Once an educator, always an educator.

For Susan Haynes, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Culpeper and Gainesville, Virginia, teaching used to mean working with children inside a classroom. Today, her passion for education has moved toward the great outdoors, as she shares her love of birding with a growing clientele.

Shortly after the successful launch of her first Wild Birds Unlimited store, located in Culpeper, she quickly saw the opportunity to assume the franchise for the Gainesville store, although funding for the purchase was a challenge.

“No bank would even talk to me. My first store hadn’t been open long enough to qualify for a loan,” said Susan. “After hearing about People Incorporated and their commitment to serving local businesses, I sent them my financials, our business plan and projections for the second store, and luckily, they believed in me and saw the potential.”

When she isn’t supervising the unloading of 2,000 lb. pallets of bird feed, Susan is growing the stores’ clientele by working with garden clubs, school children, and neighbors eager to learn about the natural world and its dependence on birds. She’s also eager to partner with People Inc. in the future to open additional Wild Birds Unlimited locations.

“I have talked to people in the past that didn’t know about People Inc. They’re a wonderful organization, great to work with and truly supportive of small business owners,” she said. “I hope that more people can take advantage of their services and be helped to do the same thing I did.”