DTC - Small Business Award Winner

FLYING HIGH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Entrepreneurs begin their business at different stages of their lives. In 1976, near the end of Hollis Anglins’ 21-year Air Force career, he and his wife, Fran, started the Dawn Aeronautics Institute. It began with a few employees and one classroom. Today, Dawn Training Centre is a $3.6 million business and employs 50 staff and faculty members on a sprawling campus in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2007, the Anglins’ were named the Delaware Small Business Persons of the Year. More than 450 students a year receive training in some of the fastest growing career fields: medical assistant, medical transcription, nursing assistant, medical billing/health insurance claims processing, pharmacy technician, massage therapist, esthetician, spa body technician, and legal assistant. In 2007, the school expanded yet again by adding a new dental assistant program. Dawn Training Centre is synonymous with staying power. While many of its competitors have failed over the years, Dawn has endured for 31 years. Much of the success is due to the Anglins’ ability to adapt and expand to meet the needs of the ever changing workforce. “We see students coming in who are in their ‘60s and are looking to start new careers and those just out of high school,” said Anglin. Over the years, the Anglins financed Dawn’s start up and expansion operations from the profits of the business. In 2006, thanks to two SBA guaranteed loans they purchased equipment and expanded training facilities to accommodate a new dental assistant training program. “If you are just starting out in business, partner with a bank early,” Anglin advises. “You need to establish a line of credit before you actually need it.” Learning about your industry is essential to success. Anglin advises joining your industry trade association so you can stay on top of trends and network with others in your profession. The Anglins’ business is a family affair. Daughter Cheryl Zapata, serves as executive vice president, and several grandchildren work in the business part-time. In recent years, Dawn Training Centre partnered with the SBA Delaware District Office and the Small Business Development Center to offer small business workshops for its students. The workshops, focusing on SBA programs and services, complement Dawn’s technical training with business skills development. Some of the students graduating from the training centre are then able to start their own businesses. The training centre also allows its facilities to be used by the students as their first location of their own small business. The Anglins are not only finding success growing their own business but they are nurturing future entrepreneurs.