Making it Work
Local entrepreneurs build the future of Connecticut business
Story by Elaine Lang
 The individual who innovates, creates a new business, and works for him or herself has been the hero of the American Dream for many generations. Millions of people envision bringing their ideas into the marketplace one day, but the challenges of entrepreneurship are great, and it’s a challenge to thrive in the long run. Local entrepreneurs have defied the odds, combining hard work and classic Yankee ingenuity to succeed in ventures reaching across the country and around the world. Here are the stories of their challenges and triumphs.
Robb Michaud / Michaud's Pasta Sauce
Robertson “Robb” Michaud always knew he wanted to start a business—or several of them. While in his twenties, he established a thriving contracting venture. As he began to cook for his growing family, his homemade pasta sauce began to garner rave reviews from all who tried it, and Michaud realized that he had found his next business opportunity. Sample batches were well-received by vendors, and orders poured in.
Just as they were originally prepared in Michaud’s home kitchen, the all-natural sauces contain no water, tomato paste, added sugar, or frozen ingredients. They are now produced by a small, private label commercial kitchen in New Haven; while the factory-like setting allows for larger production runs and consistent quality standards, Michaud still supervises every batch of sauce personally, to preserve the all-natural artisanal character of his product. The sauce is now carried by grocers and specialty food retailers across the country, as well as on Amazon.com, and the buzz is growing among foodies. Michaud is working with a distributor to extend the brand’s market penetration and he also wants to expand his product line.
“It’s amazing how successful we’ve been. There is a real demand out there for natural, homemade-style food products,” Michaud notes. “It’s exciting to find new ways to provide those kinds of foods to the market.”
 Elise Rosenstock / ElyseRyan Jewelry
When Elise Rosenstock was a young mother in Cleveland, Ohio, looking for a hobby to share with a friend, she never dreamed of the lives she would eventually touch with her creativity and hard work. Rosenstock and a friend took a class in jewelry design and construction, and enjoyed creating new looks as a hobby. Other friends were impressed with their work and began selling their pieces at private parties in friends’ homes. When Rosenstock’s family decided to move to Connecticut, the women dissolved their business venture, but remained good friends.
In Connecticut, Rosenstock soon found herself selling her handmade jewelry creations of semi-precious stones, pearls, and sterling silver at trunk shows in private homes. Her pieces became popular with many area women, and soon local jewelers carried the ElyseRyan line. As her business grew, Rosenstock also began to create designs to raise awareness and funds for local charities. In 2003, she met with eight-year-old Alex Scott, founder of Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a charity that benefits pediatric cancer research, and worked with her to develop a special necklace to benefit the charity. Alex didn’t live long after their meeting, but Rosenstock was inspired tremendously by the encounter, and it has shaped the path her company has taken ever since, as the memory of Alex’s spirit has fueled her commitment to charitable giving.
ElyseRyan’s charitable efforts have touched many. Over 80,000 Alex’s Lemonade Stand necklaces have been sold in stores, online, and through QVC, and the line of jewelry ElyseRyan makes for the charity has raised over a million dollars for research on pediatric cancers. Another successful line of jewelry raises funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Later this year, Rosenstock will release a second generation of designs for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, continuing her company’s tradition of creativity and caring. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to know that these designs touch people’s lives in a such a meaningful way,” Rosenstock says.
 Cheryl Pedersen / Poochie Pets
In 2005, Cheryl Pedersen was struggling to train her terrier-mix puppy. She felt like she’d tried it all, but little Oscar still left “gifts” in the house next to the door. Pedersen, then a stay-at-home mom with two school-age kids, was at a career crossroads. “My kids were getting older,” she remembers. “I still needed to be available to them during the day, but I had a lot more time to pursue my own interests than I did when they were very young.” And so, she started her own small business.
As an entrepreneur, Pedersen had ingenuity on her side. Using ribbon and metal bells, she developed Poochie Bells, a simple, practical, decorative system that would enable Oscar to alert the family when he needed to answer nature’s call. It worked so well that Pedersen decided to market the bells to help other dog-loving families, and on a whim she created a website. “I realized that I had to bridge the communication gap between dogs and their people,” she remembers.
“We had orders right away,” she says. “I had to race to make the bells to fill my orders.” Now, as the company’s seventh anniversary approaches, Poochie Pets has expanded its product line, and its products can be found at specialty stores across the country. The main offices are still in Simsbury, and employees produce the bells in Canton and Glastonbury. Recently, the firm added a sales representative in Europe, and Poochie Pets products are now available internationally.
Freelance writer Elaine Lang is a frequent contributor to Seasons.
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