Nino Garofola - Financial Analyst, Garofola Financial LLC

1.  Tell us about yourself, connection to Ave and your business.

I'm Nino Garofola, and I was at Ave Maria College in 2003-2004. My business is called Garofola Financial and we consult small businesses with 5-30 employees on how to best leverage themselves for profits. Essentially we give businesses that are too small to have a Chief Financial Officer the access to the same expertise and sophistication but without the prohibitive cost. In addition to advising businesses on their financial situation we also do general business consulting on how to better grow your business for efficiency.

2.  What spurred you to start your own business and what keeps you going?

After Ave Maria I transferred to Franciscan University where I graduated with a business economics degree. During my studies in economics I discovered I have a passion for analyzing how businesses run. It was at this point I started formulating a business plan to start a consulting firm for small businesses. In 2010 the dream was finally realized and it has been one of the hardest and one of the best things I have ever done. The greatest part of my job is I get to change the world for the better a little bit every day. When we help businesses reach their clients more efficiently and consequently take home more money I know that I am playing an instrumental part in growing wealth and making everyone better off.

3.  What is your favorite part of your business? 

We rolled out a service called "Cost of Capital" in March 2014. This is something I worked extremely hard for months to perfect. It is a return rate that your business needs to make in order for a project to be "worth it". I also enjoy developing budgets and sales projections. This gives me a reason to play in Excel all day!

4.  What are you most proud of achieving in your business?

In 2013 every client who was with us for 12 months or longer experienced growth of anywhere from 20% to over 100% in sales. In addition, none of these clients had less than a 20% growth rate in "take home" income.

5.  What is your work process?

When a prospect contacts me I meet with them and ask them about their business what the biggest challenges are that they face. If the needs are something that Garofola Financial can address I show them our "Profiability Process". It is a proven process where we make sure the most basic needs are met first before we can address the bigger concerns. By this process I can show them when and how we can expect to address their most pressing needs.

www.garofolafinancial.com

Mark Fein - Mortgage Originator, Fifth Third Bank

1.  Tell us about yourself, connection to Ave and your business/blog/venture.
I am a graduate of Ave Maria Class of 2005. My first two years I attended the Michigan campus and the final two years I studied at the Naples campus. I am grateful for the education and formation I received at Ave. I spent three and a half years in Honduras and Nicaragua doing missionary work where I met my wife. Recently we moved our family back to the Naples area. We were looking for a Catholic community to raise our family and thought Ave Maria, Florida would be a great place to establish ourselves. I provide mortgages for home purchases and refinancing in over 20 states, including Florida and Michigan with Fifth Third Bank. 

2.  What spurred you to start your own business/blog/venture and what keeps you going?
I began working at Fifth Third bank after we moved back to the US. Several family members of mine have worked for the company for years and I was able to obtain a position with the company and after a short time, work my way into mortgage. I never imagined myself in a sales position, but I truly enjoy working with my customers, realtors and business partners.

3.  What is your favorite part of your business/blog/venture? 
The most rewarding part of my career is working with first time home-buyers and helping them achieve their dream of home-ownership. Many people do not realize there are programs available where in many cases homes can be purchased with little-to-no down payment.

4.  What are you most proud of achieving in your business/blog/venture? 
The most rewarding part of my career is that I am able to provide for my family and allow my wife to be a stay-at-home mom. 

5.  What is your work process? 
During my first conversation with my customers, I explain to them the home buying process. The next step is to review credit and income and help them determine how much they qualify for and how much the estimated monthly payment would be. Then I stay in regular contact with them throughout the loan process.

https://secure.53.com/mlo/markfein

Jennifer Kopinski - Blogger, Seeking the Kingdom one day at a time (it's a good thing they're so cute).

1.  Tell us about yourself, connection to Ave and your business/blog/venture.
I studied at Ave Maria College for two years before I married my high school sweetheart, Peter. I am now a stay at home mom to our 6 wonderful children. Currently, we are homeschooling the three oldest. My life typically revolves around trying to keep our kids healthy, happy, and holy, and squeeze in as much time with my husband as possible. I enjoy reading, writing, music, dancing, baking, eating, and movies. My blog will have a lot of personal reflection, and  touch on topics that are meaningful to my current state in life, like child rearing, the Catholic faith, homeschooling, marriage, and hopefully a generous dose of funny kid-stories! 

2.  What spurred you to start your own business/blog/venture and what keeps you going?
I love to read other people's blogs. I get so much encouragement from hearing personal stories, reflections, and thoughts. I often feel like I am navigating my family in the dark, and it can be so overwhelming to me. Just hearing from other people in regards to motherhood, faith, etc, can truly be that light in the dark for me. I also love to write and felt like I could use an outlet of sorts. So I decided to start a blog, both as a therapeutic outlet for myself, and to offer that "light" to someone else who may need it. This is a new thing for me, so my hope is that my love of writing, my desire to help others, and my kids' funny antics will be the things that keep this going.

3.  What is your favorite part of your business/blog/venture? 
I am hopeful that I might be able to offer ideas, encouragement, and fellowship to anyone who would benefit from it, and would love to receive the same from others.

4.  What are you most proud of achieving in your business/blog/venture? 
So far, I'm  just glad I actually followed through with finishing a post. 

5.  What is your work process? 
I hope to post once a week or so, and I look forward to hearing from others and sharing ideas, reflections, stories, and encouragement!

www.jenniferkopinski.blogspot.com

Dagny Syversen - Blogger, Whisked Away

1.  Tell us about yourself, connection to Ave and your business/blog/venture.
My name is Dagny Syversen and I like to blog about my baking/cooking/eating adventures. http://whiskedaway2.blogspot.com/ 

I am a lifelong baker and sugar addict. As the second oldest of seven children I am often found in the kitchen making cookies for my crew. After receiving a BA in Literature and then going on to work in Education for a few years I realized my true calling was in the kitchen. I received my Baking and Pastry Certificate and went on to work at a Cookie Bakery in Houston. My approach to food is to use natural ingredients, make everything from scratch, and bring as much creativity to the plate as possible!!  I then realized that my true calling was to have a job that actually paid the bills and let me have free weekends and nights - so I left the baking business and now work as the Marketing/Events Coordinator at an oil and gas company in Houston.  In my non existent free time I bake and blog!

2.  What spurred you to start your own business/blog/venture and what keeps you going?
I always loved trying new recipes and decided to get organized about it.  I also tend to loose my recipes, and my blog helps me keep track of my favorite recipes and also makes it easy to share them with my friends.

3.  What is your favorite part of your business/blog/venture? 
The favorite part about my blog is when I hear someone I haven't even met tell me they love my recipes...or when I hear friends and family recommend my blog as a recipe source - makes me happy : )

4.  What are you most proud of achieving in your business/blog/venture? 
I am most proud of the fact that I haven't quit on my blog - started it in 2009 and am still posting!  I go through phases where I post a lot, or I don't post at all...but I haven't given up yet, and I always have a pile of recipes I need to post on my blog.

5.  What is your work process? 
Currently I am not selling my cookies, but hope to again in the future.  My posting process is this:  Try a recipe.  If I like it - I try to research the history of some of the ingredients, take pictures, and tell a funny story to go with my recipe.  I only post recipes I have tried and liked!  If I don't like how something turned out I won't post it!

Erin Campbell - Realtor, John R Wood Properties

1.  Tell us about yourself, connection to Ave and your business/blog/venture.

My husband, Robert, and myself are full-time Realtors in the SW Florida area. We live in Ave Maria and have a small satellite office for John R. Wood Properties which is a leading realty company in the region, with referral capabilities nationally and internationally. I graduated  from Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, MI in 2003 and after graduation relocated to Naples, FL to work as Assistant Librarian at the first Naples campus.

2.  What spurred you to start your own business/blog/venture and what keeps you going?
 We relocated to Florida from NJ in 2008, with no jobs! My husband hoped to transition from banking into Law Enforcement  but the "bust" happened and no one was hiring! I had been a Realtor in Hoboken, NJ so we both got licensed in Florida. We were invited onto a team by the agent who sold us our house in Ave Maria. We have been on the Karen Sweatlock Team ever since and it has  been an amazing learning experience. We sold one condo in our first year and this last year we sold around 40 homes and condos in Ave Maria and Naples. We love the flexibility of real estate, its always changing, we don't have to sit an office all day and  we can be home with our kids.

3.  What is your favorite part of your business/blog/venture? 
I love finding the perfect home or vacation condo for my customers and clients. And seeing all the different types of homes, and furnishings, etc...are very fun. I'm always on the look out for the perfect home to match up with different customers.

4.  What are you most proud of achieving in your business/blog/venture? 
I'm proud that we have been able  to have some balance in our work/personal lives and that we have stuck it out during the early years in Ave Maria. We can work at home or the office. With young kids that is essential to be available!

5.  What is your work process? 
We go through all their options for homes in the area. And ask what are their needs are. We can help them sell their house by listing it with the Naples Multiple Listing Service or we can help them purchase a home. We ask them about their must haves... Pool, golf community, near schools, how many bedrooms, yard, or condo, resale or new construction. If they choose new construction, we register them with a local builder and follow up all during the construction. We can also help them find local experts if they need to sell their home up north or wherever they may be, even internationally through JRW's "Leading Real Estate Companies of the World" affiliation.

www.RealEstateAveMaria.com 

www.Facebook.com/RealEstateAveMaria  

 www.MapleRidgeHometown.com

{Feast Day} St. Joseph the Worker

Happy Feast Day!

Oremus:

O Glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations, to work with gratitude and joy, in a spirit of penance for the remission of my sins, considering it an honor to employ and develop by means of labor the gifts received from God, to work with order, peace, moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties, to work above all with purity of intention and detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account that I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God.

All for Jesus, all through Mary, all after thine example, O Patriarch, St. Joseph. Such shall be my watch-word in life and in death.

– Composed by St. Pius X

{prayer via Patheos}