Editor's Note

Dorothy called me the other night. A telephone solicitor for AmVets, Dorothy calls every couple of months to see if I have things to donate to the charity. "Do you have just a small bag of items that you could give?" she asks hopefully.

I don't know much about Dorothy, but I amuse myself by making up stories about her. I picture her sitting comfortably in her housecoat and slippers (she sounds like a comfortable sort), asking her son to take out the trash. "Couldn't you bring just a small bag out to the curb?"

Ford Motor Co. should hire Dorothy. She'd guilt more customers into buying cars than they'd ever have believed possible. "Couldn't you buy just a small Focus?" she'd smile winningly. Sales would soar; stock prices would rise.

I used to donate to Purple Heart. For the past couple of years, Purple Heart has hired a professional company to solicit donations. The folks who call are pleasant, well-spoken and professional. And I don't give them anything. I'm saving my donations for Dorothy.

Dorothy has developed a professional relationship with me; we have established a connection. I have no problem turning down the professional solicitors. They're probably expecting it, and I never (that I'm aware of) speak to the same person twice, so there's no emotional investment. But Dorothy is always so hopeful, I hate to disappoint. She has made me, the customer, care about her and, by extension, the organization she serves. And she makes me feel a little guilty - kind of like my mom.

Sharon Pinder's column quotes serial entrepreneur Raymond Haysbert, retired chairman of Park Sausage. "During tough times, business owners should focus on the customer," he advised. Chizoba Ebinama, ComForcare Senior Services franchise owner and our featured entrepreneur, takes it further. She said, "We want to make people feel like they're family."

I'm sure Dorothy would agree with them. Right, Mom?



'Cereal' Entrepreneurs

I can't tell you how many folks thought, when I told them this issue's focus topic, that we were featuring purveyors of breakfast food. No matter; there's no doubt in my mind that the serial entrepreneurs we've featured in this issue are proud of their accomplishments, and with good reason.

Serial entrepreneurs contribute to the economy first and foremost by creating viable businesses from scratch. They then sell the business, whole-cloth, to a new owner to maintain (and employ people, and earn profits and pay taxes) and go on to start another business, which they may sell in the future, and so on. It seems a selfless act, but I don't think any of them are feeling especially altruistic. From where I stand, it looks like they're having fun.





Joan Waclawski

Editor-in-Chief