Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com March 28, 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 7 potential collaborator, putting their business card away for awhile and then calling them up weeks or even months later to do business. Women, on the other hand, preferred building relation- ships with people before entering into any sort of agreement with them., she said. Within the first nine months, WildWE, as it's called, had 55 chapters in seven countries, she said. Since then, she has started four other businesses and written several books, including "How to start Your Business with $100," "How to Create a Revolution: a Step-by-Step Guide from History's Social Influencers," and her newest book, "The Startup Equation," a colorful, interactive guide for entrepreneurs that she co-authored with her husband, Steven Fisher. The book is a choose- your-own-adventure path for entrepre- neurs, since no two startups are the same, she said. She lives in Marlborough and, in addition to Clark, teaches at Emerson College and at Northeastern, her alma mater. What's special about Clark students, Duane said, is that they have a social consciousness about them and are interested in creating businesses that produce not just financial but also com- munity-based results. The problem is that sometimes the school's administration does a little too much hand-holding, she said. Learning how to fail is a key part of becoming a successful entrepreneur. "The sooner the administration can get out of the way, the better. We should allow students to try, fail, pivot and then try again," she said. Worcester solutions In her classes, students focus on solv- ing real problems impacting Worcester, such as Worcester's broken public trans- portation system. Andy Miller judged the final exams of Duane's students last semester as part of a pitching competition modeld after the popular startup television show, "Shark Tank." In the past, Miller, an entrepreneur and investor, has been contacted by schools like Harvard and MIT who want to send their students over to help work on a project, but those collaborations haven't yielded much success on either end, he said. This time was different. "I had a blast with the students. Most of the projects were about Worcester stuff – a lot of it was mobility – how do you get to places. The projects themselves were about Worcester in essence," he said. "Her students were clearly vested in it." He said Duane has a big personality and is extremely smart, passionate and detail-oriented when it comes to inno- vation. "You don't have to dig very far to see how much drive she has and that she's trying to propel startup economy for- ward," he said. Jake Medina, a senior at College of the Holy Cross and co-founder and presi- dent of nonprofit startup Student Empowerment Program, participated in an Entrepreneurship Deep Dive facili- tated by Duane. "She's done a lot for herself. Kind of having that perspective and experience, she was able to say, 'Here's how you mar- WORCESTER • FRAMINGHAM • MILFORD • WEST YARMOUTH Shepherd & Goldstein is more than a traditional CPA firm. We have industry-specific expertise and offer a range of services to make an impact on your business. Rely on S&G for business process improvement, profit enhancement, regulatory compliance, as well as taking a proactive approach to accounting and tax services. If you are looking to improve the performance of your company, grow profitability and create greater business value, contact us today. 508-757-3311 • www.sgllp.com You Need a Partner that Understands Your Business S&G is part of a nationwide affiliation of independently owned accounting firms who demonstrate expertise and focus in working with manufacturers. We offer a wide array of innovative financial services and solutions including: • Research & Development Credits • Investment Tax Credits • International Taxation & Transfer Pricing • Federal, State & Local Tax Planning • Manufacturing Audit • Budgeting and Cash Flow Management • Review of Fixed and Variable Expenses Manufacturers and Distributors have unique needs. They must rely on partners that truly understand their business. Businesses • Wild Women Entrepreneurs • Boston Opera Project • Revolution Institute (formerly Ja-Nae Duane Ventures) • Impact Organizations • Massachusetts Artists Leaders Coalition • The Leaders Clark entrepreneur- in-residence Ja-Nae Duane has founded mul- tiple ventures in her short career. Source: Duane ket.' That expertise is absolutely vital going forward," he said. Medina said Duane was very helpful in breaking down his business, piece by piece. "We were making a difference but didn't know how to quantify and explain that difference," Medina said. "What Ja-Nae allowed us to do – she really was very patient, she broke down the busi- ness into small little parts, and she broke it down into a narrative." Investing in the community Just being around Duane, it's clear that innovation is a part of who she is. She has a vibrancy about her, an unwav- ering, quietly enthralled smile on her face and a look of intensity in her eyes when she speaks directly to you. When I met her at Acoustic Java near Clark, she was bobbing her head along to the live music and happily tapping away at her iPhone. Duane said she sees a lot of untapped potential in Worcester, which is part of the reason she and Miller are launching a new business together focused on eco- nomic development in secondary cities The business, called Impact, is Duane's fourth business startup, and although it will start in Boston, the ultimate goal is to help cities including but not limited to Worcester, Savannah, Ga. and Paducah, Ky. reach their fullest potential. "When I look at Worcester, I see indi- viduals who aren't having inclusive con- versations. There are pockets of conver- sation, but not everyone comes to the table," she said. "That changes by bring- ing a more diverse group of people to the table, more than just higher-ups." Part of the business will focus on ways to retain talented college graduates, Duane said. "If we want students to invest in this community, we have to work as a com- munity to change the perception of our- selves and give access to what Worcester has to offer," she said. n

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