Skills carryover helps startups hone ventures - Business First of Columbus:

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Elliott, 45, spent 18 yeare as a technical writer for and community relationw managerfor . Five years ago, however, sensingh change with her position at Lucentwas coming, she Two years later, using $80,000 in persona l savings and a credit card, Elliotgt opened . In the market for a sprinh jacket? Shoppers at her store are likely to find one adornexdwith colorful, buttons and belt What about baubles? Young ladies on the fence aboutr getting their ears pierced are sure to be pushex off by a set of teeny, tiny cupcake-shapeds earrings.
Elliott says she believesx that ifmerchandise isn’t different enough to warrant a customers are likely to bypass it as opposed to making a beeline to the cash The shop owner never read this in a book but knowsx it by instinct – something she honed and learnedd to trust during her days at AT&TT and Lucent. “I am always on the lookoutg for quality products that are feminineand stylish; there also has to be some sort of twisf – something that’s going to give customers a littls bit more bang for their buck,” says Elliott, who targetse teenagers and women interested in versatile apparel, jewelry and handbags.
“It’s all about knowing your which is something I learned back when I was writinyoperations manuals. It’s a skill I now apply to this Elliott, in fact, made it a point to brinvg her corporate communications background to the table to help maximizew her investment andattract “As Lucent Technologies Columbus Works community relationz manager, I was in charge of special which means I know how to begi with a vision and implement every detail,” she says.
“These days, one of my primaryt methods of getting people through my door revolvew aroundspecial events, including private shoppingf parties, girls’ nights out and breakfasy mixers for women business owners in New Albany.” she offers up her store for networking and even up to the poinr of making the invitations and providing refreshments. “It’sa all stuff I learned how to do when I workedc at myold job,” she The idea is to introduce her shop to potentiao customers without breaking the bank – something else Elliot t picked up at Lucent. “The company encouraged us to managwe its departmental budgets as if the monehy wasour own.
These days, the money reallgy is my own,” she says. It’xs not uncommon for professionals to take stock of theirt careers when they see job functions consolidated and coworkersx losing their jobs because ofnumberd crunches, as it did for Elliott. It’sa especially difficult when mid-life sneaks up and passionn for the job gives way to stresaand pressure. For a few of these the answer can be found in saysPierre Daunic, presidenyt of . “I wouldn’t call it common, but given the state of the economy, more and more peoples are considering (self-employment) as an option,” he says.
whose six-year-old company specializes in cover letter andresume development, says entrepreneurs who possess certain fundamental including leadership and communications are in the best position to use thosed talents in meaningful ways even when the startup is unrelated to the careert that developed those talents. “For example, I started out as an Air Force officer, moved into commercial construction, and then started teaching at the Daunic said. “What I do today, in revolves around the teaching skills I learned at the academu because I teach clients how tomarkert themselves.
” Prior to becoming a business he stumbled into a high-tech recruitin g career thanks, he says, to the eclectiv skills he gained in the military.