Nuodum Corp.   Ziks

The prescription for pharmacist Nnodum Iheme's business ailments came in the summer 1996, when he met with a counselor named John McCrea.

Mr. Iheme (pronounced EE-em-ay) wanted to take the upward step from pharmacist to medicine man - to be the maker of pharmaceuticals. A year earlier, he had founded Nnodum Corp. to prepare for this move, and now, he was developing a product. Ziks, a pain-relieving cream, had promise, but Mr. Iheme lacked an entrepreneurial road map. Enter Mr. McCrea, a counselor for the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). He met with Mr. Iheme; they talked, tested, practiced. In a year's time, Ziks was distributed to the shelves of Kroger, Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Bigg's.

"They helped me with the letters, the finances. They also helped me with the marketing," said Mr. Iheme, who came to the States from Nigeria about 10 years ago.

Mr. Iheme now has the skills to market Ziks on his own. But his contact with SCORE hasn't ended. Friday, the agency will award him its annual Client of the Year at a luncheon at the Banker's Club. His success set him apart. Mr. McCrea said that in 1997, he and SCORE'S 57 other counselors met with as many as 800 people.

"Every once in a while, one comes like this, and it really makes it worthwhile," Mr. McCrea said.
"He's just very successful with a lot of hard work and a lot of his own money."

Mr. McCrea often prepared test environments where he acted like a buyer for area retailers, and Mr. Iheme had to pitch his product. "It was difficult, but that really straightened me a lot," Mr. Iheme said. "I was able to know how to make a presentation to any company."

The new entrepreneur continues to pitch Ziks to retailers, often traveling to other cities. He also is working on a new product for his company, an over-the-counter cream for itching and diaper rash.