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How I Started My Own Business
By Sandra Conley
Some people thought I couldn't do it. Because of Degenerative Joint disease, I became an Amputee at age 17. Since then, I've had a hip replaced and a screw inserted in my body to hold my ankle in place. None of that kept me from my first dream: to become an occupational therapist. I worked in the field for six years before constant pain and weakness forced me to take some time off. During that time, I qualified for disability benefits and became a client of Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS).
I also spent some time thinking about the kinds of things I like to do. I wanted a new dream to pursue.
I remembered that, as a child, I loved to bake cookies. As a teenage Girl Scout, I loved to sell them. I knew that it's one thing to bake cookies. It's quite another to know how to identify your market, how to reach your market, the best source of advertising to target, and how to identify and surpass your competition. I contacted the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living and they directed me to a free business course that I was able to take in my local area. Through that, I learned about the Michigan Association of Business Executives with Disabilities (MABED), and the Self-Help and National Training Initiative (SHANTI, Inc.).
I applied myself and learned everything I could, like how to bake quantities of cookies, how to freeze them without losing flavor, and how to partner with caterers and other businesses to increase sales. I do what I can each day.
To help me launch my business, Michigan Rehabilitation Services purchased an expensive convection oven for me.
Knowing that the pain in my joints means that I won't be able to work sometimes, I set up a partnership with another baker I know, someone who specializes in cheesecakes. We're looking at the possibility of expanding our businesses by working together in a commercial kitchen.
Sandra's Baked Goods has been selling cookies for four years now. We offer mouthwatering Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, and Toffee Crunch varieties. Our clients have included Compuware, Bing Steel, and the Detroit Entrepreneurship Institute. I use the Ticket to Work to assure that I won't lose my health insurance.
It took a lot of determination, but it has been worth it. Detroit Entrepreneurship Institute and Michigan Rehabilitation Services were the greatest tools ever to launch Sandra's Baked Goods.
To contact Sandra, email her at sandrasbakedgoods@yahoo.com. To learn about more people with disabilities who are succeeding in business, go to http://www.michigan.gov/printerFriendly/0,1687,7-122--74184--,00.html
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