Owner / President: Nola Wood Company: Family Business Systems Address: 11301 Kensington Ave. Kansas City, MO 64137 Phone: (816) 761-9828 E-mail:
Web site: www.freshairliving.com/nolawood (password is “guest”) or www.ecoquestintl.com/nolawood Type of Business: Air and water purification and home business training
For two and a half years, Nola Wood has been helping people clean the air in their homes and businesses and establish successful businesses selling air and water purification technology as a dealer for EcoQuest. She got into the business by chance. She was looking for an air purifier to help relieve her hay fever symptoms, and a friend brought an EcoQuest product over to her home to try.
“When the air purifier helped me to start breathing better right away, I knew I'd be telling others about it and thought I should register as a dealer so that I could make an income from sharing the technology,” Wood said.
She said the products solve difficult problems for people dealing with allergies, odors, mold, smoke or other air-quality issues. Wood offers free, no-obligation trials of the air purifiers so people can see how they’ll work in their situations.
Wood was a full-time mom, home-schooling her children, when a divorce forced her to bring in a full-time income. She said she took advantage of the training that is available from the parent company, EcoQuest International, through conference calls, the Internet and conferences and workshops.
“This business gives me the freedom to continue to make my children the priority by giving me a flexible schedule and a good return on the amount of time invested in the business,” Wood said.
She also appreciates the peacefulness of walking to her computer in the morning, rather than taking on the rat race by driving to an office somewhere.
Wood said the home-based business structure has worked well for her, despite the challenge of staying focused.
“My children tend to think that because I’m at home, I’m available to them every hour of the day,” she said.
She added that it’s easy to get sidetracked, so writing down goals for each day is critical. Wood emphasized that balancing work and home life involves hour-by-hour decision-making and priority adjustments. Sometimes she finds it necessary to give herself breathing space when she’d planned to be working. Other times she chooses to mix business and pleasure when she sees a networking opportunity that she can’t pass up. And occasionally, something urgent comes up that demands her immediate attention.
Wood finds networking opportunities in a variety of places. She said her home-schooling community, family and church friends have significantly supported her business, often referring others because they’ve experienced such great results with her products. She also has attended the General Services Administration network breakfasts.
“I look for networking opportunities wherever our family activities take me,” she said.
Wood said that she has been pleasantly surprised by the mentoring and support given by her sales managers with EcoQuest. She said they have exceeded her expectations in their encouragement and practical support.
She said the company structure is based upon mentoring in the recruiting and training process. She has mentors and is a mentor to others. Wood suggests that other people looking to start a home-based business search for a business that has a successful track record, as well as methods that have stood the test of time.
“I’m so grateful to have found such a great answer for my family, and consider it a privilege to share such an excellent opportunity with others looking for the right business,” Wood said.
Ellen Jensen is the managing editor of Kansas City Small Business Monthly magazine.
