When Stephanie Stephens started her small business in 2009 she knew two things: 1) Her days as a freelance magazine journalist were numbered, as print magazines were tanking in a faltering economy, and 2) Her skills were still media-intensive, i.e., journalism, radio, television, public relations and promotion. Stephens took those two facts and focused on a rising demographic: baby boomers. “I realized consumers, mainly women, were gobbling up health information on the Internet,” says Stephens. “Approximately 78 million baby boomers have both discretionary time and money.
The result is MindYourBody.tv, which offers videos, audio podcasts and blogs for women boomers.
SCORE OC: What’s your goal for MindYourBody.tv?
Stephens: I seek to provide timely, accurate health and lifestyle information to female boomers because they’re hungry for it. They’re also the health care decision-makers in their households. They know what they want and how to find it.
We female boomers aren’t taking aging “lying down.” Rather, we seek to emulate “healthy” or “vital” aging. Some pundits refer to boomers in general as the healthiest, wealthiest, best-educated demographic, and that speaks volumes about our age group.
It’s interesting that for so long, “mature adults” were basically ignored as a demographic worth pursuing. Not anymore.
My goals are to find financial support for my video production costs, become a spokesperson for companies targeting female boomers and eventually, to host my own show. I have the experience to do all of this. It’s my dream, it’s the synthesis of what I know and love. It needs to happen for me soon—I’m a boomer, after all.
SCORE OC: Why did you seek out SCORE OC?
Stephens: It was meant to be! I was assigned a story for a wonderful equestrian magazine to which I’ve contributed for a decade: Stable Management, for professional horse trainers. I wrote about the help available from SCORE—featuring an interview with your own articulate and informative Douglas Dare—and later I thought: “Wow. Who knew?”
I certainly didn’t until fate steered this journalist to SCORE’s treasure trove of excellent resources. I’d been confounded for some time about how exactly to move “to the next level.” SCORE appeared in my life just at the right time. An idea is a great beginning, but after the launch, it’s time to “get real.”
SCORE OC: How did your counselor help you?
Stephens: Michelle Russillo is the anchor in the stormy sea of aspiring businesses. She’s providing the solid foundation upon which I can build. We creative people are great at being creative, but I appreciate her guidance in areas that are not my strongest. We’re honing my business plan and she’s identified areas that can benefit from further examination and extrapolation. Rome wasn’t built in a day, darn it. This takes time.
She’s also constantly thinking about what’s next for me—as am I. We’re kindred spirits in pursuit of success. She and I plan on meeting and working with other people within SCORE’s rich ranks. I’m eager to connect with experts in media—both broadcast and online–as I further hone my brand and extend my reach in social media.
SCORE OC: What advice do you have for other small business owners?
Stephens: Take advantage of SCORE’s remarkable resources: workshops, mentoring and advice, advice, advice. The more players on your team, the quicker you’ll score that business touchdown. How lucky are we to have access to SCORE? I wish I’d done so sooner, but now I’m making up for some lost time.
Humans need support, acknowledgement and sometimes, motivation: “Atta’ girl/boy! You’re doing great, but you need to do this next.” We can’t buy this at a store, but we can find it at SCORE.
Stephanie Stephens
MindYourBody.tv
YouTube
Facebook.com/mindyourbodytv
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