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Published: May, 2009

DIANA CHRISTIANSEN • RIVERSIDE
Mother of two boys ages 17 and 14, and of her nephew, age 8. (His mother passed away when he was 3.)

Business: The Atticus Group, Inc.

Product or service:
I founded this consulting company dedicated to addressing nationwide healthcare workforce shortages through innovative recruitment and retention models. A “Health Professions Center of Excellence” (HPCE) includes proprietary education partnerships, new graduate transition programs, leadership development and on-site human-simulation and financial-partnership development.

How did you come up with the idea?
Originally, I recognized that California’s nursing shortage could be addressed through partnerships between hospitals and nursing schools due to participation in a grant between the Valley Health System, Riverside County Economic Development Agency and Mt. San Jacinto Community College. Then, by studying the best recruitment/retention strategies employed by top hospitals, along with service companies like Nordstrom and Disney, I developed the HPCE, a professional model that is the first of its kind.

What did it take to launch your business?
I invested about $10,000 of my own money to develop the “S” Corporation, create the company Web site and marketing materials, and purchase general and professional liability insurance, and office equipment. Part of this was cash, and part was personal credit cards.

Tell us about your first sale or contract.
My first contract was with Riverside Community Hospital. I facilitated a partnership between RCH and California State University, San Bernardino, to double the number of Registered nurses trained. 

What is the size of your business?
Consulting is very up and down. My best year was $175K and my worst was $35K.