Jan Henning from rural Indiana always loved to sew and embroider. Her late daughter Marilyn urged her to make a video so she and her sister could follow their mother's instructions from afar. A retired office manager of a major oil distribution company, Jan was accustomed to using computers at work, but only knowledgeable about the programs she had to use to manage her job.
When her daughter suggested she make instructional videos in 2000, although she had been sewing on her Husqvarna Viking, using complicated software programs, she never imagined anyone but her daughters would want the videos.
Wrong! To date, she's sold 8500 copies of 16 videos to people all over the world, including France, Australia, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand.
How did she get to be an internet entrepreneur? Being remote from city centers, she had no one to instruct her about how to use the software she bought from her local Husqvarna dealer. Even the dealer had no idea how to use it and told her, "That's for professionals."
She decided to hunker down, read the manuals, and learn how to use them. She discovered she had a knack for it. She offered to give classes at her home and 21 people appeared and ALL of them bought the $450 program from the dealer, who was happy, indeed.
She and her husband bought a camcorder and she set it up right next to her, so she could give instructions for the software and the machines. People loved the videos. She became famous through Yahoo groups that dealt with sewing. Her daughter Janny said, "Well, Mom, so much for retirement," and thereby named her company - SewMuch4Retirement.com.
When the family sustained a tragedy and Jan's beloved daughter Marilyn died from an adverse reaction to a surgical procedure in 2004, her many followers sent money and flowers from every corner of the globe. See the poem Marilyn wrote about her mom's journey - "I may be older and have very white hair. But any days of boredom are extremely rare. So,what is retirement, this word for the 'old?' It's whatever you make happen, it's the dream that you hold."
What is your dream and how can you convert it to your next adventure?
Jan is a real trooper, always willing to give her time and there never is a question even though it might have been asked a dozen times she always answers gracefully. Bless Her. Thanks for featuring our hero in the world of embroidery.
Posted by: Bunny | May 30, 2009 at 07:45 PM
When I heard about her story at a talk I gave at a local senior center, I thought I must call her and get the whole scoop. What a wonderful woman she seems to be - inspirational in so many ways.
Posted by: Karma Kitaj | May 31, 2009 at 06:43 AM