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Local Voices

Novi Author Inspires Others to Pursue Entrepreneurship

Very few individuals have the courage to walk away from a highly lucrative career to venture into the unknown. It was a big risk, but Novi business owner Rachelle Smith did, and hasn’t looked back. She voluntarily left a fruitful sales career in the Biotechnology industry and started her business in early 2012. “The income and perks were phenomenal, but I wasn’t fulfilled,” she says. “I knew there had to be more to life than that. I wanted to pursue my life purpose, and make a difference in the world.”

 

That courageous decision changed the course of her life. Her life is now filled with passion and purpose. “So many people are unfulfilled in the workplace. I can relate; I was one of them,” she says. While she had planned to start a consulting business after retiring from corporate America, she made her entrepreneurial dream come true – twenty years ahead of schedule. “Now that I have done it, I want to encourage others to do it as well. We all have things that we are passionate about and naturally gifted at. My goal is to inspire and challenge others to engage in thorough planning and preparation to build businesses around those areas,” she says.

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My greatest source of inspiration resulted from attending the first annual Entrepreneur You Conference, held at Walsh College in 2012. “I literally started my business the day after that conference,” she says. Smith presented a sales and business development workshop at the 2nd annual Entrepreneur You Conference this year.

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Her book, Monetizing Your Passion: You Have What It Takes!, was birthed from her own journey, coupled with a desire to help others make their dreams come true. “Starting a business seems to be a far-fetched dream for most people. It doesn’t have to be. There are so many resources available to aspiring entrepreneurs. Now is a great time to start a business,” she adds.

 

Entrepreneurship has been booming for several years in the United States. “In 2010, an average of 0.34 percent of adults created a new business each month, equaling about 565,000 new businesses per month,” according to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity 1996-2010, published in March of 2011.

 

In the book, Smith also cites the Novi Public Library Business Resource Center (BRC) as being very helpful during her entrepreneurial journey. Novi Library Director, Julie Farkas, says, "Libraries are hidden gems when gathering valuable information for a business adventure. There is a wealth of resources both in print and digitally that can kick start performance and many programs that benefit the business go-getter. "

 

Smith considers Michigan a great place to start a business. “The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has great resources, such as the Michigan Small Business Development & Technology Centers (MISBTDC) available to help you get started. I attended a number of their workshops.”

 

The book’s contents include wisdom from Smith’s entrepreneurial journey, start-up accounting advice from Ursula C. Scroggs, CPA and Jean M. Stenger, CPA, both of Troy-based Derderian, Kann, Seyferth & Salucci, P.C., and also highlights the journeys of fourteen passionate and successful entrepreneurs surveyed from various industries across the United States. Pam Turkin, award-winning founder and owner of Livonia-based Just Baked, is among those Smith surveyed.

 

Monetizing Your Passion: You Have What It Takes! is now available on Amazon.com.

 

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