Steven, a retired dentist, wants to help people with stress. In fact, he’s so interested that about ten years ago, he got involved with a company that developed a system to treat the disorder. It all started when the company, NuCalm, wanted to beta test how well their system worked in treating anxiety. Steven says they picked dentistry because so many people have dental anxiety.

“What I find with dental anxiety and fear is that most people are triggered by a childhood event, either real or imagined. The system was successful at eliminating and minimizing anxiety and fear because, basically, your brain cannot be in fear mode and relaxing at the same time. The system puts their brain in Alpha state, which is what you experience going to sleep.” 

His company, Performance Research, LLC, has developed a system titled "Principles for Optimal Performance." He is testing it on athletes, Nascar drivers, attorneys, and airline pilots - all jobs that involve stressful situations. And he coaches them to perform better.

“The ideal consumer customer is somebody who understands the importance of controlling their stress. The key here is to be calm because that's when you can be an optimal performer. I teach people to learn to respond, not react.”

Through his participation in the Startup Accelerator program, he’s developing tools to take his idea forward. 

“I’m developing a podcast, blog, newsletter, and website. I’ll use NuCalm as the base and then go into the coaching, which is the custom part of my business.”

He always looks forward to the Startup Accelerator classes on online marketing and social media. He would like to start adding videos to YouTube, explaining his principles and the power of having a positive attitude.

“The only thing you have is right now. Because the past is past and the future is unknown. The future is opportunity mixed with difficulty. So the question is, do you see the opportunity or do you see the difficulty? The key is to see opportunity because it's not always in the form we expect it to be in. The more stressed you are, the harder it is for you to see anything right in front of you.”

Be sure to book your spot for Demo Days! Entrepreneurs Over the Age of 55 Compete for up to $10,000, where Steven and the other participants in the Startup Accelerator will pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges. They’ll be evaluated on the clarity of their business description, market analysis, creativity, and how they plan to use their funding. They'll also compete for a chance to win up to $10,000 to help their venture grow.