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Start-Up Help: How to Go From Idea to Business
Robert Pagliarini
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My latest book has received endorsements from best-selling authors and thought leaders, as well as praise from readers. However, there are some who read "The Other 8 Hours" and get angry. Yes, angry. Some have said they are "furious." They complain that they are too busy, and it is too hard to start a business with very little money. While they are busy complaining, Jeanne Cygnus is busy ramping up her business. ...
Cygnus works full time and is a full-time mom -- she shuttles her kids to and from activities, makes dinner, and spends time with family. Not so long ago, she had an idea. Cygnus' day job is a private practice counselor for new moms with lactation issues. She works with moms individually and also has group classes. She saw a need in the market that nobody was effectively addressing -- what to do with moms going back to work who still want to breast-feed. The majority of companies don't have programs available even though up to 80 percent of new moms return to work.
Cygnus started LactCorp, but she faced three challenges. First, she had very little time to devote to the new venture. She said she "got good at finding spaces in my day to focus on the new business." She said that while the other moms were chatting at kids' events, she was going through paperwork and launching her business. She had to rearrange her schedule, limit computer time, go to bed a little later and clump activities together. Bottom line, she said she "eliminated dead waiting time" from her day.
The second challenge Cygnus faced was not having enough money. As a
Cre8tor
, she had to get creative. Aside from the cost to form an LLC, she has invested less than
Her third challenge, and probably the most significant, is that she's an expert on lactation but admits she is not a businessperson. Her knowledge and gumption got her so far, but when a big HR consortium came knocking, she knew she needed some help. Cygnus didn't need a
So she turned to a unique service called LivePerson, which connects experts with those needing help. Cygnus was familiar with
Cygnus asked Gilman pointed questions about what she needed to do in order to partner with the HR consortium. Gilman, she says, was a huge help. She said she "would be lost" without Gilman's guidance. Because she works her side business "after hours," she loves that she can initiate a live chat with Gilman until the wee hours of the night and get answers she needs.
With very little time, money or business acumen, Cygnus' success is inspiring. She is signing the deal with the HR group and projects gross revenues of nearly
Robert Pagliarini is a CBS MoneyWatch columnist and the author of "The Other 8 Hours: Maximize Your Free Time to Create New Wealth & Purpose" and the national best-seller "The Six-Day Financial Makeover: Transform Your Financial Life in Less Than a Week!."
Available at Amazon.com:
Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if You Lose It
- Five Tips to Avoid Confirmation Bias
- Start-Up Help: How to Go From Idea to Business
- Fear of Failure? Three Tips to Guarantee Success
- The Secret to Success for Artists and Creatives
- Creative Ways to Combine Work & Family
- Make More Money & Live Your Passion: Become a Cre8tor
- Deducting Hobby Expenses: Think Business
- When to Make a Personal Course Correction
- Kick-Starting a Business of Your Own
- Turning Your Invention Into Cash
- Entrepreneurship Is the New Retirement
- Entrepreneur: 6 Tips for Starting a Small Business After Age 50
- It's the Right Time to be an Entrepreneur
- The Failure Myth Revisited
- Behind the 'Mompreneur' Myth
- Creative Ways to Combine Work & Family
- Stay-at-Home Moms Need a Career Plan
- Challenges and Rewards of Part-Time Work
(c) 2010 Robert Pagliarini