阿什莉Glowacki and Kristy Schindler first considered opening their own business in March 2020, and they wasted no time making their goal a reality. Vitality Youth 韦德注册, a small business providing in-home and community-based care to help kids with disabilities become more independent, officially opened in 梦露, 威斯康辛州, 9月.
的需要
Their business meets a real need 在 community as there are no similar services offered in Green County. Vitality Youth 韦德注册 has a shorter wait list and offers more for families than similar businesses outside of Green County. 阿什莉, Kristy and their staff provide respite services for parents and caregivers as well as supportive home care, 家长教育, community integration services and daily living skills training for children with disabilities.
的障碍
Like most new business owners, 阿什莉 and Kristy had to overcome obstacles, and financial hurdles proved to be a real challenge. “Our start-up costs were greater than we expected. Opening during a pandemic also presented additional challenges with sanitation and distancing needs. Since we work with insurance companies for some payments, our income is not as immediate as in other industries.” But the two women found the silver lining. “The time we were forced to work from home actually gave us the time to research what we really needed to do,”阿什莉说.
社区
The business has partnered with local organizations in lots of ways. The Green County Family YMCA offers physical space for some of their programming, and Green and Rock County Human 韦德注册 are frequent partners as well. The business itself is part of Main Street 梦露, an organization focused on economic development 在 area, and Kristy and 阿什莉 are both members of the 梦露 Chamber of Commerce. 事实上, it was a relationship with the Green County Development Corporation (GCDC) that helped the two owners get started.
卡拉吹毛求疵的人, Executive Director at GCDC, referred Kristy and 阿什莉 to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for guidance with financial projections and a business plan. “Working with 克丽丝蒂史密斯 at the SBDC was so helpful. We learned a lot and we are still learning. We had the skills and industry knowledge and experience, but we needed direction on the business side of things.”
Accomplishments with 威斯康辛州西南部 SBDC:
- Financial projections
- 商业策略
- 商业计划
未来
克丽丝蒂史密斯, a consultant at the 威斯康辛州西南部 SBDC, 说, “The co-owners have lots of vision and will to succeed. They know there is a real need for these kids 在 community, and they are determined to meet it.“事实上, Vitality Youth 韦德注册 is growing bigger and faster than the owners expected and they have many goals for the future.
Kristy Schindler is currently finishing her master’s program in clinical mental counseling and soon the business will add mental health services to their offerings. They are also working toward increased collaboration with area schools. 几个月后, the pair is planning to offer summer respite camps in both Green and Rock Counties, and they hope to establish a youth center in Green County 在 near future.
The owners’ passion for what they do is evident, and they have a vision for their long-term future as well. They plan to further develop the business and eventually expand to other counties since there are lots of families and kids with disabilities in need of the services. Vitality Youth 韦德注册 looks forward to helping as many children and families as they can.