Lori Quaranta - Author & Internet Marketing
Whacked by a ruptured brain aneurysm when she was in her early thirtys Lori Quaranta, in her middle ages, decided to get on with it and start up a business with her brother. Read Lori's story for some inspiration
My name is Lori Quaranta and I was 48 years old when my brother asked me to start a business with him that supports small business owners (I am 51 now). Here was the deal. He would teach me everything I would need to know to get the business up and running, then he would kick me out of the nest to run it on my own. Ok, he didn’t actually kick me out of the nest; he gently placed me outside the nest with the umbilical cord still attached. So I flew cross country to his home and spent
3 ½ weeks with him and his family. He knew that I was a bit nervous because 18 years prior I suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm. I was blessed to be left with no long term disabilities but I was not confident that I could mentally handle the task of running my own business.
I was both nervous and excited getting this business started and I was ready for a change. I knew virtually nothing about the business I was about to start.
I had nothing to lose, and if I didn’t take advantage of this opportunity I would be letting my fears hold me hostage. I just couldn’t do that. That wasn’t how I raised my daughter and it most certainly wasn’t a character trait I would be proud to possess. As positive as I was and as hard as I tried, it all caught up to me. I looked at my brother after days and days of being on my laptop for 10 hours plus each day and said, “I can’t do this, I’m burnt out.” When I walked away from him I felt beat up and defeated. As I walked out the door with my sister-in-law to go shopping, I realized that I would be passing up a golden opportunity to step outside the box and do something that I never thought possible. I did not want to be defeated and needed to look fear in the face. I had gotten this far, I couldn’t give up!
I spent months learning the technical aspects of my business and even longer learning how to handle the type of clientele I never imagined. It was hard work, but because it was different from anything I had ever done before, I was really enjoying it. I am a mom with no college education. I have put my all into every job I have ever had. It is almost surreal when I think of how much I have grown since I started my business. I was inspired and motivated all over again at age 48!
Making the personal choice to reinvent yourself at midlife is just that, a personal choice. It is also one of the most emotional choices that you will ever make for yourself as a woman in business. It’s your chance to take your visions of lousy bosses, tight deadlines, long meaningless hours away from you family and hard knocks and roll them up in a ball and toss them out the window. It’s about finally doing something that’s stimulating and rewarding. I am an average woman just like you, and have found a way to enjoy the second half of my adult life doing something I love and earning a living from it, too! I want to share it with you, woman to woman.
I believe that having confidence and a positive attitude when starting a small business is 75 percent of the battle. The other 25 percent you have the ability to learn. I have written this to share my personal mission statement with other women transitioning into a new and meaningful midlife career.
Lori Quaranta
Email via website
Also - You can view Lori's book 'God's Funny That Way'
here: www.aneurysmsurvivor.com
