No, I don't get nostalgic for the "old days"--not those ones anyway.
With nothing more than an idea and not an inkling of how to make it happen, I stared off with 10 business cards printed using Printmaster Platinum 97 (you know, the ones with the perforated edges-eek!!). The business had no name, because I was too cheap to register one. The business was D. Plouffe Enterprises and, other than the kind aforementioned kind lady who put the idea into my head, I had no clients. I also had no business plan, no earnings projections, no feasibility study...in other words, no clue!
I honestly cannot remember where I first heard about the SEB (Self-Employment Benefit) program here in Ontario, but I do know that it proved to be the single greatest thing that coudl have happened to this particular business idea. Suddenly, I had focus. Suddenly, I had goals. Suddenly I had all the help and support and education I needed and even $321 a week to keep me going.
But where was I going again, exactly?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Start-up...TimeWise
Dateline: December, 2001
Is there a specific entrepreneurial "type"? If there is, I never considered myself to be one of them. I was content for twenty-odd years to work for other people until 2001. That year, I was laid off twice from two different companies due to branch office closures here in Sudbury. The first was due to an illness in the franchisee's family. The second was a direct result of 9-11. The second employer was kind enough to allow me to move the entire office contents to Oakville over Christmas (my last day was December 21st...ho-ho-ho); however they let me know that the fewer things they had to move, the better.
So, I pedalled my office furniture from suite to suite in our building. One neighbour, Ruby, stopped in to take a look at the counter unit and uttered the words that changed the course of my life: "You're so good at what you do. I don't know why you're not in business for yourself."
That is the exact moment when a thousand bells went off, along with several hundred pounds of fireworks. Why had I never thought of this before? I could do practically the same thing that I'd been doing for years, except I could operate as an independent business owner.
I frankly had little idea of what I was doing; nor did I fully understand what I was getting into. However, I leaned into what I was doing. I filied for EI (Canada Employment Insurance), just to be safe...as well as to get the benefits to which I was entitled. Then I headed to Ruby's office in search of my first client.
Is there a specific entrepreneurial "type"? If there is, I never considered myself to be one of them. I was content for twenty-odd years to work for other people until 2001. That year, I was laid off twice from two different companies due to branch office closures here in Sudbury. The first was due to an illness in the franchisee's family. The second was a direct result of 9-11. The second employer was kind enough to allow me to move the entire office contents to Oakville over Christmas (my last day was December 21st...ho-ho-ho); however they let me know that the fewer things they had to move, the better.
So, I pedalled my office furniture from suite to suite in our building. One neighbour, Ruby, stopped in to take a look at the counter unit and uttered the words that changed the course of my life: "You're so good at what you do. I don't know why you're not in business for yourself."
That is the exact moment when a thousand bells went off, along with several hundred pounds of fireworks. Why had I never thought of this before? I could do practically the same thing that I'd been doing for years, except I could operate as an independent business owner.
I frankly had little idea of what I was doing; nor did I fully understand what I was getting into. However, I leaned into what I was doing. I filied for EI (Canada Employment Insurance), just to be safe...as well as to get the benefits to which I was entitled. Then I headed to Ruby's office in search of my first client.
Who the heck is TimeWise?
TimeWise Office Support is a home-based business operating in the Sudbury Ontario area.Since our launch in early 2002, we have provided temporary employees to businesses all over the Sudbury area. We specialize in the insurance and financial services quarter, but we have worked for many other varied types of businesses.
It seems that we're always sharing a tip or a bit of advice to entrepreneurs all over the Sudbury region, so why not impart that knowledge worldwide? Through this blog, we plan to share our advice and insight on many of the topics that are important to small business everywhere like...
Time Management
Motivation
Organization
Entrepreneurship
Temporary Help
Marketing
Business start-up issues
We've been there...now it's time for you to hear all about it!
TimeWise Office Support is a home-based business operating in the Sudbury Ontario area.Since our launch in early 2002, we have provided temporary employees to businesses all over the Sudbury area. We specialize in the insurance and financial services quarter, but we have worked for many other varied types of businesses.
It seems that we're always sharing a tip or a bit of advice to entrepreneurs all over the Sudbury region, so why not impart that knowledge worldwide? Through this blog, we plan to share our advice and insight on many of the topics that are important to small business everywhere like...
Time Management
Motivation
Organization
Entrepreneurship
Temporary Help
Marketing
Business start-up issues
We've been there...now it's time for you to hear all about it!
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