Success Discovered at the End of a Long Road
Angela Muchler and Kelly Cormell, sisters passionate about helping people through their knowledge of audiology, first contacted the Small Business Development Center in early February 2006. The sisters were directed to meet consultants at the SBDC concerning their hopes to use their unique knowledge in the local Lewisburg area. Both sisters were able to meet with counselors in late February, beginning the long process of opening their audiology practice.
The sisters were finishing their doctoral degrees in audiology when they met with the SBDC for the first time. They wisely began the planning portion more than a year before they planned to open their practice offering services concerning diagnosis and rehabilitation. Still, despite this preparation, the realization of the business took longer than expected.
The first consulting meeting offered basic startup procedure and tax information, giving the sisters an idea of the responsibilities of running their own business. It also helped to organize their thoughts concerning the composition of their business plan. They knew that they would need much funding in order to obtain the equipment and working capital needed to sustain the first few months of operation, and the business plan was essential to obtaining the funds that they would need.
Over a year later, March 2007, as Angela, the older of the two, was finishing her doctoral degree, she received an equipment loan approval for substantial startup funding to obtain the needed machines and supplies that would enable to offer ideal services to the area.
After completing her degree, Angela successfully opened the business’s doors in September 2007, after more than one and a half years of preparation. She reports that the practice is thriving and continues to experience growth and support from the community.
