Janie McGhin Southwest Georgia Bank Business Plan Winner
When Janie McGhin retired as a health educator, she knew retirement was just the closing of one chapter and the opening of another.
“I was bored and needed to do something productive,” said McGhin, who won the 2017 Southwest Georgia Bank Business Plan Competition. “I went to work as a nurse practitioner with a local family practice physician, and that is where my love for patients with diabetes originated.”
During this time, she became aware of the growing number of people in South Georgia with diabetes and the limited resources available to help manage the disease.
“I realized that in the clinical setting healthcare providers have very limited time to spend in educating individuals with diabetes,” she said. “I quit my job at the family practice and set a goal to become a certified diabetes educator within a year.”
McGhin received her certification from the National Certification Board for Diabetes Education and began volunteering her services as a diabetes educator within the community.
In 2016, she opened Partners in Health Management, a health clinic specializing in diabetes self-management education, medical nutrition therapy, and primary care. The clinic recently received accreditation by the American Association of Diabetes Educators, which allows for reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid for diabetes education services.
McGhin, who speaks fluent Spanish and English, said starting her own business came with excitement and challenges.
“The challenges are many but none without solutions,” McGhin said. “You have to prioritize the challenges and move forward with the attitude that failure is not an option and keep telling yourself that you are not alone in this journey and there is a higher being looking over your shoulder.
Betty Morgan, vice president for business development with the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, said that when McGhin first came to the Chamber seeking advice on starting a business she already had a lot of information but not a formal written plan.
“I had the plan in my head,” McGhin said. “Betty told me to write it down and encouraged me to enter the business plan competition.”
With assistance from the Chamber’s SEEDS (Sowing Entrepreneur and Economic Development Success) Business Resource Center and the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Valdosta State University, McGhin entered the business plan competition.
“Janie had the plan completed in two weeks,” Morgan said. “If I told her she needed something else, she got it done. She is very competitive and was excited about the business plan competition.”
McGhin said having the support of the SEEDS Business Resource Center and the UGA SBDC was beneficial in writing the business plan and moving forward in opening the clinic.
“To this day, I have not regretted walking through the Chamber door,” said McGhin. “I met Betty Morgan and she explained how the Chamber could help me and all the services they provided. Then she told me about the business plan competition.”
McGhin said that through the process of opening a small business she has become more connected with the community.
“I have been in Valdosta 44 years, and now I am getting to know my community through involvement with the Chamber and SBDC,” McGhin said. “I no longer feel like an outsider. I belong here. It has been an amazing experience, and people in the community really want to help me succeed.”
For more than 11 years, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce has hosted the business plan competition to encourage and support local entrepreneurs. More than 100 applicants have entered the business plan competition, which provides $10,000 in startup capital and thousands of dollars of in-kind services to the annual winner.
“This year we had 16 applications—the highest number since the competition began—and seven of these moved forward and were able to present their business plans to the judges,” said Morgan. “This is a positive indication that the economy is on the upswing and people are beginning to feel confident about starting a business.”
Southwest Georgia Bank has sponsored the business plan competition since 2014 and is committed to continuing its support.
“We are proud to continue sponsoring the business plan competition,” said Jud Moritz, senior vice president for Southwest Georgia Bank. “We were thrilled with the high number of applications this year; this shows that people are thinking seriously about starting a business in our community.”
Moritz said the business plan competition not only allows Southwest Georgia Bank an opportunity to invest in a new business, but it also allows many entrepreneurs the chance to test their idea and write a business plan.
“Every business starts with an idea, but it takes a solid business plan to make it work,” Moritz said. “The competition takes several months and the applicants receive information and guidance from the SEEDS Center and the SBDC. Whether they are the final winner or not, every participant comes away with a business plan that will help them start a business that can continue to grow and succeed.”
For more information, visit PHM at phmvaldosta.com