Featured Business Owner Greta Glimm of Dog & Kitty in the City

Meet Greta Glimm, owner of Dog & Kitty in the City and Featured Business Owner at SCORE Chicago this week. Learn how she started, and what tips she has for your success.

What is your company’s elevator pitch?

Dog & Kitty in the City is your destination for everything your urban dog and kitty need to live fabulously.

What inspired you to start your business?

I have a business background with both sales & retail management as well as a passionate desire to help animals in need.  Through rescue and volunteer work as well as community outreach I strive to educate people with regard to healthier lives for their pets.

Who are your clients, and give an example of how you served that person or business?

Our clients are Chicago residents who are looking for top quality food and accessories for their pets.

Dog & Kitty in the City LLC will celebrate its grand opening Saturday June 1, 2013 from 10 am-7 pm at 2622 N. Halsted Street in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.  The event will include treat samples for dogs, a raffle for 2-$50 gift cards, 15% off purchases of $50 of more (excluding food but including special orders), reusable bags for the first 25 guests, and an on-site photographer to capture candid pictures of customers and their pets.

What is your biggest business challenge?

Inventory management!  I want to have something for everyone yet I only want to carry brands I believe in.

Mentor name, and how they have helped you in your business?

Rhonda Henderson is my mentor.  When I first met Rhonda I had a business idea and a name, that’s it!  She really helped me to focus on things like my business plan which in turn allowed me to have both a big picture plan as well as the details to make it happen

What advice would you give other entrepreneurs?

Write things down.  I used to think I had a great memory, but with millions of ideas floating around my head I have to be more diligent about notes, to do lists and reminders.

What is your website for further info?

www.dogandkittyinthecity.com
Twitter@DogKittyinCity

Our business mentors can help you, too!

==> Schedule an appointment with a Chicago area mentor.

==> Ask a business question to an email counselor.

Disclaimer:   SCORE Chicago helps small business owners manage and grow their businesses.  We help startups write business plans and launch.  Nevertheless, our involvement should not be considered as an endorsement.

Featured Business Owners Amy and Derek Manning of Second Chance Art & Accessories

Meet Amy and Derek Manning, owners of Second Chance Art & Accessories and Featured Business Owners at SCORE Chicago this week. Learn about their business and what tips they have for your success.

What is your company’s elevator pitch?

We create upscale artwork and home accessories using vintage architectural salvage.

Who are your clients, and give an example of how you served that person or business?

Our typical client is an affluent homeowner looking for something unique or different from their home.  We have also begun to sell to interior designers and shop owners.

For our retail customers, we offer free delivery and installation for our high end pieces.

For interior designers and shop owners, we have created pieces specific to their client demographic, for example map art of the local area.

What is your most successful sales strategy?

Providing background on our pieces such as “before” photos and information about how the design evolved have helped us sell many pieces.  Our customers like to learn where things came from and what materials looked like before we started.

We began selling our art at retail in art fairs.  Recently we have begun to do more business at higher volumes selling wholesale.  Whether retail or wholesale, customers who like our pieces frequently tell others, for which we are very grateful.

Who are your Mentors and how they have helped you in your business?

Mitch Morris and Peg Corwin are our mentors.  Mitch helps us to put our emotions aside and look at our business with a critical eye.  Also he keeps us accountable by encouraging us to set goals and focus on concrete steps we need to take for growth.  Peg helps us up the learning curve to improve our website and expand our social media presence.

What is the most important lesson you have learned in business that might help others?

Derek says, “Don’t expect overnight success.  Persistence pays off.”

Amy adds, “Our customer’s happiness is our number 1 goal, whether we sell retail or wholesale.  Ultimately if they are happy, they buy more and refer others.”

What is your website for further info?

http://secondchanceart.net

Second Chance Art on Facebook

Second Chance Art on Pinterest

Our business mentors can help you, too!

==> Schedule an appointment with a Chicago area mentor.

==> Ask a business question to an email counselor.

Disclaimer:   SCORE Chicago helps small business owners manage and grow their businesses.  We help startups write business plans and launch.  Nevertheless, our involvement should not be considered as an endorsement.

Featured Business Owner Noelle Sharp of APORTA

Meet Noelle Sharp, owner of APORTA and Featured Business Owner at SCORE Chicago this week.  Learn about her business and what tips she  has for your success.

What is your company’s elevator pitch?

APORTA is excellence in craftsmanship and quality of living. Founded by Noelle Sharp in 2011, APORTA designs are handcrafted by Sharp, a skilled knitter and weaver. APORTA fibers are handpicked to ensure all products are of the highest caliber. APORTA honors the tradition of honest, hard work.

“Local resources and local crafts people. Never outsourced. Never imported. You deserve to use and surround yourselves with exceptionally fine crafted products.”

Who are your clients, and give an example of how you served that person or business?

APORTA clients are not age or gender specific, and the design and presentation of our products reflect this. They are bought by children, teenagers, young professional to retired professionals. In addition to creating accessories, APORTA works one-on-one with designers to create custom  textiles for their businesses.

What is your most successful sales strategy?

Having worked in customer service for over 12 years Sharp says that she approaches each sale with the objective of listening to the customer, developing  a relationship and making him or her feel like they are shopping with a friend. She does not push sales on clients, but “invites them into the world of APORTA, which in turn motivates them to return to our products.”

Who is your Mentor and how they have helped you in your business?

Ezzy Dabbish is her mentor.  ”I couldn’t have asked for a better one. He has helped me develop and refine my business plan, as well as introduce new aspects to my business that will help grow profits. His knowledge has been overwhelmingly beneficial, he genuinely wants to help and guide my business.”

What is the most important lesson you have learned in business that might help others?

Utilize every online/digital marketing opportunity available to you — Facebook, Instagram, Pintrest, Tumblr. It’s not just enough to sell your products.  People want to be involved with the process, they want to feel like they have a connection and a peak into the world you have created. What you show in these avenues will have an affect on your customers.  They will remember the tiny details and come back because of those details — the way you package your products, what type of materials you use, the quality of your photographs and online presence.

What is your website for further info?

www.aportashop.com

Instagram: aportatextiles

Tumlr: aportatextiles.tumblr.com/

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Aporta/196741443730662

Pintrest: pinterest.com/naporta/

Our business mentors can help you, too!

==> Schedule an appointment with a Chicago area mentor.

==> Ask a business question to an email counselor.

Disclaimer:   SCORE Chicago helps small business owners manage and grow their businesses.  We help startups write business plans and launch.  Nevertheless, our involvement should not be considered as an endorsement.

Featured Business Owner Tricia Parker of Tricia Parker Communications

Meet Tricia Parker, owner of Tricia Parker Communications and Featured Business Owner at SCORE Chicago this week.  Learn how she started and what tips she has for your success.

What is your company’s elevator pitch?

Tricia Parker Communications helps our clients identify unique media opportunities. Our motto is “Telling Your Story, Making a Difference.”  We offer customized media relations, strategic communications and writing coaching and editing services.

How did you decide to start your business?

I first got the idea for a Chicago PR business while working as a T.V. reporter at an ABC affiliate.  I noticed there were lots of good stories not getting told, and I wondered how I could someday fill that gap. I wanted to not only identify the “voiceless,” but to empower them to tell their stories publicly.

Who are your clients, and give an example of how you served that person or business?

Our clients are typically individuals and businesses with an interesting or unusual story to share with the world. It was my joy, for example, to help a client called “The Gift of Wings” – a kite store in Milwaukee – secure a media placement in a North Shore magazine about how to help children fly a kite. We had developed a business relationship over several years, and it was a delight to garner “The Gift of Wings” the press coverage it so much deserved. TPC also assists individuals and businesses with various writing needs.

What is your most successful sales strategy?  What works to bring you business?

My most successful strategy has been to listen very carefully to clients’ needs, and to engage with the media only when my clients are ready. I build trust with both my clients and media representatives by not rushing things.

What works to bring you business?

 Being actively involved in several civic organizations helps tremendously, as does being well-read and consistently thoughtful in all my written and spoken communications.

Who is your Mentor and how have they helped you in your business?

Ezzy Dabish has helped me very much by providing insights into how I could my make my Web site more user-friendly, as well as advice for how to engage in my first marketing campaign.

What is the most important lesson you have learned in business that might help others?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There is strength in admitting your limits and seeking expertise from someone who knows a particular subject area better than you.

What is your website for further info?

www.triciaparkercommunications.com 

Our business mentors can help you, too!

==> Schedule an appointment with a Chicago area mentor.

==> Ask a business question to an email counselor.

Disclaimer:   SCORE Chicago helps small business owners manage and grow their businesses.  We help startups write business plans and launch.  Nevertheless, our involvement should not be considered as an endorsement.

Featured Business Owner CJ Evrard of IHU Consulting LLC

Meet CJ Evrard , owner of the IHU Consulting LLC and Featured Business Owner at SCORE Chicago this week.  Learn about his business and what tips he has for your success.

What is your company’s elevator pitch?

IHU Consulting LLC helps small businesses navigate health care reform changes through educational seminars and workshops on the affordable Care Act.

Who are your clients, and give an example of how you served that person or business?

Our clients are small to medium size business owners with 50 or less employees, HR and Benefit specialist who are confused on how the Affordable Care Act will impact their organization, and employees. We have worked with several small business owners who discovered they were eligible for various tax credits following one of our seminars.

What is your most successful sales strategy?

Attending networking events in the local Chicago area has been instrumental in making the necessary connections with small business owners and other individuals who are looking to use our service.

What works to bring you business?

Attending professional events and having a social media presence has been our top strategy in getting us business.  Having face time with other local professionals has helped us establish a foothold in the Chicago market allowing us to expand our customer base. Our social media presence has helped us keep in contact with a large group of individuals that are interested in learning more about our product and services.

A Simple Consumer’s Guide to Health Care Reform in America is meant to help you understand the main provisions of the law and their impacts on a broad level. This book should provide you the basics you need to know in two hours or less of reading. Reading this book will help guide you through the sections and areas of the law that will have the greatest impact on your life enabling you to ask the right questions to your financial advisor, accountant, employer or spouse.

What is the most important lessons you have learned in business that might help others?

Do something you know and love.  Once I understood the concept of doing something I know well and love, it became much easier to put in the extra effort and hours resulting in success in my field.

Who is your Mentor and how they have helped you in your business?

Ezzy Dabbish and Barbara Miller are my mentors. Ezzy has helped establish some key networking opportunities and has helped in facilitating meetings to get me in front of various influencers.

What is your website for further info?

Site http://healthcarereformconsulting.com

Book: http://healthcarereformconsulting.com/contact/media-kit/publications/

Our business mentors can help you, too!

==> Schedule an appointment with a Chicago area mentor.

==> Ask a business question to an email counselor.

Disclaimer:   SCORE Chicago helps small business owners manage and grow their businesses.  We help startups write business plans and launch.  Nevertheless, our involvement should not be considered as an endorsement.

Meet Featured Business Owner Candace Swetz of Candace Dance

Meet Candace Swetz, owner of Candace Dance and Featured Business Owner at SCORE Chicago this week.  Learn about her business and what tips she has for your success.

What is your company’s elevator pitch?

Candace Dance provides dance instruction for social dancing and choreography for special occasions to a wide variety of clients.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

As a High School teacher, I started learning and teaching dancing to prepare my students for performances for International Day at our school.  I transitioned to full time dance instructor and studio owner.  I believe that dancing is good for the body, the mind, and the spirit.   It exercises the body and mind and also provides creative and social opportunities to anyone involved. Life is better with Dance!

Who are your clients, and give an example of how you served that person or business?

My clients are schools, wedding couples, young ladies preparing for their 15^th birthday dance presentations, men and women who want to be confident on a social dance floor, older people who are preparing for anniversary dances or who just want to do a special “date night” with their spouse, and people of all ages who are looking for an interesting way to exercise their minds and bodies.

On any given day, I may teach Paso Doble or Swing to 4^th graders at an elementary school in the afternoon and in the evening  teach a Salsa, Bachata or Cumbia class to social dancers or create and teach choreography to  a bride and groom who want to dance a very special first dance at their wedding to a special song they have chosen.

What is your biggest business challenge?

The most successful strategy for my business has been to develop an attractive website which has been optimized for web searches and to enhance my business presence on the web.

What advice would you give other entrepreneurs?

The most important lesson I have learned in business is to listen carefully to clients about their perceived needs and to do my best to meet these needs.  I believe a genuine interest in my clients creates good experiences and results for them and for me.  Finally, I believe that clients should always be treated with kindness and respect.

Who is your Mentor and how they have helped you in your business?

Peg Corwin is my mentor.  She has given me invaluable insight into the advantages of converting my website to Word Press.  She has also helped me optimize the website for search engines, advised me in how to assess the results of the changes that have been made, provided me with ideas about enhancing my business presence on the web, and, most importantly, provided encouragement in helping me maneuver technologies which can be very intimidating to someone not experienced in using them.

What is your website for further info?

My website is  www.candacedance.com

Our business mentors can help you, too!

==> Schedule an appointment with a Chicago area mentor.

==> Ask a business question to an email counselor.

Disclaimer:   SCORE Chicago helps small business owners manage and grow their businesses.  We help startups write business plans and launch.  Nevertheless, our involvement should not be considered as an endorsement.

Featured Business Owner Tami Conway and Leanne Kurtzweil of The Dailey Method

Meet Tami Conway and Leanne Kurtzweil, owners of The Dailey Method and Featured Business Owners at SCORE Chicago this week.  Learn about their business and what tips they have for your success.

What is your company’s elevator pitch?

The Dailey Method is a unique combination of ballet barre work, core conditioning, muscle strengthening, yoga, and orthopedic exercises.

Who are your clients, and give an example of how you served that person or business?

We create a welcoming environment to empower our clients to achieve their health and fitness goals, our primary demographic is female, aged 35-50.

What is your most successful sales strategy?  What works to bring you business?

Word of mouth brings us many new clients! We continuously work to create a positive and stress free environment for clients to escape their busy everyday life. When clients have a positive experience, they tell their friends!

What is the most important lessons you have learned in business that might help others?

Listen to your clients and staff, their opinion matters the most and if you can meet their needs it will help you succeed!

What is your mentor’s name and how they have helped you in your business?

Mitchell Morris was instrumental in helping us complete a business plan and pursue ways to finance our initial investment in the business. He has great insight into how businesses operate and an ability to guide discussions so we could ask critical questions of ourselves. With his guidance the opening of our business exceeded our expectations.

What is your website for further info?

TheDaileyMethod.com

Our business mentors can help you, too!

==> Schedule an appointment with a Chicago area mentor.

==> Ask a business question to an email counselor.

Disclaimer:   SCORE Chicago helps small business owners manage and grow their businesses.  We help startups write business plans and launch.  Nevertheless, our involvement should not be considered as an endorsement.

Featured Business Owner – Lindsey Meyers of Beauty & Brawn Art Gallery and Think Space

Meet Lindsey Meyers, owner of the Beauty & Brawn Art Gallery and Think Space and Featured Business Owner at SCORE Chicago this week.  Learn how she  started, and what tips she has for your success.

What is your company’s elevator pitch?

Beauty & Brawn is a cutting edge art gallery, arts education and community space and unique rental venue.

What inspired you to start your business?

I was inspired to start my business out of personal necessity- and from the desire to offer children a new perspective on art and community through my teaching, to showcase artists who are talented, yet whose work has gone unseen, and to offer the community a space to gather, discuss and exchange ideas freely and respectfully.

Who are your clients, and give an example of how you served that person or business?

My clients range from artists and art enthusiasts and children and families, to neighborhood residents/Chicagoans looking for a unique event to attend or a rental venue for private functions, rehearsals or gatherings.

I host opening receptions on behalf of new artists every 6-8 weeks, offer great and inexpensive children’s classes, weekend Kids Open Studios and parties, provide reasonable rental rates for clients and allow patrons to feel part of a creative community.

What is your biggest business challenge?

My biggest business challenges thus far have been raising additional operating capital and funding to increase PR and visibility, and to obtain outdoor signage.

Mentor name, and how they have helped you in your business?

David Kirshner has been a terrific mentor and fan of Beauty & Brawn.  I am grateful for his knowledge, expertise, overall support and generosity.  I sincerely appreciate his recommending me to be a Featured Business Owner.

What advice would you give other entrepreneurs?

My advice to other entrepreneurs would be to always stay true to your vision and maintain your passion. Be open, listen, stay focused and be prepared for incredulously difficult work and wonderful surprises.

What is your website for further info?

BeautyandBrawnGallery.com

Beauty and Brawn on Facebook

Our business mentors can help you, too!

==> Schedule an appointment with a Chicago area mentor.

==> Ask a business question to an email counselor.

Disclaimer:   SCORE Chicago helps small business owners manage and grow their businesses.  We help startups write business plans and launch.  Nevertheless, our involvement should not be considered as an endorsement.

Featured Business Owner – Jamie Calvetti of Calvetti Meats

Meet JAMIE CALVETTI , owner of  CALVETTI MEATS and Featured Business Owner at SCORE Chicago this week. Learn how he started, and what tips he has for your success.

What is your company’s elevator pitch?

James Calvetti Meats is a successful second generation wholesale meat processing business with an emphasis on quality. We are transforming ourselves into a multi-faceted processor and marketer of multiple protein brands by adding new processing machinery to be more competitive, by adding new products to diversify our markets and customer base, and by adding a website to sell directly to consumers.

Morgan Street Bistro – Chef Inspired Marinated Meats

Who are your clients, and give an example of how you served that person or business.

Our customers have traditionally been airlines, airline caterers, broad line distributors and co-packing clients. We serve the airline customer by offering long term fixed priced contracts for high quality portioned meats. The customers are high volume customers. Our meats must be very consistent in taste color and appearance, and they are.

Premier provider of expertly aged steaks

What is your most successful sales strategy?

Maintain a sterling reputation in your industry. Reputation brings customers to you.

What are your Mentor’s names, and how they have helped you in your business?

My mentors are Peg Corwin, Dan Pollack, and Jack McClurkin.   Peg has helped by reviewing and making recommendations on our online marketing, including SEO and social media.  She also have given us second opinions on our marketing contracts with vendors.  Dan and Jack have toured our facility to make suggestions about improving our operations.  They have indicated new directions for product diversification and helped us analyze the profitability of our business lines.

What is the most important lesson you have learned in business that might help others?

Average is an invitation to failure.

What is your website for further info?

www.JCMeats.com
www.CalvettiMeats.com
www.MorganStreetBistro.com will be vastly expanded shortly.

Our business mentors can help you, too!

==> Schedule an appointment with a Chicago area mentor.

==>Ask a business question to an email counselor.

Disclaimer: SCORE Chicago helps small business owners manage and grow their businesses. We help startups write business plans and launch. Nevertheless, our involvement should not be considered as an endorsement.

SCORE Chicago Success Story – Theresa Carter of The Local Tourist

The Local Tourist, LLC began as a hobby after its founder, Theresa Carter, moved to Chicago from Indianapolis.  What was just a business directory for one neighborhood has grown into a resource for the city and beyond, featuring, in addition to the business listings, an events calendar, multi-contributor magazine filled with news from a hand-picked team of city experts, photo galleries, and a developing social network.

The company also hosts signature Chef’s Table events showcasing local restaurants, and introduces beer fans to amazing craft brews with AlphaBeer.

The Local Tourist’s Alpha Beer event in Chicago

Theresa’s primary goal is to help people spend less time searching for things to do and more time actually doing them.  In short, she wants to “help people experience the fascination of a tourist while feeling the comfort of the local.”

The Local Tourist’s success is owed in large part to the advice and assistance of SCORE counselor Peg Corwin, who worked with Theresa in many ways to make her business productive and effective.  Theresa herself described the help she received from Peg as follows:

“Due to advice from Peg I began putting systems in place that have greatly increased my efficiency and have set The Local Tourist up for incredible growth.  These systems include proposals for our signature events, which have meant increased event bookings and sales.  It’s also helped me expand my team of contributors so they can focus on adding content while I focus on building the business.  Probably the most important result of Peg’s mentoring is our quarterly status reports which outline our goals and enable me to check on the progress toward those goals, to see the big picture and to organize into manageable tasks.  Peg keeps me on track and focuses on what’s going to make my business both scalable and profitable.  Having a mentor that I respect, like and trust is helping me realize my dreams.   I couldn’t have done it without Peg.”

Peg says of Theresa’s progress:

“As I’ve worked with Theresa I’ve seen her become a real business person, thinking about delegating what she can, tracking expenses, planning for the next month, quarter and year in writing, and measuring her progress.  I’m very proud of her achievements and the web business she has built.”

To learn more about Theresa’s business, check out her company’s website The Local Tourist.

Our business mentors can help you, too!

==> Schedule an appointment with a Chicago area mentor.

==>Ask a business question to an email counselor.

Disclaimer: SCORE Chicago helps small business owners manage and grow their businesses. We help startups write business plans and launch. Nevertheless, our involvement should not be considered as an endorsement.