Category: Business Owner Stories

How a Financial Coach Is Making the Transition to Full-Time Business Owner

How a Financial Coach Is Making the Transition to Full-Time Business Owner

Advertiser Disclosure Maggie Germano started her financial coaching business as a hobby at first, giving advice to friends and family, but soon found a passion for helping others was driving her to take it to the next level. “Financial stability can propel people forward in so many ways that can help them, especially women,” said Germano, founder of Maggie Germano Financial Coaching. Germano combined her passion for personal finance and empowering women to build her business, which provides women with… Read More
How to Use Work as a Motivation to Stay in Shape

How to Use Work as a Motivation to Stay in Shape

I've never been a huge fan of exercise. It's only fun if you're playing a sport, and I'm not the most coordinated guy. I can't even pull off a friendly fist-bump if I'm walking while I make the attempt. Imagine how that would translate on a basketball court. I used to get fired up about exercise all the time. I'd think, "Oh, yeah, I'm going to start lifting weights!" And I would follow through, too — for about a week. Problem was, mornings and… Read More
How an Equipment Lease Was the Key to Unlocking This Consultant’s Success

How an Equipment Lease Was the Key to Unlocking This Consultant’s Success

Miles “Holmes” McGinnis first started his computer consulting business, Amerimart, in the early 1990s. He was a database programmer who consulted for several Fortune 1000 companies, and enjoyed 10 years of solid work with his growing client base. Then, during the Dot-com collapse in the early 2000s, Holmes lost many of his clients because of excessive speculation and growing fears regarding the future of Internet-based companies. Suddenly, he was faced with no work, aging technical skills, a growing pile of… Read More
What This Entrepreneur Learned Building a Business on Smart Partnerships

What This Entrepreneur Learned Building a Business on Smart Partnerships

Vicky Llerena is the founder of Social Vibes Media, a New Jersey marketing agency focused on online brand building. Llerena’s passion is helping minority and women-owned businesses establish an online presence that will enable them to generate more leads and get noticed by potential customers. She credits a commitment to networking and building partnerships with fueling her business’ growth. From Corporate Job to Entrepreneur I worked in corporate for six years. It was my first job after college. I moved… Read More
This Entrepreneur is Using Skills He Learned as a Race Car Driver to Build a Marketing Business

This Entrepreneur is Using Skills He Learned as a Race Car Driver to Build a Marketing Business

Britton Lorentzen is the owner of Empac Design, a small business in Washington that provides branding and marketing solutions for other small businesses, including graphic design, web design, and asset creation and development. Lorentzen is passionate about telling the unique stories of the small businesses he works with, helping them to create a brand that thoroughly engages their intended audience. From Race Car Driver to Entrepreneur A long while back, I was part of a racing family. We started off… Read More
The Inner Circle: How Your Peers Could Be the Key to Business Success

The Inner Circle: How Your Peers Could Be the Key to Business Success

Ric Franzi is the owner of Critical Mass for Business, a company dedicated to making a lasting positive impact on the lives of business leaders through the power of peer learning. Ric’s presence both in Orange County, California and nationally is accomplished through his CEO Peer Groups, a weekly podcast and authoring the first book on peer learning called Critical Mass: The 10 Explosive Powers of CEO Peer Groups. “I believed in this business and the power of social learning… Read More