PR for People Monthly November 2013 The Entrepreneurial Mindset | Page 30
Norma Jean Gaynor, almost 83, is often
called Marilyn by her elderly friends to playfully
make the association with movie star Marilyn Monroe whose real name was Norma Jean Baker. Our
Norma Jean worked for the phone company for 27
years and retired with a pension.
“I loved retirement,” Norma Jean said.
“Retirement allowed me the spontaneity to seize opportunities as they came up.” She liked the idea that
didn’t have to sit on a porch in a rocking chair and
watch people walk by with their children and their
dogs. If someone called her up for lunch or if she
wanted to mentor children, she just did whatever she
felt like doing.
She saw an ad in the newspaper for a housekeeper for the Beech Tree Bed and Breakfast. On a
whim, she applied for the job and was hired. Norma
Jean learned everything about running an inn from
management to housekeeping and meal preparation.
Then, she realized that many owners of small inns
rarely take a vacation because of the volume of reservations. So she took a class in “Small Business” at a
local college, ordered business cards and applied for
a license. Norma Jean Gaynor became the first professional Inn Sitter in the state of Washington. Within
three months, she was working every weekend. Six
months later, it became a full-time job. After only
two years of being in business, she was fully booked
for the next two years. Her total startup investment
cost was $60. She became so busy that she decided
to retire again.
Norma Jean’s advice to anyone wanting to
start a business is to “listen, watch and be patient.
It is amazing what you will learn by being a keen
observer of the world.”