User:MaryAnn Shank

The account of this former contributor was not re-activated after the server upgrade of March 2022.

How do you go from being a Peace Corps teacher to being a business plan analyst? Well, believe it or not, it's by a very logical route. Start out as a librarian. It's easy when you love the work as much as I do. Delve into all the nooks and crannies of modern research, and find a favorite kid's book or two to read from time to time. (Mine was Winnie the Pooh.) It helps too if you cut your teeth in early internet technology -- the experience will drive your career the rest of your life. Then have a friend of a friend ask you to do some research on some esoteric new product that he is considering investing in. Then you're hooked. The energy and ingenuity of entrepreneurs is absolutely catching. I found myself getting involved in products that had no history, and no future as far as anyone could tell. The best part of my career was helping new enterprises find financing. One of my more interesting tasks to weed out the "slush pile" -- that stack of unsolicited proposals that strangers sent to the venture capital firm. My job was to find the diamonds in the rough, the ones we were going to explore further. There weren't very many that I recommended, perhaps no more than 2% or 3% of all that were sent in. What I looked for, more than anything else, was that spark of inspiration, that commitment, the hint of true entrepreneurial genius. Whether you are looking for venture funding, SBA loans, angel investors, or bootstrap financing, put that energy front and forward -- it will gain you more financing than any amount of paper. My career may be as a business plan analyst, but my passion has been helping entrepreneurs.