I interviewed six entrepreneurs, each for a specific reason that will help me understand facets of my own entrepreneurial journey. I wanted to talk to entrepreneurs that had started in totally different industries, but had the dream to create their own business. I wanted to interview both large and small innovative companies. All in all, this was a fascinating process that allowed me to develop many new contacts and connections in the Winston-Salem, NC community.
If I were to sum up my learnings, it would come down to three words “Follow your dreams”. Everything else seems to take care of itself.
Entrepreneur Interview #1
Susan Singer
Founder and CEO The Field Trip Factory
Chicago, Illinois
Susan Singer took a dream of educating children in nutritious eating and a healthy lifestyle and turned it into a successful company that offers hands-on field trips covering several different topics in most of the large retail chains in the country. Although the journey to her successful business was a long one lasting over 20 years, she never let the belief and passion that it would succeed die. She was successful in transitioning from a career with an established ad agency to building her own company.
She recently hired a President to run the company so she could focus on her passion in marketing. Her strategy for success has always been taking an idea and making it into something and then turning it over to other people in her company to take these ideas to the next level. She also is a huge believer in making a lot of connections, because it is through these connections that she builds a network of ideas and support that has helped her company succeed.
Her best advice – follow your dreams and NEVER GIVE UP!
Entrepreneur Interview #2
Dan Boucher
Executive Chair of Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind
Winston-Salem, NC
Dan Boucher, the Executive Chair of the Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind has transformed a $60 million dollar business that used to only make mop and brooms into a thriving $800 million dollar business that manufactures and supplies an array of high quality products to private businesses and the government. The production areas are primarily staffed with blind workers and Mr. Boucher knows each of them and their background stories personally.
How does he keep the company innovative and growing? By believing that anything can be done by his dedicated team. He uses his skills as an experienced production manager to hone in on how they can continue to increase their functionality and productivity. They operate as any other production company and focus on producing a quality product, on time and at a competitive price. One example is their defect level on the manufacturing of pens. They only have four to six pens rejected out of 40 million produced! This speaks highly of the talented team.
Entrepreneur Interview #3
Kim Shufran
Executive Director and Founder
iCanHouse
Winston-Salem, NC
Kim Shurfran started an innovative social service non-profit called iCan House that teaches social skills and provides educational opportunities to those clients with social challenges, especially those with Asperger’s Syndrome. She created the agency somewhat out of necessity and personal passion, as she has a 14 year old daughter who is on the Autism Spectrum.
Kim spent many years working in the for-profit world and got a lot of valuable experience from being in nursing and then in human resource training. She is a big believer in fate and serendipity and keeps her eyes on the future and how she will continue to innovate to better serve her clients’ needs.
Entrepreneur Interview #4
Rick Amme
President of Rick Amme and Associates
Winston-Salem, NC
Rick Amme took a successful career in television broadcasting and parlayed it into his own successful business which teaches media training and crisis management to companies and individuals. His specialized training includes real life examples done on camera to simulate real-world high pressure situations.
The greatest advice that he had for budding entrepreneurs was to write articles to establish yourself as an expert in your field. He sends out a monthly e-mail with helpful articles for businesses. The topics range from crisis management to successful speech writing. I have always found these articles to be very helpful and have used a lot of the information he has provided in my business life.
The transition from working at a television studio to having his own business was not an easy one. While he was building up his business base he had many months with very little business. He kept developing his contacts and clients and has become very successful.
Entrepreneur Interview #5
Mary Jamis
Director of Business Development – MCreative
Co-Founder of the Women’s Fund
Winston-Salem, NC
Mary Jamis is the Director of Business Development at M Creative in Winston-Salem, NC and has been in the ad agency business for over 20 years. She has had great impact in her business career, but she is most proud of her entrepreneurial community involvement in developing the Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem.
Mary had another entrepreneurial venture about five years ago when she started Whistling Women, a place for women to gather and share resources. She was interested in giving back to the community and supporting women of all faiths, backgrounds and ethnicities. What she learned from this short venture was that she should have set the business up as a non-profit. She dissolved the business and sold the property as there was not enough business to support the overhead.
Entrepreneur Interview #6
Don DeBethizy, Ph.D.
Co-founder of Targacept
President and CEO
I felt very fortunate to secure a brief interview with Don DeBethizy, Ph.D. and the President and CEO of Targacept in the Research Park in Winston-Salem, NC. Don started the company in 1997 as a division of Reynolds Tobacco. Targacept is a biopharmaceutical company that designs, discovers, and develops drugs for nervous system diseases and disorders. Don is an enthusiastic entrepreneur that keeps the focus on continuous improvement and innovation.
Don’s greatest piece of advice for entrepreneurs is to make sure you don’t give up your power as a leader. Don is down-to-earth, enthusiastic and inspiring. The visit to his office gave me the ability to discover that his company totally embraces Gallup’s management by strengths. It was evident that they practiced this management theory well.
