Meet Caitlin Beauregard: “Start-Up” Scholarship Recipient 2017
Davis & Hodgdon Associates is very pleased to announce that Caitlin Beauregard is the 2017 recipient of the firm’s annual “Start Up” scholarship.
“Start Up” is Mercy Connections’ Women’s Small Business Program (WSBP) comprehensive instructor-led course, equipping students with the real-world knowledge required to take their business ideas from concept to reality. Students complete a 15-week curriculum with experienced instructors on topics focused on finance, marketing and business management, culminating in the completion of a “bank ready” business plan.
The scholarship was developed as a result of the *signature partnership between Davis & Hodgdon and Mercy Connections’ WSBP. It is presented to an entrepreneurial-spirited individual with great potential for turning their business idea into a profitable venture.
The 3rd Annual “Start Up” scholarship was presented to Caitlin towards her tuition for the 2017 fall/winter session. Caitlin’s participation in the intense program is a result of her desire to launch a new business for her signature product – an organic, fragrance-free diaper cream she began developing three years ago.
With two young children, Caitlin was inspired to find an organic, reasonable priced alternative to the diaper creams that were available on the market; creams that included a long list of complex, synthetic ingredients. Using the research skills she developed when she earned a Master’s degree in Information and Library Science, Caitlin began looking into organic, natural ingredients, many of which could be found within Vermont. Over the years, she developed relationships with local Beekeepers and farmers to use their products as ingredients for her diaper cream at reasonable costs. She currently develops the 5-ingredient cream out of her own kitchen with plans to expand her line of baby products when her business is officially established. To differentiate her products from others on the market, Caitlin’s focus is on the Vermont brand, simple ingredients and environmentally-friendly packaging. The skills she is developing in the Start-Up program are set to empower her as she moves forward, creating a detailed business model and seeing it through.
For more information about Mercy Connections’ Women’s Small Business Program (WSBP) please click here.
*For more information about the firm’s CSR policy and the signature partnership model for small- to medium-sized businesses please refer to our 5-part blog series and click here.
Photo, left to right: Kathryn Diedrichsen, Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs, Caitlin Beauregard, 2017 Start-up Scholarship recipient, Carmen Tall, Director of WSBP.
