By Ronald Fisher
The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Entrepreneur Karen Mosholder shares how she has transformed her hobby for beekeeping into a thriving honey business called “Bumbleberry Farms.”
Pennsylvania
Why did you choose to become an entrepreneur?
I believe all roads lead to where we stand, and my varied experiences in life led me to believe that I could become an entrepreneur where you needed to know a lot of things about a lot of different areas. And I wanted to work for myself. There’s some pleasure in being your own boss.
What do you credit your business’ success to?
Being able to recognize opportunities that are placed in front of me. Being flexible and allowing the business to take shape, that way, it is meant to take shape. And being kind and generous. Persistence, too, I think is key.
What advice would you give to new or burgeoning entrepreneurs?
Start with something that you love rather than start with something that you think will make you money. The reason I say this is because there will be many times throughout the life cycle of a business when you will feel like quitting. And the thing that keeps you in it is your passion for whatever that thing was that got you excited in the first place.
How do you define success?
For me, it’s working to become an employer that people seek out in my community. Being able to provide an honest living for other people who live here. Just being able to continually find ways to love what you do. Certainly the money is a part of it — we’re in business to make money — but I think it’s more than that. I think when you live in small communities, businesses become the heartbeat of a community.
When you can go to bed and know you’ve done an honest day’s work, and that you’ve helped people in your community by giving them a means to make a living — that’s success.
What was the most significant turning point in the success of your business?
I can’t pick one, but what I can say is that there were probably three times when I have felt like, “Wow, this is not going to make it. You need to find something else to do. Close the doors and be happy with what you did.”
And just when I would think that, there was always something amazing that would happen to pull me back in.
Which individuals were the most influential in your success and why?
My family and my employees. My children still help with the business.
They were actually here last weekend putting labels on jars because they knew we had this QVC thing happening and I have to be able to ship in 48 hours.
What is your legacy that you want to leave behind?
I think it’s that whole idea of the power of small, and that each of us has the ability to do good wherever we stand. It doesn’t have to be this big giant thing. Small gestures can lead to big things, big changes, and changes for good.
Ronald Fisher is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @FisherSince_82.
___
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
