Taking Care of Business:Cheryl Miller

Last week, I wrote about Kevin Miller, who started his own business (Kevin Miller Financial Services) after a successful 17 year pro hockey career. Kevin isn't the only entrepreneur in the family however. Kevin's wife Cheryl is the co-owner/co-creator of Rock N Go.
In their own words, Rock N Go LLC is a collection of vibrant, hip, musically relevant all-inclusive and mobile products designed to combine teaching with music. Their math products utilize 11 musical genres in their original songs.
Cheryl told me that Rock N Go was actually developed out of frustration with other products. Cheryl said, "I have four daughters and spend a lot of time driving to activities. I decided there had to be a better use of the driving time. I ordered some educational music that my children did not like because it was boring. At the time I was running every day with my business partner Heather Lewis, who is a school teacher and a musician. We discussed the concept on our daily runs until we felt we could create original and fun educational music and workbooks that would fill a unique niche in the marketplace."
I had to ask why both Cheryl and Kevin embarked on new businesses instead of taking it easy after the hectic pace of 17 years of pro hockey. Cheryl said, "We are both excited to pursue our careers. I received a BS at MSU in Engineering Arts and a Masters in Finance and Marketing with emphasis on Entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis. It was difficult to work when we moved so often, so now that we are settled, I can pursue my career again." Rock N Go is off to a great start. The first year, they won two national awards: The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval 2009" and "Creative Child Seal of Excellence 2009".
The great start has encouraged them to expand a bit. They are finishing development of "Major Multiplication" and "Dominate Division", which they would like to launch in the fall. Other topics like spelling, grammar and science are possibilities for future development.
One area which probably won't see expansion is video. Cheryl states, "The concept behind Rock N Go is that children can be educated anywhere with just a cd player or an Ipod." As a kid who grew up on School House Rock, I really like Rock N Go for that reason.
Their music is so good, children will want to play it again and again (and it won't drive adults crazy). It is also versatile. As Cheryl said, "It can be used as an all-inclusive educational package or just as background music."
Combining the pull of a good song with the versatility of the program makes Rock N Go great for improving the education of all children. Cheryl added, "It can also be useful for special needs learning children due to the audio, visual and tactile learning domain approach."
It sounds like they have all bases covered. So what is next for Rock N Go? Cheryl said she'd like Rock N Go to expand nationally and internationally and eventually donate some proceeds to children's foundations.
I encourage everyone to check out the product at www.RockNGoLIve.com. The educational sets are also available at MuseumTour, Amazon and other local stores. The music can also be found on iTunes.
I am grateful to Cheryl and Kevin Miller for sharing their business stories with me. As a long-time fan of the Miller brothers, it was interesting to get to know Kevin and Cheryl a little better. I wish both the best of luck and I am sure both will be successful in their businesses.

Cheryl Miller and Heather Lewis-Late 2000's.
Kevin, Cheryl and the Miller children-Late 2000's.

Taking Care of Business:Kevin Miller

Kevin Miller had an outstanding four year hockey career with the Michigan State Spartans. He played with older brother Kelly for his first year and younger brother Kip for his last two years. All three Miller brothers would go on to have excellent NHL careers. They played together in various combos, but never all three on one team.
Kevin played professionally for 17 years. He states that he had three goals:to play hockey at Michigan State, to play for the USA Olympic team and to play in the NHL. He achieved all three. His post-hockey goal is to have his own successful financial services firm. Kevin began preparing for that goal while with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1997.

Kevin states, "I always had a big interest in finance and always found myself reading magazines and the Wall Street Journal. I was usually the guy other players came to when they had questions and I enjoyed leading them in the right direction."
Kevin kept learning and his interest kept growing. He got his series 7 securities license, worked at various prestigious financial institutions and became a Certified Financial Planner. In 2008, Kevin opened Kevin Miller Financial Services.
On the website, Kevin states, "I believe in building strong relationships through hard work, honesty and integrity." I asked him how hockey helped him with that goal. Kevin told me, "I think the same dedication and work ethic that made me successful in hockey will help me with my business."
Kevin Miller Financial Services is doing well, but how does it compare to the thrill on the ice? Kevin stated, "Nothing will ever give me the same excitement. Playing hockey was the best time of my life and I miss the game."
I can only imagine how awesome it would be to play professional hockey. You know me though, I always want to know how it feels to be on a hockey card. Kevin answered that for me, "That is your dream as a boy growing up collecting cards. Once you get your first the dream becomes reality. I think I carried my card around with me the first few weeks."

Kevin and his brothers are part of a special card called Bloodlines produced by Upper Deck. The Miller Brothers were all pictured on the card. How cool is that? As for playing with and against his brothers, Kevin said, "It was great playing with them. I wish I could have played more with them. Playing against them was not easy. You want them to do well and you find yourself watching them instead of concentrating on the game."

I have been a fan of Kevin since his time at Michigan State. I especially enjoyed his time in Chicago with the Blackhawks abd the Wolves. It was always a pleasure to watch him play. He always gave a lot of effort and output. Kevin gives that same effort with Kevin Miller Financial Services and I am sure that it will be quite a success, too. I really appreciate Kevin taking time to discuss his careers with me.

Kevin Miller at MSU in East Lansing, MI-late 2000's.
(Photo courtesy of MSUBlueline.org)

Kevin, Kelly and Kip Miller's 1992-93 Upper Deck Bloodlines card.