BizImpresario

Gina Halladay of Cranberry Quiltworks Making an Impact in the Quilting Industry

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:01:50 -0700

The quilting industry in the USA is a very fast-growing industry, attracting many new younger quilters as well as providing continued enjoyment to the more senior quilters. Leading the charge in the quilting industry’s growth is Gina Halladay, owner of Cranberry Quiltworks, a Yorba Linda, California-based retailer of quilting supplies and Gammill long-arm quilting machines.

While Cranberry Quiltworks has been in business since 1999, Gina became the sole owner in 2007. Since that time she has launched a new website, online store, and blog (LongArmBuzz.com), moved the company to a larger location, and significantly increased sales to become the fastest growing Gammill distributor in the western USA.

Cranberry Quiltworks operates a Gammill long-arm machine showroom where quilters can try out the state-of-the-art quilting machines before purchasing them. The company also maintains a fully-stocked quilting supplies store, offering everything from quilting thread to batting to quilting patterns and needles, available both in the Yorba Linda store and through Cranberry’s online store.

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Are You A Coutts Woman?

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 13:32:49 -0700

Attention all business women! If you are looking for a way to get plugged into information about other up-and-coming women in business you may want to check out the online magazine Coutts Woman. So inspired by the success stories of business women the world over, Coutts - a private banking company and parent of Coutts Woman - decided to launch the magazine in order to create value through case

studies, connections and practical ideas. This publication features success stories of various business women, personal or business finance as well has having an area of the site dedicated to travel.

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Business Owner Jason Tremblay Gains Success with his SellMyTimeshareNOW.com

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:55:02 -0700

A press release was recently distributed featuring a business entrepreneur and owner, Jason Tremblay, CEO of SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, a company that provides a website to help sellers and buyers of timeshare effectively connect with each other. Tremblay has built the company from its humble beginnings in the spare bedroom of his house, to occupying an office space in Dover, New Hampshire with over 90 employees, handling an expected $8 million in revenue in 2007.

Email Marketing with TheMadVlad.com Safelist

Tue, 15 May 2007 14:28:58 -0700

Part of being a successful entrepreneur is being able to competently wear many hats—the finance hat, the operations hat, the marketing hat, the sales hat, and on down the business line. This article discusses the marketing hat; in particular, email marketing. Have you ever heard of safelists? Have you ever heard of The Mad Vlad?

A new marketing strategy that has arisen in the online world is email marketing through safelists. A safelist can be defined as a group of people who voluntarily agree to receive each other’s promotional emails; they have all joined the a particular safelist. Safelists can be tens of thousands of members strong. The safelist members email each other various promotions with the intent of generating business from their fellow members who may buy what they’re promoting, which they do. TheMadVlad.com has built up a free powerful safelist advertising program. You can also upgrade to a paid account where you can buy more advertising to optimize your email campaign results.

If you want to buy and sell online, if you have a product, service, or company you want to advertise, I suggest you check out the very successful TheMadVlad safelist email marketing program. Many customers have found tremendous value in this program, as you can read about in their Mad Vlad testimonials.

SellMyTimeshareNOW - Entrepreneurial Success via Technological Wisdom

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 12:22:03 -0700

As technology continues to infiltrate our society, companies can not afford to ignore the power of the internet and its affect on business. Entrepreneurs must be innovators by utilizing technology to attract a customer base and be willing go the extra mile to understand the needs of those customers, providing them with convenient resources, information, and a quality service experience.

SellMyTimeshareNOW is a company that has succeeded at incorporating the technology of the digital age into their business strategy while simultaneously being able to offer both timeshare buyers and sellers the convenience of one stop shopping. By eliminating the middle man, SellMyTimeshareNow enables buyers and sellers to communicate directly and avoid costly appraisal or commission fees.

The company also offers a great tool which allows users to search by resort, region, preferred accommodations, price and type. There is also no shortage of information for those who wish to learn more about buying or selling a timeshare before taking the plunge. The hands on experience and direct communication impart a significant level of knowledge to the consumer, truly putting the power in their hands.

CEO Mark Eldridge said recently "SellMyTimeshareNOW.com proudly delivers more buyers through our online marketing efforts than any other company, and this year we're on track to deliver over a quarter billion dollars in offers." This success is probably a direct result of the quality of service and an understanding by the company leaders that a strong online presence is a powerful tool for business looking to get an edge over the competition.

Corporate Review

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If You're Tired, You're Probably An Entrepreneur

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 01:59:31 -0700

Are you having an endless supply of long nights? I mean, the 2 a.m. kind?

Here's your diagnosis-- you have entrepreneuritis. It's where you just don't have the hours you need to get things done. And somehow, you survive on less sleep than humanly possible.

But, when does that go away? At some point, when business stabilizes, shouldn't regular sleep become part of your new salary package?

As I'm working on The Hundred Dollar Business, I have been working more hours than I "should", and I know it. And the tradeoff seems to be sleep...

Any suggestions?

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What's Your Story?

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 10:48:20 -0700

This is an entrepreneurship blog--so hopefully you've started a business... or want to start one... or have just sold one for millions! ;)

The community I work in has many innovators whose startup stories have inspired me. One of my favorites is JDawgs, a smartly placed and well organized hot dog stand on the corner of BYU campus, which has done really well.

I'd love to hear your stories! Tell us about how you got started, with your first business endeavor, or your current one.

Who knows, maybe your story will start to ignite the entrepreneur fire in someone else!

Things You Don't Think About

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 18:56:49 -0700

Just for fun, I wanted to mention a few things that have come up during my "100 Dollar Business" experiment, that I wouldn't have thought of--

1. Having change for the cash register.

2. Counting in shoplifting losses.

3. The time it would take to set up the shop in the morning.

4. The absolutely dire necessity for great visual merchandising, and the impact it has on sales.

5. The complexity of managing details for several people, products, and financial processes.

6. You can't work in your store at the same time you work on your store--there's a tradeoff.

If time spent losing sales is at the trade of brainstorming better ways to market my business so I'll have more customers, it's worth it. But if I'm losing sales because I'm checking my e-mail or on the phone, it is frustrating.

7. Little "losses" and "expenses" can add up quickly-- keep good records of everything!

8. Plastic wrap and packaging inhibits customers from interacting with the product. So don't use it when possible. ;)

We post daily, in-depth updates on The Hundred Dollar Business blog, so read there for more details!

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Launching The Hundred Dollar Business!

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:32:05 -0700

Today's the day!

After one day of planning and four days of making arrangements, The Hundred Dollar Business will be officialized and getting started today!

This is my first truly completely-on-my-own business project, and I am totally excited. I'll be releasing details later about what exactly we are doing for this month's business.

On the to-do list for today is getting the legal paperwork from the city, setting up the bank account, getting inventory sheets and vendor agreements prepared, ordering and picking up products, setting up shop, and... getting the word out!

Most of the experiment details will be at the Hundred Dollar Business blog site, but we'll also post snippets here, just to keep you updated.

And if you have any suggestions or you know someone who knows someone who... post a comment on BizImpresario, or find our contact info here. I'd be glad to hear it!

The Hundred Dollar Business Experiment

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:26:40 -0700

For the month of December, I’m doing an experiment called "The Hundred Dollar Business” to test concepts I’ve been learning in my entrepreneurship class at BYU, as well as from the amazing business community I'm involved with.

Limits of the Experiment

A budget of $100, 30 days, and I have to go to sleep by around midnight every night.

Minimum Goals

Set up a well functioning business, pay all business/personal expenses for the month, and make at least $100 back in order to (possibly) start a next Hundred Dollar Business in January.

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Different Kinds of Ideas

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 23:30:55 -0700

Entrepreneurs are idea people. :) But, not all ideas are created equally.

I just read a post by Brock Blake, of Funding Universe, called "Idea That Is Scalable". In the post, he says that when VCs evaluate an entrepreneur's idea, they look for the proportion between amount of investment capital, percent of ROI possible, and the time it should take to exit.

He also mentions the difference between a "lifestyle" idea versus a fundable idea. The main difference being that a lifestyle business will cover the owner's financial needs, but the other will provide ROI that justifies a VC's expense.

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You Got A Plan?

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 12:47:41 -0700

Imagine hiring an architect/contractor to build an expensive mansion. You've had good recommendations on this person, and are ready to move forward.

The construction team shows up to start working on the house. "Mind if I look at the plan?" you ask. "Oh, we don't have one," they reply.

"Did I hear right-- you don't have a plan?" you echo. "That's right. We don't need a plan."

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Want A Creative Career? Be An Entrepreneur.

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 23:12:03 -0700

Forget Juilliard. The American Ballet Theatre. You want creativity? Try entrepreneurship.

Here's an awesome quote from a post called "Creativity Loves Constraints," on the Cambrian House blog:

"Similarly, working at a startup, there are constraints everywhere. We face tight deadlines, are often under-staffed and given limited resources. And our creativity thrives as a result.

"The point? The creativity of our vision isn’t the only creativity that matters - the creativity of our design and execution also matters. Moreover, by being constrained, the latter type of creativity becomes more and more important."

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Sales Aren't That Important

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 21:31:55 -0700

Just kidding. Of course they're important! More like vital. Essential. Your business will close down without them.

Interestingly, I've watched companies with approaches towards sales that nearly thwart the laws of gravity.

One company hadn't had a sale in a year. Not one. How does something like that slip through management's watch?

Another company was so frustrated by the poor performance of the sales reps, that they shut the whole company down without trying to make improvements.

And yet another company went through the motions of trying to make sales, but didn't monitor the sales staff, require them to go through constant training or goal-setting, and basically wrote the sales team off as a whole.

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What Came First: The Entrepreneur Or The Idea?

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 11:07:41 -0700

Which is more likely to happen:

Situation 1. An entrepreneur wants to start a business, so they think of an idea.

Situation 2. Someone has an idea, wants to start a business, and then becomes an entrepreneur.

I've often seen innovation-oriented people taking on more and more of an entrepreneurial approach towards their work, and then stumbling onto an opportunity from there.

Perhaps the entrepreneurship trait is sort of a dormant part of the individual's personality/work style until an idea or business generates later.

I'm also curious as to the ideal timeline between the development of the idea, business or team, and entrepreneur.

In other words, is it better for an entrepreneur to start with an idea and build a business around it, or to start with a team or business that is already established and then select a new idea that could be successful because it complements the culture, skills, and chemistry of the team?

What do you think? What has been your experience?