About Me

In the very beginning, it was love at first sight. He was the only other American at the pool, where I was visiting my friend. My gorgeous best friend started talking to him about baseball, but he knew I was the one for him. After two days of hanging out, he proposed. Six months later, I moved to New Haven CT to start my life as a wife and business owner. We had a passion for business and knew that jewelry was the one thing that made people happy.

Importing jewelry evolved into manufacturing. We didn’t start out as a manufacturer. We learned the hard way by learning to adapt and overcome obstacles in business. When importing jewelry from around the world,the deliveries never arrived on time and the customers cancelled their orders. If we were going to succeed, we needed to control our production. Our only option was to manufacture, we didn’t know what we were getting into. We brought in a partner, sent him to Providence, RI to learn how to make Sterling Silver jewelry using the lost wax casting method. Business isn’t something you always know about, you  learn as your go. The joy of the business was creating classic timeless pieces that families would keep for generations and generations. This was a business that had unlimited potential, growth and was very lucrative.

You need two types of people to start a business. You need the technical person that understands the nuts and bolts of your product and you need the sales people to sell the vision. We were the best sales people but knew nothing about manufacturing. We met a guy Steve who was currently manufacturing stash boxes. Wooden stash boxes aren’t close to jewelry, but we knew that all manufacturing uses the same basic principles. It doesn’t matter if it’s stash boxes, clothing or jewelry. It’s raw materials, mixed with labor that makes your final product. We sent Steve to Providence Rhode Island in 1980 to learn how to make jewelry. $1,000 on used equipment and no business plan, we were on our way to being the 5th largest jewelry manufacturer in the country. 

With not much income, we could only afford a small 600 foot factory. Three years later, we bought an 8500 square foot building. A few years later, we rented a 2,000 square foot distribution center. We guaranteed that our products would be delivered on time. We didn’t ship the items, we rented a truck every month and delivered our product to K-Mart who at the time had 2,500 stores and had their distribution center in NJ. . With over 100 employees and selling to all the major discount stores, K-Mart, Target, TJMAX, Home Shopping Network, Caldors, Bradlees, Jamesway, Sears, to name a few, we were on our way to being one of the top manufacturers in the country.

The manufacturing business continued to grow and in 1988 it exploded we purchased a 14Kt gold manufacturing business out of FL and increased our product line. We now had grown so much with 5 retail stores, and corporate fundraising sales events which we expanded across the country.  We were exhibitors at the national jewelry shows in NYC and Las Vegas and the company continued to grow. With the growth became so many challenges in our business. OSHA, Sexual Harassment, Sales and Use tax audit, Immigration coming in to audit our employees which ended in deportation, FBI coming in and arresting an employee who was wanted in another state. Bringing Partners in and getting  them out. With all the challenges, and in growing this business took a toll on me especially after Joel had died.  I was then faced with a serious partnership dispute. With a year of legal counsel and doing my due diligence in analyzing the future of the business and with the business changing.  Our Major accounts were going bankrupt. K-Mart went from 30 days credit to 90 days. They also wanted to return $500.000 worth of merchandise.  After careful analysis and bringing in a major accounting firm for advise on what to do.  It was clear I had to sell or face bankruptcy in 5 years time.  I ended up forcing the sale of the business, I returned the company car and  cashed out in November of 1996.  I was devastated that the business Joel and I built and loved was sold, looking back on that day, it turned out to be the best decision because that business was bankrupt in 5 years as predicted by the accounting firm I hired to analyze the business. The next day after I sold the business I found myself with nowhere to go and nothing to do. Can you imagine waking up and not having your livelihood, it was gone. I had felt so empty, no husband, kids were 17, 12 and 11. I needed to maintain the stability of their lives and make sure to maintain our normal life that I had strived to provide.  

I was now in a position to recreate myself. Find my passion,  I began filling my days with Art lessons, Golf lessons, travelling, and trying to find another business to go into. I decided to get my Real Estate license because I grew up in the Real Estate business, we owned real estate and commercial investment property so it was something I knew about. When I got my license I worked for a small commercial office in CT and after 6 months the Broker in the office said, “things are not working out” I was not able to sit at a desk from 9-5 and he wanted me in the office. I still went to my trainer, got regular massage, played golf and enjoyed every day. I left that office and went to another office who allowed me to be more independent. I was successful in getting listings and sold a 25 unit apartment building and commercial leases, I even did some residential sales.  

I then got my MBA in Entrepreneurship. I was the oldest student in the program and with my years of Real life business experience i challenged all the professors who were teaching but have never owned a business.  That experience showed me another side of corporate business and most of that information can not be applied to a small start up.  My goal was to teach business.  I knew the head of the business department at Gateway Community College and she told me I needed an MBA to teach. So I got it and taught Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management and Business Plan. I also taught Sociology as that was what my undergraduate degree. Knowing the department heads help. In life I have found it is always who you know.

I went to SCORE, the nation’s largest mentoring organization for small business and met with a business counselor when I was having partnership issues and they called for a follow up appointment and when I told them I sold my business they recruited me to volunteer in 1997. I was so happy to share my business expertise as I had gone through so much and did not even realize the knowledge I had until clients would ask. I immersed myself in SCORE and began facilitating the monthly workshops as well as a major conference “Successful Women in Business, sharing the secrets of power”. This event held in 1998 was the largest event ever held for women and of course, we got so much negative feedback “You will never get anyone to show up on a Saturday in July?” Our keynote speaker was Lillian Vernon who started a mail order business on her kitchen table. It was held on a Saturday in July and over 400 women showed up to learn about starting, expanding and soon after I became the chapter chair for 10 years. The passion I have for business has helped thousands of entrepreneurs realize their dream of owning a business of their own. I have helped thousands lead richer lives by sharing my passion for business and sharing my knowledge and experience on everything business owners need to know.

I hope you find joy and inspiration when you read the passion I have for business as I share ways to overcome every business obstacle that you may be faced with.