Hot Cherry, J'Nelle Holland
When other people were getting ready for retirement, I started a business. I came up with a great product, cherry pit pillows. Their benefits are known in Europe, but little known here in the states. My business is called Hot Cherry® therapeutic pillows. I produce and market pillows filled with cherry pits, when warmed they deliver moist heat that smells subtly like cherry pie. Place them on sore muscles, tummy aches or simply to warm beds. They come in 5 sizes and 2 fabrics, sure to please just about everyone. My challenge was to introduce this totally new product to the American market.
I had very little experience with manufacturing and profit margins, so I went to SCORE for help. After taking several of their informative workshops and writing my business plan based on the SCORE template, I was given a couple of advisors who had the experience that I lacked, and who was patient and consistent in meeting my needs.
Over the past three years, my business has grown quite nicely. With my advisors’ expert advice in packaging, presentation, marketing, and distribution, my product took on a professional appearance. I learned to adjust my prices to create a solid margin, and keep track, and of the costs on spreadsheets. There have been times when I needed an emergency meeting to make a decision and my advisors have always made time to meet with me. When it came time to revamp my website, they called in an expert member of SCORE who was instrumental in making my website into a commercially viable and beautifully functioning site, with great search engine optimization.
I don’t know how I would have made it this far without my SCORE advisors. Their support, advice, and follow-up have helped me position my business at the forefront of the field of therapeutic pillows, available on Amazon, on my website, and in numerous gift stores and alternative healthcare facilities, across the country.
If someone is looking to begin a business, I would strongly suggest that they begin with, and stick with, SCORE. It is such an advantage to have the talent and experience of these men and women who freely give their time to help young (or old) entrepreneurs get their businesses up and running successfully.
Thank you, Vic Cole, Richard Lamb, Bob Rothenberg, and John Richardson.