Carol is the owner of Sew & Stuff Alterations, a small business in Cheyenne. The following is her testimonial.
“I came to the Department of Workforce Services some years back because I was having trouble keeping a job due to some personal issues. At that point, I met Heather Bash. She was looking into different opportunities for me. At one point, she suggested that I might take my hobby, which is sewing and crafting, and work that into a business. I started working part-time at Sew & Stuff in 2012. In 2014, I went full-time. And at the end of 2015, I actually hired myself as an employee and went corporate. So I am a limited liability corporation and I have had numerous opportunities to grow and work for other people. I ineteract with customers on almost a daily basis. I’ve basically grown very slowly but steadily since 2012.
“I worked with Inge Huband and we set up a website and got into paying the taxes. She helped with filing the paperwork, sending me to the right offices to talk to the right people and getting all kinds of questions answered for me.
“Inge and Heather have been at the heart of Sew & Stuff all along. To take a talent and a lifelong hobby that I’ve had and turn it into something that… I can’t even put into words what it means… I mean, sewing buttons for men who don’t know how? I’ve done everything from sewing buttons to wedding dresses to camper upholstery. It’s a fantastic opportunity for me.
“Heather helped me by giving me the boost of the inspiration of the idea. I would have never thought to do this on my own, to make my hobby a business, to take something that I love and turn it into something, not only that I do everyday, but that I get paid for. And Inge definitely has been instrumental in making sure that the business side of it, the paperwork, was in order.
“The Department of Workforce Services has absolutely been phenomenal. They consider all parts of your personality. The issues that you’re having not being able to work – whether they’re physical, emotional, mental, temporary, permanent – they consider all of those things. I cannot say enough to thank the department. They have done an outstanding job.”