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Linda Nottingham's path to entrepreneurship wasn't a typical one.
After working as a social worker in California and teaching children in Arizona, the then-37-year-old divorced mother of two tried to persuade a Chicago acquaintance to hire her as a consultant to operate a hospital's laundry facility, the Florida Times-Union reports.
"He told me I couldn't do it," Nottingham says.
"I said, 'You don't have anyone to do it, so why don't you just hire me?' He did.
That led to more contract work and eventual full-time jobs as a marketing director for a preferred provider organization (PPO) and executive for a health maintenance organization (HMO).
When the HMO's new owner let all employees go, she worried she wouldn't land a similar position quickly, so she and a colleague struck out on their own.
They launched an independent health insurance brokerage from Nottingham's basement.
"It was truly an act of desperation.
We were scared to death," Nottingham says.
"My security and my safety was tied to a job."
It was "terrifying to start a business and not have a job because you don't have any revenue in the beginning," she
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
People of color make up about 20% of Spokane County, Wash., but they own about 8% of the county's businesses, reports the Spokesman-Review. That's why the Spokane Workforce Council is...more
The New Brunswick Teachers Association is asking teachers and voters in the Canadian province to take a survey ahead of the next provincial election in September, the CBC reports. "We've seen a...more
The Oklahoma Arts Council has released its annual list of grant requests, and it's a doozy. This year's list includes a call for artists to "bring the arts to other statewide organizations," as...more
"I don't think many people know about our local ecosystems or recognize how important they are to keeping our beaches beautiful, keeping tourists here, and keeping our water as sparkling clean as it...more
A community college in Muskegon, Mich., is offering a full ride for any student willing to take a year of classes there, the Muskegon Chronicle reports. Muskegon Community College is offering a...more
When Collidescope.io co-founder and CEO Nick Lynch was looking for a new job last year, he came across an ad for a job that seemed like a no-brainer. "I am a software engineer," he wrote. "I...more
Foundation: Community Foundation of Sarasota County
There are nearly 750 nonprofit organizations in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties in Florida, providing everything from health and youth services to education and the arts, per a new...more
When it comes to giving back to their communities, employees of companies are doing more than just putting money in their paychecksthey're giving their time and energy. In fact, more than 27...more
Foundation: Daniels Fund, Colorado Trust, Denver Foundation
The new CEO of the Prosperity Denver Fund says she's "thrilled to join the team at Prosperity Denver Fund, in service to the vision of Denver's taxpayers and their investment in the future of our...more
When the Providence Performing Arts Center was looking for a new artistic director earlier this year, it was looking for someone who would be willing to take on the role of artistic director of its...more
Civic Engagement News from...
Community Foundation of Sarasota County
Daniels Fund
Colorado Trust
Denver Foundation
Gulf Coast Community Foundation
Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
El Paso Community Foundation
Fairfield County Community Foundation
Community Foundation of Western North Carolina
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Passion for Developing Technology for Social Good Overcomes Legal Disputes
Jim Fruchterman founded the now 24-year-old social enterprise Benetech, a nonprofit tech company that focuses on developing technology for social good. Fruchterman has also launched a new initiative called Bookshare, which is a membership-only crowdsourced online library for people with disabilities.
