Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com February 2, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 21 Thank you for voting Bank of America "Best Bank for Business"! We're proud of our Worcester-based employees who work tirelessly to serve the financial needs of the community. Visit us at bankofamerica.com/local Awards W o r ce s t e r B us i n e s s J o u r n a l 2015 B E S T O F B U S I N E S S W o r ce s t e r B us i n e s s J o u r n a l ACCOLADES & HONORS Maynard-based JM Coull received an Excellence in Construction Eagle Award from the Associated Builders and Contractors. JMC renovated and consolidated two Billerica buildings into one 140,000-square- foot facility, working within structural height constraints. The building is the headquarters for E Ink, an electronic display technology firm. Rebekah Bradway and Kristen Auclair of The McCurdy Group in Sturbridge both earned industry designations. Bradway, a commercial lines representative, earned her CCLP, or Certified Commercial Lines Professional designation. Bradway has been with the firm since 2007. Auclair earned her AAI designation, or Accredited Advisor in Insurance designation. She has been with The McCurdy Group since the spring of 2014. Assumption College's campus in Rome has been named one of the 10 best study-abroad programs in the United States by Best College Reviews, an independent college rankings journal. The campus, established in 2013, is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors at the Worcester school. Kochanowski and Ostroskey used a business broker to find and buy the California-based business, but have since cultivated their own business- buying savvy. Over the last decade, the couple has acquired additional online businesses and brought them into the fold. Today they have five employees and annual revenue of $1.5 million. K o c h a n o w s k i said it all came t o g e t h e r serendipitously. But she also thinks her appro ach to r u nni ng t he business has been crucial to success; as a quilter and doll m a r k e t e r , Kochanowski has blended her passion for art with a shrewd eye for running a business. "I think the biggest mistake people make is being too blinded by their dream and unwilling to look at the facts and financials and what the numbers are telling them," Kochanowski said. While she's avoided that trap, and exceeded her expectations for business success, Kochanowski said every aspect of buying and running the company has been more difficult than she imagined. What was supposed to be a mom-friendly alternative to her corporate job became all-consuming. "I would have liked someone like me to talk to when I wanted to buy a business," Kochanowski said. To that end, Cantor, the consultant, advises starting at the source of the business — the previous owner, who is often the f o u n d e r . C o n s c i e n t i o u s owners will work with buyers to ensure a smooth transition, Cantor said. In many cases, they'll stay on under new ownership as an employee or consultant for a while, which can help the new owner. "The more you can get help from that person that has the relationship with the customers, I think the better off you will be," Cantor said. How a long-time dream came true For Elvis Dyer, the new owner of Sturbridge Coffee Roasters in Southbridge, the education began before he bought the business in July. Dyer, a coffee connoisseur, had dreamed of owning a business since childhood. He offered to buy the coffee shop a few times over the last two years and even persuaded the owner to show him how to roast the coffee before he agreed to sell the business. But that's where the former owner's influence ended. Dyer opted to revamp the shop, closing it during August before reopening under the same name. After rebranding and an interior makeover, Dyer thinks he probably would have spent about the same amount of money and time if he had started the business from scratch. What he thought would take a couple of weeks ended up taking a month, with Dyer putting in 15-hour days and spending about $25,000. Despite this realization, Dyer is unfazed. He thinks he got a good deal, and the best part is that he doesn't have to answer to a boss as he did when he worked in the automotive and financial sectors. "There wasn't complete happiness for me and usually it was because there was a boss dictating what I was to do," Dyer said. n "I think the biggest mistake people make is being too blinded by their dream and unwilling to look at the facts and financials and what the numbers are telling them." Sarah Kochanowski, Co-owner with her husband of Embroider This and other online businesses

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