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

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Elliott, 45, spent 18 years as a technical writerd for and community relations managerfor . Five yearse ago, however, sensing change with her position at Lucentywas coming, she left. Two years using $80,000 in personal savings and a credit Elliottopened . In the market for a spring jacket? Shoppers at her store are likelt to find one adornerwith colorful, buttons and belt What about baubles? Young ladies on the fencwe about getting their ears pierced are sure to be pushede off by a set of teeny, tiny cupcake-shapeds earrings.
Elliott says she believes that ifmerchandise isn’ t different enough to warrant a reaction, customers are likelty to bypass it as opposed to makinvg a beeline to the cash register. The shop ownet never read this in a book but knoww it byinstinct – something she honed and learnes to trust during her days at AT&T and “I am always on the lookoug for quality products that are feminine and there also has to be some sort of twistf – something that’s going to give customerz a little bit more bang for theirt buck,” says Elliott, who targets teenagers and women interestecd in versatile apparel, jewelry and handbags.
“It’zs all about knowing your which is something I learned back when I was writin goperations manuals. It’s a skill I now applyh to this business.” Elliott, in fact, made it a pointf to bring her corporate communications background to the tablr to help maximize her investmeng andattract customers. “As Lucent Technologies Columbuw Works communityrelations manager, I was in charge of special events, which means I know how to begin with a visio and implement every detail,” she says.
“These days, one of my primaryg methods of getting people through my door revolvexs aroundspecial events, including private shopping parties, girls’ nights out and breakfas mixers for women business owners in New Albany.” she offers up her store for networking and events, even up to the poinf of making the invitations and providingb refreshments. “It’s all stuff I learnedf how to do when I worked at myold job,” she The idea is to introducse her shop to potential customers withouyt breaking the bank something else Elliott pickef up at Lucent. “The compangy encouraged us to manage its departmental budgets as if the moneyg wasour own.
These days, the money realluy is my own,” she says. It’xs not uncommon for professionals to take stock of theid careers when they see job functions consolidatesd and coworkers losing their jobs because ofnumbeer crunches, as it did for It’s especially difficult when mid-life sneaks up and passion for the job give s way to stress and pressure. For a few of thesw people, the answer can be found in saysPierre Daunic, president of .
“I wouldn’t call it common, but give the state of the more and more peoplr areconsidering (self-employment) as an option,” he Daunic, whose six-year-old company specializes in coverf letter and resume development, says entrepreneurs who possess certain fundamental including leadership and communications skills, are in the best positiobn to use those talents in meaningful ways – even when the startup is unrelated to the career that developerd those talents. “For example, I startee out as an Air Force officer, moved into commerciall construction, and then started teaching at the ,” Daunic said.
“Whagt I do today, in particular, revolves arounde the teaching skills I learned at the academy becausde I teach clients how tomarket themselves.” Priod to becoming a business he stumbled into a high-tech recruiting careetr thanks, he says, to the eclectic skills he gained in the