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Name: Judy Silver
Age: 48
Company Name: Silver Lining Internet Consulting
Company Address: 737 Sevilla Park Place, London, Ont. N5Y 4H9
Type of Business: consulting
Years Incorporated: 0
Previous Job: Librarian
Education: BA, Education; MLS (Masters of Library and Information Science)

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1. What is your official job title? Is there a more whimsical description that might be more accurate?

Owner/Operator

2. What was the inspiration for starting your own business?

Poor job situation. No more layoffs, no more job searching, control of my time

3. What makes your company unique?

Well, that is the problem. There is not much that is unique about my company except that I do offer online searching. I do offer to teach children.

4. How did your graduate school degree help prepare you for your career?

Well, I took a course on the Internet and every class I took had something about the Internet in it. In every class, I choose to do an assignment that was based on the Internet. However, I only had very basic HTML and had to learn a lot on my own.

5. What necessary career information was missing from your studies? How did you pick up those skills and information?

Well, marketing was not part of my studies. As well, we did not learn about accounting and business plans. I did take a two week course to pick up on those skills but I feel I still need more information about marketing. As I said above, I had to learn advanced HTML as well as onsite installations on my own. I did a lot of practicing on friends and did a lot of volunteering for LondonNet and Hometown to learn these skills. I still need to learn more about onsite stuff since most of my competitors offer that as well. I also need to learn about LANs, CGI, and UNIX to be more effective. I still need to figure out how to be unique, since there is not much call for online searching. Most people figure that out by themselves, although they may lack efficiency.

6. What difficulties did you encounter starting your business?

Well, I really answered that in #5. However, money was a problem, since everything I have earned so far has gone into the household and I do not have much for advertising. Also, when I started, not many people were doing onsite services. Now there are many companies offering those services, some even 24 hours a day. I guess again it goes back to how to make it unique and I am still not sure about that. As I said, marketing is not my strong point. Finding new clients has also been difficult.

7. How many hours do you work in a typical week?

It depends. At times, it can be more than 40 hours and at times 5 hours. I try to do something on the business each day.

8. What three things are most frustrating about an entrepreneurship?

• money issues
• not knowing what will come in each day
• not knowing where or what I will be doing the next day

9. What three things are most rewarding?

• being my own boss.
• the general challenge and learning something new each time a new client come along
• deciding the hours I will work (sometimes I will do something during the day and work at night, and can take time off when I want)

10. What three things are most fun?

• the creativity of Web design
• imparting some of my knowledge to others
• being with people, not stuck behind a desk all day

11. How do you handle work stress?

Since I do need some structure, I have taken to volunteerism. This way I can be with people and I love going to meetings. I also take off one day a week where I do not do or accept any work. I try to keep my business for the daytime and keep my nighttime to relax and watch TV and do some needlepoint or I will read a book.

12. How big a role does technology play in your career path?

Very big. Without it, I would not have chosen what I wanted to be nor found the idea for my business in the first place.

13. How do you distinguish yourself from others in your work?

I am a librarian and a trained teacher, so my education background makes the big difference.

14. What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?

Decide what you are good at. Learn from this survey what is both good and bad about being an entrepreneur. Take courses and learn about running a business.

15. Which popular song best describes your working life?

none given