Not Furlong Temps, a temporary placement agency
for medical staff, began in December 1999 and is based in Sterling with an
office in Ashburn. Business owner, Pauline Furlong, contracted out her own
temporary services and today places and trains over 55 medical assistants
annually. In four years, gross sales have grown over 400%. Ms. Furlong
originally started her business to meet the needs of her own family while
responding to the local medical office community.
“The SBDC was there to guide
me in the set up and proper conduct of my business, not only at start-up, but
also as my business grew. In
the beginning, the Center was very patient and understanding with my questions
and provided me with an invaluable start-up checklist. Later, when I got into
trouble and needed a lawyer, the volunteer lawyers offered guidance. Finally,
the Center nominated me for the Chamber’s Small Business Awards, which has
provided me credibility, even in my own mind, as well as to my clients and
students. I have been able to leverage all these experiences to create the
success that you see today,” Furlong states.
Obstacles faced by Not
Furlong Temps have been three-fold: start-up capital for a service based
business, capital for growth and consistently identifying qualified personnel.
Pauline was able to overcome these obstacles through a mixture of angel
investors for the start-up capital, a bit of faith for expansion into a training
facility, and a solid formula for course content developed by paying attention
to the demand voiced by temporary placement staff and
clients.
Pauline says the best advice
she ever received was, “Do NOT do everything yourself. By knowing your
limitations, you will keep yourself out of trouble.” Her own words of wisdom for
an entrepreneur include:
- “First, don’t try and do
it all by yourself. When you hear, “you
can do payroll!,” this doesn’t mean you should. Ultimately, you may be
overwhelming yourself.
- Second, be cautious when
making big decisions, financial or otherwise. Talk to friends, Chamber
members, other business owners, the SBDC, etc. to receive feedback before you
proceed.
- Third, enjoy the ride! Put
your heart into the business. If you love what you do, it will show and the
community will want to do business with you. I believe in the old adage that,
“If you love your job, you will never work a day in your
life!”
In late 2001, Pauline began
offering training courses to better equip her temps, as well as identify
qualified and skilled permanent placements for clients. Courses began for
medical assistants and grew to include additional courses in phlebotomy, medical
front desk, IV, and billing
and coding
courses. As a single mother, Pauline is able to temp herself out weekly to stay
abreast of her client needs, manage her daily business operations and be there
for her family, while conducting courses on evenings and weekends with her team
of trainers. She has a formula that
helps her to continue to be competitive and provide balance in her professional
and personal life. For more information, you can visit Not Furlong Temps online
at http://www.notfurlongtemps.netfirms.com/
or contact the Center for your one-on-one counseling.
