Womanprenuer X’s Three
Shellye L. Lyons: On the one hand, I chose to go into business for myself to establish a stream of income for my family and I wanted to be more available to them. I liked the idea of having some flexibility without having to “answer” to anyone else. On the other hand, I saw a need, and as a service oriented person and having the spiritual gift of encouragement, I wanted to establish something that would allow me to be a blessing to others. Through my businesses I am able to serve others and also give people an opportunity to learn about their gifts and talents so they can also share what God has blessed them with as well. It’s an ongoing cycle that I hope will just keep getting bigger and bigger!
Shellye L. Lyons: PLS3 provides specialized business support services to small to medium business owners at an affordable cost. NBWEN provides a network of like-minded women in business for spiritual, personal and professional support and development from each other. Websites $199, a spinoff of PLS3, offers affordable, quality websites to business owners who are tired of being overcharged for web hosting and design fees.
Shellye L. Lyons: I realized a need in the small- to medium-sized business community for affordable business support services and I felt God gave me my experience to help others. Through PLS3, I have been able to offer a solution to provide quality services for a reduced cost and an alternative to hiring temporary or seasonal employees for special projects or during fulltime employee absences. As I continued to assist others throughout the years, I felt a need to encourage other women to take charge and do the same. I created NBWEN so that women and businesses that cater to them could network with one another, share ideas, and be of help to one another for each stage of their business.
Shellye L. Lyons: Whew! I made MANY mistakes in the beginning stages of the business. But what I remember most is that I allowed myself to be taken advantage of with regard to pricing. I was in such a hurry to just get out there and “get it” that I underestimated my worth. I mean, to the point of charging one fee, but after all the effort I put into project, I ended up making pennies on the dollar! If I remember correctly, I think I probably made about $15K in my initial year of providing services on a full time basis, but after expenses, my net profit was about $5000 for the ENTIRE year!! But I got better and by the next year, I believe I made a net profit of over $15K and that was with little to no effort with regard to really selling and marketing the business. Not bad for the second year!
to a new business owner?
Shellye L. Lyons: Take your time and match your passion with your business. Find a niche, a need, and learn to serve others because it comes back to you. Always try to look for win-win situations in business and don’t underestimate your worth.
Shellye L. Lyons: PLS3 was established in October 1999 so this past October made 10 years! I worked part time while working a full time job until 2005. At that point, PLS3 had gotten enough projects to warrant me going full time. NBWEN came in 2005 and Websites $199 just got off the ground in 2009. I’m always reorganizing and figuring out ways to make the businesses better so who know what I’ll come up with next!!
Shellye L. Lyons: To be honest with you, this is still quite the challenge! My husband gets on me about this a lot. Sometimes, I’ll be so focused on working on business matters that I don’t pay as much attention to my children as I should. I have two that have left the nest and my two youngest children, 15 and 9, are so independent that sometimes I forget, they still need my guidance and support, especially my daughter who will be 16 this month! So I’m working on this. I try to work on business matters during the day while they’re at school and then after they go to bed. That way, if they need me, I’m available and I can focus my attention on them.
