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How SCORE helped.

 

One of the first things to catch your eye when you visit Monica Rakoczy’s website is the header that reads “EnterTRAINING Solutions, LLC is a registered Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB).” Monica has good reason to be proud of succeeding in what is still very much a man’s world as a Safety Consultant for everything from OSHA 10 – Construction to Excavation and trenching.  

Monica Rakoczy grew up walking job sites with her father, who owned a construction company. That early influence led to an after-college job with a large general contractor in Chesapeake, Virginia. Her experience included work on a high-rise hotel on the oceanfront, a water treatment plant, and a new exhibit expansion at the Virginia Zoo. Her work with the heavy equipment department ties directly into safety and she soon transitioned to a role as a safety trainer, a true passion was born.

“Moving forward from my years at the GC, I transitioned to the trench safety side of a nationwide rental company.  Here is where I developed my love of all things trench safety.  Due to additional training needs, my role moved from sales rep to that of a dual sales rep and trainer.   I began teaching Competent Person Trench Safety and Permit-Required Confined Space classes monthly in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  It was at this time that I learned that training was what I was meant to do.  I loved it, and my customers kept coming back for more.”

~ Monica Rakoczy, founder & owner of EnterTRAINING Solutions, LLC

After moving back to Lancaster to be closer to family Monica decided to transition to a role as both entrepreneur and full-time safety consultant. She reached out to SCORE Lancaster-Lebanon for guidance to help with that process and was assigned Jerry Glenn as her mentor.

“I have known Monica Rakoczy for 30 years, since she was 6, as a neighbor and best friend of my daughter growing up.  When she requested a SCORE mentor, I was assigned, and she had no idea I was with SCORE and our organization had no idea that I knew Monica! So, Monica & I have a very special relationship that evokes trust and an excellent working partnership.  She has proven to me that she is a real entrepreneur in addition to the business she has created this year, she has been a guest presenter at several national seminars on her expertise in training trenching & tunneling.”

~ Jerry Glenn, SCORE volunteer mentor

Monica has been working with her mentor for 18 months now and EnterTRAINING Solutions, LLC has just passed the one-year anniversary mark as a new business. In that time Monica has successfully listed the business as WOSB for government work, exceeded the number of clients she expected to have for the first year, and surpassed her sales & profit goals for the first 12 months by 30%. According to her SCORE mentor, “Her drive, dedication & hard work made this happen.”  According to Monica, her SCORE mentor played a part as well.

“Having a SCORE Lancaster-Lebanon mentor has impacted my business in more ways than I could express.  Starting from the basics of how to start out (setting up legally, getting bank accounts, insurance, etc.) to helping me manage ongoing client relationships, budgeting, and forward projections, Jerry has been with me every step of the way.  My mentor has kept me on track, which is no easy task given that I lose myself in the day-to-day of the business and forget to take a birds-eye view from time to time.  He has been a sounding board for my tougher moments and my cheerleader for my milestones.  I don’t know exactly what my first year would have looked like without SCORE, but I know it would not have been nearly as successful.”
 ~ Monica Rakoczy, founder & owner of EnterTRAINING, LLC.

The future looks bright for Monica and her vision and goals for her small business. Continuing to work with her SCORE mentor is definitely part of those plans.

“My business currently sits at the threshold of acquiring additional growth that is available in my market.  My SCORE mentor will be vital in assisting me in managing this new territory as I am (admittedly) terrified of the potential of going bigger, particularly this early on.  Luckily my mentor saw the opportunities coming well before I did and is helping me ease into it in a manageable manner.”
~ Monica Rakoczy, founder & owner of EnterTRAINING, LLC.

This young entrepreneur worked hard to make certain her vision of small business ownership came true and she has advice for others with the same ideas.

“If you haven’t already, sign up for a free mentor with SCORE Lancaster-Lebanon.  It is a no-cost service that has endless value.  They are a wealth of business knowledge that is vital to you accomplishing your dreams.  From keeping you grounded to pushing you to expect more, SCORE should be an integral part of any business plan.”
~ Monica Rakoczy, founder & owner of EnterTRAINING, LLC.

 

Monica looks pretty happy in this image from the CGA National Conference in Orlando, Florida in 2017.  Her presentations ranked in the top 10 of the conference two years in a row, with Monica’s 2016 presentation on Trench Safety ranking #1 Safety Presentation out of over 60 speakers.