原始文本

我的成功.

This career path has helped me understand my worth and realize I’m on the right trajectory. Currently, I’m working as a care manager for a woman in her home who has dementia. I also am supporting families virtually over Zoom with decisions and resources as they navigate new things in their lives. It’s rewarding and fulfilling to work with the families I work with. They are remarkable people who also continue to teach me.

 

你是做什么的??

导航Elderhood guides and advocates end-of-life cycles for clients and their families. through personal care, end-of-life care, and recovery care.  I walk loved ones and their family members through this process whether it’s with recent diagnosis or just the aging process in general. 例如, I care for short-term clients such as a post-surgery client in their home, and individuals participating in a medical treatment such as cancer treatment. They need someone not only to take them to the appointments but also to document and chart them at the appointments to share with their adult children. I am the eyes and ears for clients and their loved ones. serving individuals one-on-one with their basic needs.  Part of my offerings is end-of-life doula work. I named my business 导航Elderhood because there is a lot of navigation when medicine can no longer help.  I support individuals to thrive in their last months, days, weeks, and hours. 

 

是什么激励你创业的?

I’m a previous business owner working as a birth doula with mothers and their partners. That experience inspired me to further my education at St. Kate's University to become a  Registered Nurse. I quickly realized that I wanted to do one-on-one comfort care and serve individuals. Having an advocate like myself is critical, 不仅仅是做临时护理, but to support the whole system because there’s such heavy grief, 成年子女能做的也就这么多了.

你的生意有什么特别之处?

 服务他人，有同情心. I put my whole self into my work and individuals know and love that, 这就是他们和我合作的原因. 导航Elderhood creates a tailored plan for each individual and family we serve. 我们只雇用合适的人. I won’t work for somebody that I don’t want to be around. 这成为了一种非常好的关系.

What have been the high and low points of being a business owner?

The low is the administrative side for sure. Marketing and selling myself is difficult because that’s not my strong skill set. 

The high is being a trustworthy individual, overseeing the health and daily activities of loved ones.

 

What influenced you to seek help from SCORE?

I have a friend who is an experienced businesswoman and I was getting some advice from her and she suggested getting mentoring support with score. I emailed Deborah at SCORE and ever since I’ve been meeting with her on a regular basis which has been fantastic. I think part of the ease for me is my mentor makes herself available to my busy schedule. I am married and a mother of two children, and as we all know with running our own business there are a lot of components.  I chose a difficult career and am grateful for all the support.

SCORE的帮助.

我的工作非常独特.  Both the business and my skill set are unique as it serves a niche group. My mentor has helped me normalize it and put it in a business sense so it’s clear and understandable to the people that I’m serving, 这很有帮助吗.

 

您使用了哪些SCORE服务?

它开始变得更加普遍. I asked Deborah some legal questions to make sure I was safe and doing within my legal rights. I found a business lawyer and then I just wanted to get more advice on that. So initially it started with legal support only with the startup of things. I have also done half a dozen of the resource videos,  such as how to take pictures.

 

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting a small business?

It’s twice as much time as you might think. 你必须保持开放和灵活. I think it’s important to not be set in your ways and to try hard things. Don’t be afraid to fail and make mistakes. Charge what you’re worth and practice what it takes to raise rates every year.

What would you tell a fellow business owner about SCORE?

It’s a gift that keeps giving and I am so grateful. The reliability and accessibility to SCORE have been wonderful. 我从没想过会这么顺利. Everything seems hard nowadays and this is something that doesn’t and it’s lovely.

 

 

What have you learned from your experiences as a business owner?

Knowing my worth has been a beautiful thing to explore.  I’ve learned to put boundaries on my business and capabilities and hire out for what I don’t want to do. At the end of the day, I’m making smarter business choices with other business owners for referrals.

我的导师

黛博拉·萨勒诺

I have over 40 years of experience in the securities industry as an investment banker and hedge fund...

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