists along with their clients helped Vicki propel her “hobby” into a business.
Earth Heart™ began with a personal struggle to be healed. During Vicki’s exploration of complementary health practices, she discovered ways to integrate traditional herbal remedies with modern medical practice. Vicki has a long-standing background in education from past work in music and PBS, and more recently offering natural health classes within community and professional continuing education. She has been able to introduce many people, including teachers and massage therapists, to the use of herbs and aromatherapy as an integral part of health. Her training as a Master Herbalist and Certified Aromatherapist emphasize both the art and science of natural and holistic healing practices, and she is a member of the American Herbalists Guild and the Alliance of International Aromatherapists.
Vicki’s latest success is Canine Calm™, an aromatherapy formulation for anxious dogs that a holistic kennel in McHenry commissioned nearly 10 years ago. It was not unusual for visiting dogs to become agitated at both feeding time and during the arrival of new animals. The Canine Calm™ blend has been used safely and effectively since March 2000 and the kennel owner has told Vicki that she can tell when the diffusers are empty because the dogs get nervous and noisy again. Canine Calm™ aromatic misters were introduced when the kennel owner’s customers noticed the change in their pets and wanted the same calming experience at home. Since then Vicki has developed 3 additional products for canines: Travel Calm™ for motion sickness, Guardian to help dogs stay healthy, and Buzz Barrier for repelling insects. Earth Heart™ products and services have been developed and refined by listening carefully to her customer’s comments. All of these products have been carefully researched and blended to be safe and effective plant-based products that are simple, practical and affordable to use. Testimonials Vicki has received from customers regularly confirm her quality and commitment to providing the very best product.
The success of the canine products has shifted Vicki’s focus toward finding natural pet products distributors nationwide. Her products currently have 2 local distributors, and at last count, 30 retail locations, including an animal hospital, health food store, pet shops and the original kennel. Vicki has even been able to outsource both her manufacturing and graphic design, and this year was able to hire an intern to perform market research. Her vision for Earth Heart is to have product placement throughout the independent pet specialty market, including pet shops, veterinary clinics, groomers, trainers and kennels, as well as in the national chains. Vicki’s definition for success includes that the business provides a regular income, and recognition as a household name synonymous with quality and integrity. She would eventually like to sell the business to a strategic buyer who will continue making products with the quality that she has worked so hard to achieve and maintain.
Vicki first learned of the IL SBDC while teaching at Elgin Community College’s School of Massage Therapy. She first approached the IL SBDC when she decided to focus on the canine products – they are her niche product with the best history of repeat sales to date. The counselors at the IL SBDC helped Vicki to refine her business plan, and have been supportive of her progress with solid advice on tactics and strategy, explanations of accounting and marketing practices, professional referrals, and the use of marketing tools. The seminars and networking events have also been helpful for Vicki in developing marketing materials as well as making connections. Marketing tools – especially the seminars about branding and imaging – have helped supplement the advice she received from counselors. Most of all, knowing someone was there to help her stay focused, to provide clarity and encouragement was invaluable.
To contact Vicki or view her current product line please visit her web site at earthheartinc.com and for assistance with your existing or start-up business, contact the Illinois Small Business Development Center located at Elgin Community College at 847-214-7488. Business workshops, classes and free one-on-one counseling sessions are available.
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