I did the blog posting below on 6 questions to ask on getting a loan, it seemed natural to follow with with posting. Kathryn Kerrigan, of Kathryn Kerrigan Footwear, got her loan. She relates in this video, that she quickly realized that she had to spend her money on what she needed (inventory) as opposed to what she wanted (ads in fancy magazines).
She took stock of her capabilities and decided she could write copy and do PR. But without shoes, she was out of business.
You have a brand that your carry through out your life. It is on your driver’s license, your passport, and you are universally known by it. It’s your name. So consider owning your name as a url.
I just purchased www.markegoodman.com . Five years ago, when I was working for Motorola, I would have never have thought about it. I felt that I was a subset of the Motorola brand. But with job changes and the fact that search has become the yellow and white pages of the 21st century, how can I insure that I can be found. Not only be found, but insure the continuity and integrity of your brand.
Granted, social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter can help give you presence. However, they can come and go. Who remembers Prodigy? These sites often require membership from the searcher. In addition, for the most part, they control the routing.
Think about it. What is more important than your own brand? When it comes to building your image and furthering your career, who is more important than you?
Kathryn Kerrigan , our guest on CANTV 21 on August 18th will provide an interesting insight into small business . Please check out her business web site at www.kathrynkerrigan.com/
Left to right: David Crow, Ken Mariotti, Jerry Hicks, Ralph Mariotti, Gene Migely, Don Crossett and Dov Fishel.
“In these trying economic times, our people feel an air of hope. They see us investing with SCORE, trying to adapt and to improve. It is refreshing to see,” says Ralph Mariotti.
Woodland Windows and Doors knows tough times. The business, founded by John Mariotti 35 years ago, was born out of hardship. It is now run by Mariotti’s sons, Rano, Ralph, and Ken. They’ve successfully built a multi-million dollar company that competes in residential and commercial sales, custom finishes, and installation. Their investment in a new showroom, offices, trucks and equipment, is as impressive as the quality and commitment of their employees.
The company is well positioned to compete in multiple markets with an array of products and solutions. After years of steady growth, sales began to level off. They began to question how they could better deploy their assets and core capabilities to address slumping sales and declining profitability. How could they compete more effectively in this tough economy?
Searching for new ideas, one of the brothers had a chance meeting with a SCORE counselor who told him about SCORE ‘s consulting services. Their application was accepted and the business evaluation with the SCORE consultants began.
SCORE gathered information from throughout the company and a diagnostic meeting was convened with the Woodland management. Even though the brothers were anxious about opening up the company and their leadership to scrutiny, they persevered, keenly aware that business was flat and it was up to them to turn that around.
For Ken Mariotti, Woodland’s President, that meeting was a turning point. “SCORE showed us how to look at the numbers by business segments. That was when I began to see new growth opportunities,” explains Ken. “In the numbers, I saw businesses within the business – that was when things came alive.”
The SCORE Team recognized Woodland’s core strengths, which had led to their success thus far. However, the evaluation and diagnostics work revealed several process weaknesses across the company, which needed to be addressed. With a sense of urgency and the knowledge that comes from experience, SCORE put the spotlight on operational improvements.
By the time the SCORE team and Woodland completed a company wide 2009 business plan, many of the plan recommendations were already underway. Ralph Mariotti tells countless stories about the results they are seeing from changes in their processes. “At one point delivery times were inconsistent and fluctuated significantly,” said Ralph. We were very reactive and the work wasn’t specialized.” Sales people used to sell, measure, and write orders. They were in the office more than they were with customers.
And they lacked a technician’s know how to make the proper allowances for non-standard measurements. “SCORE showed us how to organize the work and to set objectives in order to drive more efficient use of our time, equipment, and people.”
Speaking of objectives, the three brothers laugh when they reminisce about the time SCORE asked Ken to review the objectives and prioritize them before their next meeting. Ken said to himself, “yea, yea, there are five priorities, how hard could it be?” Then he realized that every objective represented a long list of specific activities that each of them would have to commit to doing. “Put it this way,” Ken said, “SCORE helped us to acquire the necessary discipline it takes, to define specific objectives that align and focus the entire company on the priorities.”
SCORE extracted useful data from Woodland’s accounting records that helped the brothers to understand the state of their business. Further, it formed the basis for the creation of actionable pricing modeling tools. “With SCORE’s pricing approach, our sales force sees that they can win deals, not just be the highest priced,” said Ralph.
“A big part of what kept us going was how the SCORE consulting team was so selfless with their time….. SCORE is committed,” Ken explains. “They put no restraint on time. The SCORE guys have an owners passion to get this right.”
What do their parents, John and Ann, think of all of this? According to Rano, Vice President and General Manager, “they are very happy to see that we’re going outside ourselves.” Today Woodland is a 3rd generation business with Rano’s two sons working full time in rotational assignments to learn different business functions. Ken’s daughters work part time.
“Our parents are 87 years old and seeing that the business they started will continue to thrive because of how SCORE helped us grow as business leaders. Mom, Ann Mariotti, brought meatballs to one of our lunch meetings with SCORE. Now, she asks regularly if we’re meeting that day with the guys from SCORE, ” Ken says. “Dad and mom are happy about the results.” What about Rano, Ralph, and Ken, who have worked so hard over the past nine months to steer the ship in a new direction? The resounding reply, “fun and phenomenal.”
To thank SCORE Chicago for their analysis, insights and hands-on work, Woodland Windows made a generous donation to the chapter.
SCORE Chicago Business Solutions, the consulting arm of SCORE Chicago which serves businesses having revenues over 2 million, is lead by David Crow, practice manager. Consultants who worked on the Woodland assignment are: Jerry Hicks, Gene Migely, Dov Fishel and Don Crossett.
Do you qualify for free consulting from SCORE Chicago Business Solutions? See our consulting page for details and contacts.
Melissa Raman Molitor with students
Business: art & soul, an art and wellness center for kids and families, located in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago.
Owners: Sally Adler, MA, ATR-BC, LCPC, and Melissa Raman Molitor, MA, ATR-BC, LCPC
Problem: How to strengthen their business plan and prepare for loan applications and interviews
Solution: Strengthen business and marketing plans, develop cash flow statement
Results: Successful launch, children are playing/learning, revenues start
The Story Link. Read how this happened.
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What won’t a SCORE counselor do for a client? Sometimes an entrepreneur who comes to SCORE Chicago hits the jackpot. Take Twanda Mobley, who has patented and wanted to market an outside garbage can receptacle. She never expected her counselor Al Grossman would get so involved with her business launch.
Al Grossman, Charles S. Cordovano,, Twanda Mobley and Ron Kirshbaum
Hosted Focus Group
Mobley never imagined that Grossman would host her focus group. While Mobley paid for the focus group to be conducted, and for participants to attend, Grossman both sat in and coordinated the venue, using the SCORE office, running the video camera to record the event and offering coffee.
Big Box Rep Connection
And what was the likelihood that Mobley’s counselor would get her a meeting with a rep to explain how she could approach “big box” retailers? Grossman did just that. He invited Charles S. Cordovano, President, National Distribution Sytems of West Columbia, SC to meet Mobley. Cordovano sells to Lowes and other major retailers. The meeting lasted two hours, and Mobley got invaluable advice on how volume selling to large stores works, how they view new products and how to pitch such retailers.
So when you see Mobleys Garden Gate Garbage Can for sale at a “big box” store, you’ll know that she has a secret weapon in a SCORE counselor.
Get your own secret weapon to help your business succeed. Set up an appointment with a SCORE counselor today.
When Susan M. Kearney, a Yoga instructor, wanted to meet with a counselor to start her own business, she logged on to the counseling appointment page of SCORE Chicago, found a convenient date and location nearby her Round Lake home, and booked her appointment.
Blissful Brownies
And when Ambler FitzSimons needed advice on the next steps for her successful online brownie business, Blissful Brownies, she also went online to make an appointment at the College of Lake County in Grayslake.
As busy small business owners like these approach SCORE, increasingly they want to interact online. In the past six months, SCORE Chicago revised its appointment system to facilitate this online appointment setup. The organization has 15 locations, and now over half, including the main downtown location and all the Lake County branches, are online.
Here are the branches that now offer online signup for counseling sessions:
Chicago
Chicago Citibank Center (Main Office) – Monday through Saturday
North Suburban
Arlington Heights Chamber 2nd and 4th Mondays
Deerfield Chamber Tuesday AM
College of Lake County, Grayslake Monday PM
College of Lake County Southlake, Vernon Hills Wednesday PM
Lincolnshire Chamber - 2nd and 4th Wed AM
Lake Zurich Chamber - Wednesday
Barrington Chamber/Harris Bank Alt Tuesday
South Suburban
Governors State, University Park – Tuesday AM & PM
Appointments at other locations can be made by phone. To see a list of all locations, see the Appointment Page. Also please visit our site to learn of business workshops and other resources to help you with your business. Counseling link at SCORE Chicago website, www.scorechicago.org.
SCORE Counselor Al Grossman gave a workshop entitled International Trade with China on May 6 to a class of 30 Chinese MBA students at the IIT downtown campus. Afterwards, he and his wife hosted a luncheon at Lao Beijing Restaurant.
Most of the students were young adults, many of whom return to government positions. Others were professionals, one an MD, and another a college professor. The Chinese government sponsored the trip and their stay in Chicago.
Earlier this year, Grossman was inducted into Chicago Area Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame by UIC’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. He is recognized “for entrepreneurial achievements and for making a lasting impact on Chicago’s business landscape.”
This entrepreneurl spent 46 years in the electrical/lighting industry. In the last 14 years of his business career he was Co-founder, President and CEO of a business manufacturing and importing commercial lighting products, sold through wholesalers throughout North America.
As a SCORE counselor, Grossman teaches semi-annual workshops on importing (CLICK for INFO)and exporting (CLICK for INFO), and counsels out of the Citibank Center location. (CLICK TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT.)
See also related post: Free Counselors Want to Help YOU Start or Grow Your Business.
Sheila Papaioannou
Business: Medusa’s Stones, a business that sells handmade jewelry – using gemstones, precious metals, glass and vintage elements – and vintage purses at art fairs, trunk shows and online.
Problem: To turn jewelry-making hobby into a real business
Solution: SCORE counselor’s advice about marketing, presentation, professionalism, organization and pricing
Results: Alpana Singh, hostess of the popular PBS restaurant review show “Check, Please” wore Medusa’s Stones jewelry in the 2008 season. Sheila met Michigan Avenue stylists in the process. She joined a community of glassmakers, which led to contest awards and publication opportunities. She’s now working on a business plan.
Allyson Holleb
Business: Bess & Loie, handbag boutique and accessories store in Chicago
Problem: Overwhelming number of tasks to do all at once to start a retail business
Solution: One-on-one accountability, using a SCORE counselor, through the startup process
Results: Bess & Loie celebrates its first year in business. Its owner now takes on internet marketing.
Sofia Motamedi
Business: Gala Tea
Problem: No business experience
Solution: Be clear on path and get a To Do list
Results: Successful launch
The Story Link
