Linda Johnson came to Maine from Massachusetts after raising a family and going through a life-changing event. She had always vacationed in Maine and felt it was the right place for her, but what she didn’t count on was the poor economy.  After six months of looking for a job in the Portland area, Linda found a part-time, low-paying, no-benefits position.  Two months later she found another part time job with no benefits.  As she continued her internet search, she stumbled upon Women, Work, and Community’s  website and made an appointment.

“What happened when I walked into my appointment was not what I expected.  They asked about me. They looked over my resume, and they asked what I was doing to find a job.  Then they said, ‘You seem like a New Ventures candidate.’  I had no idea what that was.  The New Ventures Program was a three-month course in learning about starting and running a business, and included workshops with attorneys, CPA’s, marketing professionals and business counselors…Prior to my visit with WWC, I had no thought of starting a business.”

Now, after one year of running her company called Bookkeeping Simply LLC, Linda has made her business a viable income option.  In this phase of her life, Linda has become a WWC Ambassador, and also a member of Women Out Working (WOW) – a group of business women who actively promote growth and continued success. Through the Ambassador Program and her involvement with WOW, Linda saw a leadership opportunity to give back to WWC. She helped organize WOW’s Holiday Extravaganza held at Peloton Labs in Portland in December 2012. Raffle baskets filled with items from other New Ventures graduates and those who have benefitted from WWC’s entrepreneurship training program helped raise more than $400 for WWC that evening.

“Women, Work, and Community has empowered me to have courage in my skill set…I am grateful for WWC seeing in me what I could not see in myself.”