I came across a great article on Entrepreneur.com about Suzy Prudden, whose face I recognized but whose name I did not. She’s had quite a life and offers many lessons for business people and entrepreneurs. Starting off as a fitness trainer out of her own, Suzy has seen serious financial ups and downs (which included being homeless and out of work), mostly based on youth and inexperience. She transformed herself into a motivational speaker, reaping praise from folks like Deepak Chopra and Oprah.
At 22, with a new baby on the way and a husband in school she needed an income and started doing fitness training from home. Soon she spun this into a full-fledged fitness company which she owned for 18 years before selling it in 1983. She started giving workshops, which she sold cheaply to gain a following and to brand herself as a speaker on mind-body connections. She’s now written 13 books, and is acknowledged as a leader in holistic mental/physical health.
What I particularly loved about the article and Prudden herself is her succinct advice for individuals interested in starting a business. This from Entrepreneur.com:
- Have a business plan: “I actually for the first time ever have a business plan,” she says. “I’ve never had one before. I just had an idea and did it.”She’s now working with business coach Bobbie Leonard. “She looks at all the things I’ve done and she said she doesn’t understand why I’m not more successful in the world.”
Prudden knows why: “It’s because I don’t plan, I just do.”
- Find people to help you. “Getting a business coach is paramount,” she says. “A lot of us think we have to do it ourselves. We think we have to know everything. We don’t know everything. There are people who know much more than we do, and we need to get hold of them.”
- Make sure you have money. “I suggest people keep their day job or make sure they have some kind of income. If you don’t have money, it’s too hard.”
- Go for it. “Now is the best time to start a business because everybody’s a mess. The playing field is more even. And if you can make a business successful at a time like now, then you’ve got it made when things start turning around.”
- Make sure you fill a need. “When you start a business, you have to look at what is needed, not necessarily what you want to do. People get a good idea, and they think everyone wants it. You’ve got to find out if they want it before you take it out there.”
For pulling herself up and following her own series of dreams, Suzy Prudden is our Saturday Success Story!
You gotta give it to this guy. Jason Sadler developed a business idea that allows him to get paid for getting dressed. He’s been all over the media (literally: check this Press link) which he undoubtedly works harder at than his actual business model.
Divorce is an obviously unhappy event (though many people jump for joy when it’s over!). But you add insult to injury by employing a rabid divorce attorney which can take things from sad to evil. Karen Stewart felt there ought to be a better way and, in exploring that, built one of the fastest growing and most respected franchises around: 
I came across Alexis on Pam Slim’s Escape from Cubicle Nation and knew we had to write about her because she is a lawyer turned entrepreneur. Alexis is one of the “mompreneur”s out there, a powerful online community of mom entrepreneur’s who are finding a better (not perfect) balance between running businesses and being stay-at-home moms.
