Elaine L. Babcock
Company: Personalized Business Cards & Desktop Publishing
E-mail:WantsUtoo@aol.com
Web Address: http://members.aol.com/wantsutoo
# Years Self-Employed

Tell us a little about your business.
I do persoanlized business cards and desktop publishing for small to medium sized businesses. I offer thousands of color graphics and hundreds of fonts for what other places charge for black and white or one color.

Why did you decide to start your own business?
I am a stay at home mom and we needed extra money in the home to do the special things for our children.

How did you get started?
I got started doing it for family members and it grew from there.

What makes your company unique?
I offer personalized service and a rapid turn around time. I specialize in small and medium sized businesses who don't want extremely large bulk orders just to get a good price.

What specials skills or training were required to start this business? And where did you get this training/and or experience?
No

How much do you estimate the start-up costs were to start this business?
Minimum cost to me. Just some paper supplies and postage.

Did it require any special equipment or supplies?
I had to have a very good printer. Some purchase of specialized paper.

What difficulties did you encounter starting your business?
Getting the accounts to make this a running enterprise.

How many hours do you work in a typical week?
It varies depending on the amount of jobs that need to be done. Anywhere from 10-20 hours most times less.

How do you market your business?
Brochures, mailings, personal sales calls, webpages.

Is there anything unique that you have tried that worked really well for you?
Brochures and mailings and word of mouth.

What has been most rewarding about working for yourself?
I get to spend time with my family and still have extra money coming in. I can work my own hours and the house doesn't go to heck.

What has been most frustrating?
Getting the word out.

How do you separate work from home?
I have a seperate office in house and I usually work while my children are in bed or turn on the printer and let it rip.

How do you handle working at home with children?
My children are the most importatn thing to me. Time spent away from them is time spent missing important moments so I spend very little time at the computer and more time with them.

What advice would you give to others thinking of starting their own business?
Be prepared for an uphill climb, but once you reach your own personal summitt the view is rewarding.

*****************************************