Re: June and Raquel

[Guest guest]

Great that you can do both those businesses from home.  I'd love to be able to

come up with something, but right now, nothing comes to mind. 

 

My daughter has developed a wonderful chocolate chip/oatmeal cookie that she has

been urged to market, but she's too busy.  I'm sure there a lot of hoops to go

through to establish something like your business, though.

 

June C.

Subject: June and Raquel

To: LBDcaregivers

Date: Saturday, August 23, 2008, 7:15 PM

I have a business I started " officially " in 2002 although I made the

products for my birds and for friends before that. As I've mentioned here I

am passionate about parrots, and had an interest in avian nutrition.

Because the whole field is a huge question mark, and I'd spent several years

on extensive research, and it was a passion for me, I decided to go into

business. I had a cockatiel that was a " seedjunkie " and I developed a food

that he loved that contained loads of healthy foods, and was urged by

friends to put it on the market. Long story short, that's where I got my

start. 4 years ago I started selling through some top online retailers of

quality avian products...now I sell through carefully selected vendors

across the US and in Canada. 3 years ago I outgrew my home kitchen, and put

my house up for sale...2 years ago I moved here and we converted the

attached garage into my " shop " - a large professionally- equipped kitchen

where I now produce my product line which has, of course, grown greatly over

the years. I spend a great deal of time in my shop and often work from

early morning until late at night - although this month after introducing a

new product that has literally flown out of my shop as fast as I can produce

it, I've been working from early morning to early morning .

My other job is full-time seasonal: 9-5, M-F, April-October. I started in

2001 answering phones (and some of the questions) and setting appointments

for the techs of a Lansing-area pest control company in which my

brother-in-law Don (Gwen's husband) is part owner. I work at home, usually

from my shop where I had a desk built in for the purpose. I love it

because, although there can be up to 100 phone calls in a day and it's

constant interruption, I know all the regular clients after all these years,

and I can work while I run my business. Yeah, I'm tied to the phone and

computer for 40 hours a week, but I can't think of a better way to

supplement our income, and it pays very well. I love the owners, it's a

Christian company, and they have very high ethics. It's a great fit .

My business is called Itty Bitty Birdie Bites (www.ittybittybirdi ebites.com)

..

The pest control company is The Bug Man (http://lansingbugma n.com) . (I did

their website also.)

People ask me all the time how I got started in my own business and if I had

any words of advice for them. I always say that I built my business around

my passion, otherwise I wouldn't have had the stamina or enthusiasm for the

very VERY hard work that it has taken to build my business, and to continue

to run it.

sHis,

Sherry

www.owly.net

daughter of , (mis?)diagnosed with AD in 2005, descent slowed by

Aricept; diagnosed with LBD March 2008, in a wonderful NH 1/2 mile from my

house. We're learning to live with Lewy...