Janine DiPaula Stevens founded Vircity in Baltimore in 2005. Most entrepreneurs start at their kitchen table and grow into renting an office; Vircity represents that middle ground where a business has access to the services of a fully staffed office without the associated overhead costs by providing back-office support services such as administration, bookkeeping and graphic design. A lifetime entrepreneur, DiPaula Stevens sold Vircity in May before her 40^th birthday in order to pursue other business ventures.

Why did you become an entrepreneur?

I had a drive to control my own destiny. I guess you could say I just wanted to do things when I wanted and how I wanted. That includes working when I want to work, whether that was at 2 a.m. or 2 p.m., not having to ask off to spend time with family or for vacation and providing the level of service I felt my clients needed without a corporate policy guiding me. I wanted to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes and use that information to help other businesses grow.

How did your childhood interests lead to entrepreneurship?

My parents tell me that my first sentence was “I get it!” I knew I wanted to go places—figuratively and literally—and I knew I needed knowledge and money to get there. I started working as soon as I legally could. From 12 to 17 years old, I babysat, worked for Harford Community College’s dinner theater and athletic concession stand and Hecht’s Department Store, managed a real estate appraising firm, clocked enough hours in the field to be a certified residential appraiser, was office manager for an arts and crafts store, and helped install Novel Networks for Edgewood Arsenal. I said yes to any job that came my way and let my mentors push me to gain as much experience as I could in as many fields as possible. Some parents cart their children to sporting activities; mine were constantly taking me to and from work!

What attracts you most to entrepreneurship?

I look at entrepreneurship as an open invitation, a clean slate, to build and create change. I thrive on operational details which makes the process of designing and launching a new business extremely attractive and exciting.

What skills make for a talented entrepreneur?

I felt the most difficult first step to becoming an entrepreneur was leaving the security of my paycheck. I’ve spoken to many people who have a great idea and wish they had fewer responsibilities to be able to spend time and resources developing it. Life isn’t a dress rehearsal, so sometimes you just have to jump. An entrepreneur needs to be willing to take risks, accept that they will stumble along the way and have the courage to keep going. An entrepreneur needs to recognize their weaknesses and be confident enough to share those weaknesses with a trusted team that can challenge them and keep the innovations flowing.

Why is entrepreneurship important in Maryland’s current business climate?

Only 10 percent of the items and services created today are truly new; most have been a part of history in some way. Take Uber for example. In 1914, there was an Uber service called the jitney, a share taxi for hire. A man recognized a need, and by 1915, there were 150,000 rides a day in Los Angeles. One hundred years later, Uber handles 157,000 rides per day in that same city. Uber has changed the way we view transportation and they are improving the planet by reducing the number of cars on the road. Entrepreneurs can change the way we live and work by recognizing opportunities, building revenue and contributing to society. And they can stimulate related businesses to add to further economic development. You never know where the next great idea will come from, but it will most probably come from an entrepreneur.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?

I have so many business ideas right now. For starters, there is a product my husband and I developed called Power Play Energy Gum, a caffeinated chewing gum. I would like to get it beyond the internet and into convenience stores.

DiPaula Stevens is an adjunct professor for Notre Dame of Maryland University. She serves on the advisory board for ATHENA Powerlink Baltimore, is immediate past president of Network 2000, a Baltimore women’s leadership program dedicated to mentoring and promoting women in business, and past president of the Baltimore regional chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). She was named to the VIP List as well as Maryland’s Top 100 Women Circle of Excellence by The Daily Record. She also received the Bravo Award from SmartCEO Magazine.