The Computer Queen: Meet Georgia Jones

• Business: Computer Moms
• Type of Service: Computer support, training, troubleshooting and mentoring
• How Long in Business: 8 years
• Biggest Obstacle: "Raising money to franchise."
• Best Marketing Tips: "Study guerrilla marketing at www.gmarketing.com. Word of mouth, referrals and customer satisfaction will get you new clients. Be competitive."
• Web site: www.computermoms.com

Georgia Jones became known as the "computer mom" in her Austin, Texas, neighborhood because of her knack for teaching basic computer skills to friends and neighbors. Her talent first surfaced when she assisted the staff of John Tower, a U.S. senator from Texas, when the Senate was being computerized in the �?0s. Georgia soon became the main point person, helping others learn to use the computers.

Later, she helped her son, Graham, then 5, learn how to use the family computer. Word quickly spread about her technical ability. "I helped parents with simple things, such as how to turn the computer on and off." In 1994, realizing there was a need for one-on-one computer instruction and wanting to do something professional while staying at home with her son, she borrowed $2,000 from her parents and started her business at her kitchen table. With no marketing plan, Georgia used direct mail, a technique from her days in the Senate, created a newsletter and sent it to 800 families in her area, her target market. The business began to grow. "It was the perfect part-time, flexible job."

One client wanted his grown sons to receive training in Dallas and Houston. "He thought I was a national company," Georgia recalls. Realizing there might be a wider market for her services, she teamed up with investors to create franchises, although it wasn’t easy. "It’s true that you can have eighteen-hour days. People think that they’re going to be an instant success, but it takes years of plugging away."

Within four years, others were able to enter into a contractual agreement with Georgia to purchase the rights to her training and computer support system. They also pay royalties. "That’s the lifeblood of any franchise."

Today, computer moms (Mentors On the Move) has more than 60 franchises in 13 states. An instructor comes to a home or office to cover the basics of Windows, the Internet and also offers installation, maintenance and instruction in other programs as well as digital cameras, personal digital assistants, such as Palm Pilots, and more. Georgia, 51, is also happy with the way they’ve been able to help seniors. "With computer know-how, they’re now able to e-mail family and friends and feel connected."

Special Delivery: Meet Margo Sloan

• Business: Dry Cleaning To-Your-Door
• Type of Service: Dry cleaning pickup and delivery
• How Long in Business: 8 years
• Biggest Obstacle: "Doing it on my own."
• Best Marketing Tips: "Take small-business development classes. Contact the International Franchise Association."
• Web site: www.dctyd.com

A busy real estate executive and widow with two teenage sons, Margo Sloan often found she didn’t have even five minutes to drop off or pick up her dry cleaning. "I started thinking about a pickup and delivery service. That’s how the idea was born."

In many cases, both husbands and wives were working. "Taking in and picking up dry cleaning was just another awful chore," she explains. "I’d found a niche."
At the time, her company was downsizing, so Margo quickly realized the advantages of starting her own business. Initially, though, she stayed on as a consultant with her company to cover costs, putting her delivery business together on weekends. "I second-mortgaged my house to buy my van. It was a leap of faith. If I hadn’t made it, I would have lost my house, everything."

In 1994, Margo started picking up and delivering in her neon green van in Plant City, Florida, the winter strawberry capital of the world. "We don’t charge the customer at all." Instead, the dry cleaner gives her company 40 percent of what they make. "We bring them so much business they wouldn’t get otherwise."
Her biggest mistake, she says, was not doing it 10 years earlier. "It worked so well right from the start."

Within three years she started thinking about franchising. Her background in marketing and franchises came in handy. "I had worked with real estate brokers who bought our franchise to increase their profitability."

Her business, now based in Oregon, has 80 franchises in the U.S. and Canada, 70 percent of which are owned by women. "If you’ve got an idea, make sure you’ve got a market for it. It has to be something that people will use consistently so you get continued business. Our customers use us every week."

Count On Me: Meet Stacy Brice

• Business: AssistU
• Type of Service: Trains and refers virtual assistants
• How Long in Business: 5 years
• Biggest Obstacle: "Understanding it’s OK to play big."
• Best Marketing Tip: "Connect with businesses that are complementary to yours."
• Web site: www.assistu.com

When Stacy Brice worked in corporate travel in Baltimore, clients would often call from the road and ask her to handle personal matters such as scheduling meetings or canceling appointments. "I didn’t mind. I’ve always been very service oriented. Over time they started to count on me for that."

Eventually Stacy went out on her own and set up a home office to handle travel plans and assist her clients via phone and fax. Services include maintaining schedules, handling phone calls, mail and e-mail, planning events, dictation, bill paying and bookkeeping. "Clients get great administrative and personal support without any of the hassles associated with having an employee. You only pay for the hours you use."

During this time, she assisted Thomas Leonard, the founder of Coach U, a business that trains lifestyle and business coaches through teleclasses, as he traveled around the country in his RV. Leonard called her a virtual assistant, giving a name to what she’d been doing all along.

After an article appeared about her work, hundreds of women contacted her wanting to learn how to become a virtual assistant. Stacy, 39, saw the future and, in 1997, founded AssistU, which offers a virtual training program. First, though, she created prerequisites so those attending had certain skills and abilities, and she wrote a whopping 800-page training manual.

Today, in addition to training, AssistU certifies and supports virtual assistants and has a referral service that connects her alumni with potential clients. Stacy says her success is based on the belief that "your business should contribute positively to your life. Find the one thing that lights you up inside and pursue it."

The Right Choice: Meet Cheli Cerra

• Business: Eduville, Inc.
• Type of Service: Helps parents find the right school for their children
• How Long in Business: 2 years
• Biggest Obstacle: "Convincing my family."
• Best Marketing Tips: "Network. Find a professional association of women. Take business cards everywhere. Find a female mentor who understands what you are going through."
• Web site: www.eduville.com

Born in Cuba just when Fidel Castro came to power, Cheli Cerra moved to the United States at age 2 in the early 1960s. "My parents left the country with five dollars and the clothes on their backs," she says.

Cheli, who lives in Miami with her husband and two children, became a teacher and principal. "One thing my parents instilled in me was that people can take away material things, but no one can take away your education," she says. "My mom was a teacher and principal in Cuba, so it runs in the family."

Working in public education for over 18 years, Cheli met many parents whose children were having problems academically or behaviorally. Some had trouble with reading comprehension or could not stay focused; others had failing grades or wouldn’t attend school consistently. "I saw a need for parents to get information that was factual and at their level, that answered, ‘How is this going to apply to my child?�? she explains.

So she decided to take a leave of absence and start Eduville, Inc., a business that helps parents choose the right school for their child. Tapping into savings, she put together a Web site and wrote a book, Every Parent’s Guide to School Choice.

At first her family was against the idea. "They couldn’t believe I was leaving such a great job to do this." Instead of trying to convince them, Cheli put her energies into building the business. "They think it’s great now. I’m a principal on a wider scale."

Today, Cheli, 44, works as a consultant. Once parents hire her, she evaluates a child’s needs and interests. She fills out an intake form, then does research to give parents the tools, information and resources they need to pick the best school, whether it is a public, magnet, charter, cyber-charter, virtual, private, parochial, boarding, military or home school. "A child needs to be given a choice and to have hope. When you have hope, anything is possible."

How to Start Your Own Business
Use these questions to help pinpoint what you might provide as a service.

• What do you take for granted that you do well? Very often the best service is one a woman does naturally.
• What are your talents, hobbies and interests? What do friends and family members say you are good at?
• What are your needs? What do you hate doing? Write it in a journal for two weeks. You’ll find at least one and possibly several services you can provide.
• Give yourself permission to explore. Pick one thing to focus on for a month. If you don’t like it, go on to the next one. Give yourself a chance to check things out.

—Cheryl Richardson, author of Stand Up for Your Life, www.cherylrichardson.com

Getting Started

• Create a professional office space. An office with a window is ideal. Clear out clutter, too.
• Make a seed vision poster. Create a collage of what you’d like in your life with words and pictures. Put it where you’ll see it every day.
• Write your mission statement. Explain (concisely) on one page what your business is about and what you’d like to accomplish.
• Create a business plan. Make projections realistic. Include overhead and expenses, and show how you’ll make a profit. Have your accountant review it.
  
• Do the research. Learn about rules, laws, insurance relating to your business, and get advice from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Go to their Web site, www.sba.gov.
• Market your service. If your friend has a business, she can recommend you and vice versa.

—Lynne Franks, author of The Seed Handbook, www.seedfusion.com