post with permission
At age 29, Debra Cohen was riding high as the VP of a Spanish-language aviation magazine–large salary, Manhattan office and international travel–Cohen thought she had it all. But after the birth of her first daughter, she quickly realized that living a corporate lifestyle was taking too much time away from her new family. So she quit and was soon faced with the all-too-familiar challenge of finding a way to remain productive while staying at home to raise her children.
An entrepreneur at heart, Debra found a solution right in her own home. Cohen and her husband had just purchased their first house and–like most homeowners–were struggling to find reliable home improvement contractors. When they finally found a responsible contractor, Cohen felt compelled to share his name with other homeowners in need of his services. From that humble start, Cohen launched and grew Home Remedies® of NY, Inc. into a personal concierge service linking homeowners with pre-screened, reliable home improvement professionals–or, as Cohen, puts it, a Homeowner Referral Network® (HRN).
But Cohen faced some challenges to start. In addition to having no start up capital, she had no previous construction experience. In order to overcome each of these obstacles, she got creative.
First, to fund her business start-up, Cohen took a $5000 loan from her husband’s retirement savings plan. (Her husband now says that “she’s the best investment he’s ever made!”
And, to compensate for her lack of experience in the home improvement industry, Cohen created a Board of Advisors who she could turn to for advice when necessary.
Cohen launched Home Remedies® from her basement. She worked about 15-25 hours per week during her daughter’s naptimes and in the early mornings and evenings. Her initial network of contractors included a painter, a pest control specialist and a floor refinisher. Now, fifteen years later, Home Remedies® refers a network of almost 100 contractors in every field from general contracting and electrical to plumbing, decorative painting and roofing. Contractors pay Home Remedies® a pre-negotiated commission for any work secured which means that the referral service is free to local homeowners.
The HRN business satisfies all sides: homeowners can easily hook up with quality home improvement experts, hard working contractors can promote their businesses while dedicating more time to their trade and best of all, Cohen is able to stay at home and raise her children while reaping the rewards of a lucrative and productive business.
After it’s first year in operation, Home Remedies® took a unique turn when Cohen realized that the HRN business concept appealed to other entrepreneurs as well. She decided to document her business in a comprehensive and easy-to-follow business manual so that others could benefit from her experience. The Complete Guide To Owning And Operating A Successful Homeowner Referral Network© was published in January 1998.
To date, Debra has helped more than 300 moms, dads, career changers and retirees launch successful home based HRN’s in their community and enjoy a better balance between career and family.
For additional information, visit her website.
