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Who: Debra Cohen
What: Home Remedies ® of NY Inc. and Homeowner Referral Network® (HRN)
Where: Hewlett, New York
When: February 1997
Why: A week after her 29th birthday and after the birth to her first daughter, Debra decided to leave her job as VP of a Manhattan publishing company in order to have more time for her family.
Startup cash: $5,000 loan
Profits: $30,000 the first year- over $100,000 in sales in 2005
Why we love it: What is better than moms creating business opportunities for each other?
Background: After horrible experiences with home contractors, Debra and her husband began the Home Remedies® of NY Inc., a referral service that pairs homeowners in need with trustworthy plumbers, electricians, painters, and more.
Home Remedies® screens the contractors and then acts as a watchful third party until the job is completed.
Debra has branched out and creating Homeowner Referral Network®, a business opportunity for those interested in starting their own homeowners referral business. Her manual, The Complete Guide to Owning and Operating a Successful Homeowner Referral Network®, brings in additional income.
Our Interview with Debra Cohen
Mommy’s Company (MC): Random question. What is your first thought in the morning?
Debra Cohen (DC): Is the coffee ready and what are my calls and jobs scheduled for the day?
MC: Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
DC: It wasn’t long after I became a full time mom that the bills began to pile up and my self-esteem began to plummet. While I loved being at home with my daughter, I still longed for the stimulation, not to mention the income, of a career.
MC: Do you set aside specific hours to work each day?
DC: Yes. I try and create a work schedule around my children’s schedules, which means that I work in the early a.m. before they wake up and during the hours of 9-2 when they are at school, and sometimes after dinner or bedtime.
MC: What was your greatest challenge concerning Home Remedies NY?
DC: Starting. When I launched my business, money was tight and I was terrified of failing. I also didn’t want to tell anyone about my idea in case it didn’t’t work.
MC: How did you overcome your fears?
DC: With the help of my husband, actually. I remember discussing the risks of launching a business with him one night and he said to me, “Then don’t do it.” I knew that not trying at all would be worse than trying and failing.
MC: Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?
DC: I don’t think that I was born with a passion for being an entrepreneur but I am a very independent person and prefer to work on my own.
MC: What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur?
DC: Without question, the fact that I can have a successful and rewarding career and still be at home for my children.
MC: What surprises you most about the life of an entrepreneur?
DC: The work never ends. There is constantly something to do and it’s difficult to walk away from a business when you know it’s your own.
MC: What is the hardest thing about being a mom and an entrepreneur?
DC: Defining my work schedule is sometimes difficult, [like when]when my children need me and there is a pressing work issue I also have to handle. In those situations, I generally remind myself that my family is the reason that I launched my business in the first place and I try to focus on them first.
MC: Tell us about the Homeowner Referral Network® Home Based Business franchise; how is that going?
DC: I tested the waters by helping three other entrepreneurs establish HRNs in neighboring communities on Long Island and once they were up and running successfully, I decided to market the HRN business nationwide. There are now more than 400 HRNs operating globally.
MC: Tell us, what item could you not live without?
DC: My headset: I can make a business call and throw in a load of laundry at the same time!