Jean Wilson Murray | Frugal Business Secrets

I’m Jean Wilson Murray, (often called “Dr. Jean).” I have been helping people start and successfully run small businesses for over 35 years. At this point in life, I want to have some fun – and make some money. I want to continue helping people by sharing the wisdom I’ve learned the hard way over my career.

About Me

I’ve been working in the world of small business education for over 35 years. Actually, as far back as 1974, I was thinking about small businesses and beginning my work on this career. I did my first business plan as my thesis project for my MBA on “Grandma’s Day Care.” As part of my requirements, I talked to small business owners and tried to help them with their problems. Some of what I learned during that time has stayed with me over the years.

I have taught small business courses since 1982 at several business schools and to professionals at a chiropractic school. (Yes, chiropractors have to run businesses.) I learned so much talking to all these eager, budding entrepreneurs, as they started their businesses. You might say it’s “educating the educator.”

My PhD is in business management/administration, and my dissertation was on chiropractors as entrepreneurs. Again, I got valuable information that I’ve used in my teaching and writing.

When I retired from teaching in 2008, I had thousands of stories to tell, of successes and failures, and of lessons learned. So many more lessons than I would have learned if I had just learned them myself. I’ve kept memories of all those small business stories. You’ll be reading about some of them in this book.

My Alma Mater: Hard Knocks University

People ask me how I know this stuff. I tell them I went to school to learn about how to run a small business. In addition to my MBA and my Ph.D., I went to HKU. Never heard of it? It’s Hard Knocks University. Believe me, it’s the toughest school I’ve ever attended. I continue to study at HKU and most of the Secrets I’m sharing with you come from this esteemed place of learning.
Much of what I’ve learned at HKU is what NOT to do when starting and running a small business. It’s always best to get the “what not to do” stuff out of the way so you can focus on “what to do.”

Want to Get Started on Your Successful Business?

Begin with the Simple Startup Toolkit, with resource links, a step-by-step plan for starting your simple business, and some Frugal Business Secrets to set you on the right path.