b5media

My name is Jean Wilson Murray. I’m a baby boomer (turning 60 in December 2007) and I’m proud to be blogging for b5media on smallbusinessboomers.com.

I am an optimist, a passionate advocate of small business, and a lover of learning. I believe that everyone can and should be able to start their own business, with lots of determination, knowledge, and support.

I have been writing, teaching, and consulting throughout the past 25 years.
My career has been devoted, with a few side roads, to helping people start their own businesses. I started consulting when I was working on my MBA back in the 1970s. We MBA students had to help small businesses who were having trouble with their SBA loans. What an eye-opening experience! I didn’t realize you could (try to) finance your business using sales tax. Well, you can do that until the state department of revenue gets you.
From there, I began teaching business courses in a junior college, then at a business school, all the while helping people and consulting as a sideline. I had a successful word processing service business and wrote a book, which was published, on how to start a word processing service. I also got involved in computer consulting, and I remember working with WordStar and old “TRASH 80″ machines. That should give you a clue about my age.
For the past 12 years, I have been teaching business classes to chiropractic students. I self-published a book: Planning for Practice Success, for chiropractic students a few years ago, and I have just published another book, Planning for Writing Success to help freelance writers.  Both books are available on Amazon. The books take prospective business owners through the process of starting a business and getting a business startup loan. I get about a dozen calls a week from students and grads who want help starting their practices or evaluating contracts or leases and I still love helping people and seeing them realize their dreams of starting their own businesses.

I recently discovered blogging, and I have several blogs:
www.practicestartupsuccess.com - for professionals starting into their practices
www.thethrivingwriter.com - for freelance writers who want to start their own writing businesses
I also write for Chiropractic Economics magazine, and their student newsletter - StudentDC.com and I have a new blog for them: StudentDC Interactive.
In my personal life, I have 28-year-old triplets (2 boys and a girl), a wonderful husband (second marriage), and a daughter-and-son-in-law who have two fantastic children, ages 6 and 4.
My goal is to be able to write and blog full time - a four-hour week - why not? So I can do fun stuff like catching up on my reading (mysteries and big “saga” books), quilting, gardening. And traveling around the world with my husband. Ireland is first on our list.

My favorite quote: