You wouldn't think twice if you saw Val Agosta and Mollie Carman on your street taking silly pictures of each other or clowning with their kids at the park. They are what they seem to be: middle-age moms who blend into suburban surroundings in Boise, Idaho.
Or are they? The duo count on that harmless soccer mom stereotype to ply their profession as private investigators, getting the goods on errant spouses, negligent parents and scofflaws who try to defraud insurance companies. Their ordinariness is what makes their company, Hanady Investigations, so successful.
Take, for example, the videotape of Carman laughing next to a tree. The important element of that videotape was the man in the background building a fence--a man who was collecting disability payments from his insurance company.
Agosta's decision to become a private investigator was prompted by her breast cancer diagnosis in December 1999. Agosta had fallen in love with Nancy Drew at age 8. Now, after surviving cancer, chemo and going bald, Agosta realized that she needed to make every minute count. She decided to fulfill her childhood dream of being an investigator. She secured a license, set up Hanady Investigations in February 2000 and started handing out business cards wherever she went--at church, at soccer games, even at a bridal shower.
What she discovered was that there was an unmet demand for these services.
Today, referrals keep the business going, aided by publicity that the "spy moms" have garnered both locally and nationwide, including an appearance on the "Today" show.
Agosta initially partnered with her sister, Jan Cluff, but then Cluff also developed breast cancer and had to quit. Carman came on board in the summer of 2004, just in time for the the "Today" show appearance.
Agosta, 55, continues to fight recurring bouts of cancer, and Carman, 46, is handicapped by the constant pain from autoimmune diseases psoriatic spondylitis and sacroiliitis. Whoever is healthiest on a particular day is likely the one out in the field collecting evidence. But they love what they do and refuse to let their physical ailments slow them down. "I'm obsessed by the work," Carman says. "God gave us this job!"
They complement each other. Carman loves to put puzzles together and figure things out. And Agosta has a gift when it comes to what the pair call "creative pretexting"--thinking up reasons to engage a suspect in conversation so they can learn what they need to know.
In one instance, Agosta knocked on the door of a suspect's house, pretending she and Carman were looking for an estate sale. One thing led to another, and before long the detective duo was invited into the couple's home to continue the conversation.
The subject was seeking insurance money for what he claimed was needed surgery for a disease similar to the one Carman lives with. Weeks later, Carman videotaped him through a hole in his fence, using a chainsaw to prune his shrubbery.
"We don't care what anyone thinks. We're obnoxious, and it doesn't bother us at all," Agosta admits. And they are persistent. One child custody case took more than three years to resolve.
Along with all this, Agosta created a guidebook for middle-aged women seeking fulfillment:
"Spy Moms: Reinvent Yourself in 5 Proven Steps." The guide details how "two middle-aged, stay-at-home and medically challenged soccer moms reinvented themselves as private eyes and learned how to put more joy into their lives--all after the age of 40!" Those adventures are related as a series of lessons--from "Believe in Yourself and Trust Your Instincts" to "Fake It Until You Make It." Each section includes assignments for readers.
Carman and Agosta feel as though they are making a difference in the world. Sometimes they keep people from cheating the system, and sometimes they verify someone's disability and get that individual the help he or she needs.
Through it all, however, family comes first.
"When our families' needs are met, we go take care of business," Agosta says. To help with their ample workload, Agosta and Carman have trained several women to assist them, a group they've dubbed "the mom squad."
Sherri Arey was one of those moms--now she's preparing to start a business of her own with another private investigator. Like Agosta, being an investigator was a longtime dream for Arey. When she caught Agosta's and Carman's appearance on the "Today" show, she tracked them down and asked to work with them.
Arey, who had lost her mother to breast cancer, felt a special connection with Agosta. She says Agosta and Carman are not only inspiring, but also simply fun to be around. "We laughed a lot," she says. Arey idolizes Agosta, who she says was a big influence on her.
The hardest things about running a business, Carman and Agosta say, are the paperwork and the administrative details. Among the issues they debate: Do we advertise or don't we? Do we pay ourselves or save it for a convention or for new equipment? Recently, Hanady Investigations became an LLC for legal protection. "The slightest thing we might do wrong could change something as important as the custody of a child or a marriage," Agosta says.
Says Carman, "We have been so blessed and we have so much, it really feels good to help other people and to give back. That's what we do."
If you started a business after fighting cancer, tell us about it. We may include it in our October coverage of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can e-mail us at womenfeedback@entrepreneur.com