I am a retired entrpreneur who desires to reconnect to the business world in a more meaningful way.
Would there be a place for my skills, perhaps as a consultant, to younger women in the work world?
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9 Comments
9 Comments
Anonymous
12/30/20 at 7:26PM UTC
You're incredible for reaching out.
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Anonymous
12/30/20 at 7:49PM UTC
I love this, Carol! So generous to offer your time. Maybe you can share some details about your career, or a story about a success? Do you have a specific industry in mind, for example?
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Carol de Montel
22
01/01/21 at 7:25PM UTC
I appreciate the support and feedback. If you would indulge me a bit, let me first give you a bit about my background.
My parents were both entrepreneurially minded. They started two companies directly after World War II, both of which were successful. By the time I was born, the businesses were well established. Experiencing first hand what being self employed required instilled in me a strong work ethic.
My educational background, an MBA in International Management, geared me toward a career with a large multinational corporation. The thought of working in an environment without flexibility, and with conformity, would leave little outlet for my creativity., I believed. My own familial exigencies, an only child with elderly parents, also saddled me with early responsibilities only now realised by many of my contemporaries. As such, working for a major corporation would have been nearly impossible post graduate school.
It was only after selling my parents' businesses and their deaths, the birth of my son, plus a pending divorce, that I found myself faced with a near desperate need to support myself. During the transition from married to divorced status, I founded a small baking and catering company. While the business was successful in that it paid essential monthly expenses, I did not desire to expand the operation.
Through life's twists and turns, I secured a position as a sales executive for a Spanish language radio group. While great fun, I knew that there was no long term future for me. Through a twist of fate, a story in and of itself, I founded a cleaning company dedicated primarily to medial grade maintenance. Most of my clients were clinics, doctors' offices, and ambulatory surgical centres. My company's reputation of providing an outstanding product with impeccable service allowed me to flourish in an industry locally plagued with mediocre performance.
Since retirement, I spend most of my time traveling and collecting art. My international travels are so greatly impacted by COVID-19 now, so I would like to assist younger business women in ways which lead them to greater success and fulfilment. Giving my time and energy is life affirming, to say the least.
I believe that my skills and business acumen cross all boundaries.
Whether working in the milieu of home furnishings, antiques, art, food, advertising, or cleaning/maintenance, the skills needed to succeed must insinuate themselves into an organisation from conception.
Thank you for the opportunity to share a bit of myself to you all.
Happy New Year!
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Niamh O’Leary-Liu Blumentals
123
Sr. Counsel, international tech & corporate law
01/05/21 at 9:46PM UTC
What an amazing career and life! You’re wonderful for wanting to give back with your time and expertise. I’m sure others can recommend more options but the first one that came to mind for me is SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives. They enlist volunteers to provide this type of counseling to the next generation of business owners.
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Carol de Montel
22
01/08/21 at 4:30PM UTC
Thank you for your suggestion. Interestingly enough, I have had experience with SCORE. In fact, both my husband and I have worked with this organisation in some capacity.
More often than not, what I encountered left me rather disheartened. For the most part, those who harkened the doors of SCORE lacked any sense of what it takes to take a product to market. It became too difficult to tell those with "business ideas" that their prospects of success on all fronts were slim at best.
I do know that others have benefitted greatly from SCORE, so perhaps it is just where I live.
Your input is certainly appreciated. Connecting with as many business women as possible is quite rewarding to me; the connections always lead to good things.
Cheers,
Carol
1 Reply
Niamh O’Leary-Liu Blumentals
123
Sr. Counsel, international tech & corporate law
01/08/21 at 9:33PM UTC
Oh that’s too bad about SCORE. Thanks for sharing your experience with it. I was thinking also you could check with the university where you got your MBA to see if there are volunteer or mentorship opportunities, and there you might find a more qualified group of mentees. Through my law school I’ve had the opportunity to mentor/counsel both MBA students in a particular class and JD students in a specific fellowship program remotely this past year. I’ve also found mentorship opportunities through professional groups. Some of the industries you’ve served may have associations or affinity groups with mentorship programs.
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aspoonmore
57
leader of strategy, transformation & culture
01/06/21 at 8:06PM UTC
Thank you for sharing your amazing journey! As a suggestion, many universities have entrepreneurial centers who benefit from experienced entrepreneurs to mentor the faculty or student start-ups. Many of these programs are now virtual, so you can connect with universities regardless of where you live. I've found great satisfaction, with most interactions as informal coaching/ mentoring sessions - and the work being done is inspiring! In addition, a number of retirees in my community help with Junior Achievement, providing business educational experiences to middle and high school aged students - another area to consider, if you are interested. Good luck!!
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Carol de Montel
22
01/08/21 at 4:33PM UTC
I appreciate your response. Your suggestions are well taken, so I shall reach out to our local university and shall investigate whether there is a Junior Achievement chapter in my area.
Cheers,
Carol
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Chre M. Davis, M.S.Ed.
606
Administrator | Educator | Intrapreneur
01/18/21 at 9:11PM UTC
I love this Carol! As a wanna be entrepreneur myself, I would love to connect with you. I am sending you a message now.
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