We're back after taking a short hiatus to finish up my presentation for the Business Builders Bootcamp and get our tax return finalized. Once again I vow to be better organized about it all next year!
My presentation for the Bootcamp class wasn't just the culmination of weeks of Friday classes, it's actually the beginning of our endeavors to improve the North Lake Business District. The august panel of business leaders in our community who listened to me gave Scott and I some wonderful advice and much to do. What was encouraging was their collective enthusiasm for our plan. It's nice to know that I'm not completely out of my tree as I push towards a stronger, more unified center of business here. When we have all our ducks lined up, I'll publish my oral presentation as a blogpost.
During the past two or so weeks, there's been quite a bit happening at the store. New items have come in, such as jewelry from local resident (and crew member) Devon Pettengill, adorable plush animals for the kids, books for young and old and some very clever wood sign & bud vase combos that are perfect for Mother's Day! The most exciting Earth Day celebration has been planned for Thursday, April 22nd, here at the store. Beginning at 2:30 p.m., noted author, radio personality and local resident Revvell Revati will be here to sign and discuss her new book, Smoothies & Smoozies for Life. Representatives from the Arroyo Food Co-op will also be here to answer any of your questions, and together, they and Revvell will impart tips and advice on Being Green From The Inside Out. They'll be here until 6:00 p.m., so make plans to join us for this informative and fun event!
Looking foward to seeing you Thursday and Scott and I wish you all a great week ahead!
Showing posts with label Business Builders Bootcamp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business Builders Bootcamp. Show all posts
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Vision Before Focus
Last month, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with a lovely woman I met through networking. Her name is Joan Rudder-Ward and she's a photographer. She writes a blog called Picture Your Success, Successful Ventures With Photography. She teaches new and established photographers how to branch out and be successful at selling their art through different venues.
She plans on publishing a book she's writing on the subject by the end of the year. She chose me to interview about how I go about buying artisan cards and what special things I look for. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion, which ended up being about much more than artist's cards. I was touched that she felt so in tune with what I spoke about, but now am verklempt as I read what she wrote about me. I have to reprint it here so you can read it, too:
"Vision Before Focus
This spotlight interview is with someone who is not a photographer, yet there are valuable lessons here for anyone wanting to start or expand a business venture.
Lori Webster is the owner of Webster’s Fine Stationers, a family business that has been serving the Altadena, California area since 1926. I interviewed Lori for my new book on how to start your own greeting card business (release set for December 09) , because she buys custom photographic greeting cards for her store. She gave very good information on the whole process of how she buys them, how to price them, the best methods of making contact, and what store owners look for in purchasing greeting cards. This information will be revealed in the book.
Though the business has been around for 83 years, Lori, with her husband Scott, have owned their store for the past two years. We had a chance to talk about the challenges they are facing with consequences of management decisions made before they took over, the effect of big box stores moving into the area, and the economy.
Lori exemplifies what it takes to successfully start and run any type of business, and I’ll relate these to starting and running a photography venture. Even though the store has been established for years, change is needed to meet the varied challenges the retail sector is facing in today’s world. Therefore, in putting a “new face” on Webster’s, it is parallel to starting a new venture.
3 vital things you must start with to have a successful photography venture
Vision
~~Lori’s vision for the store goes beyond stationery. The vision is to offer the community more lifestyle choices in what they carry, such as recycled and fair trade products, and products made locally and in the USA. They offer much more than stationery as customers can purchase products for their home and office, for their children, for school, and even for their appetites with the gourmet food selections they offer.~~
What does your ” finished product” look like? What is your vision? In other words, what goal do you have for your photography venture?
Is your goal to have a full-service boutique- style studio that caters to expectant mothers and their children? Or is it a weekend wedding business where you are booked three weekends a month? Perhaps it’s the art market where you want your images displayed in fine art stores in your city, or across the country. And then again, you may only be interested in having good images for your own personal reasons, such as documenting family history that can be passed down to generations to come.
Solidify your vision. “See” your end result from the start.
Craft a Plan
~~Lori is attending a 26-week ““Business Builders Boot Camp” where she is crafting her plan to reach her vision for the store.~~
Once you have your vision, you then need to craft your road map, your plan, to get there. This is the time to do research and gather the resources that you need. It’s a common joke that creative people don’t like taking care of the business end of things in learning the left-brain parts of launching a successful venture… like creating business plans and setting up and accounting system. You don’t necessarily have to create a full-blown business plan, but business acumen is necessary. Small Business Development Centers can be found in most cities, with business classes available for nominal fees. They also have counselors that can help guide you to beneficial resources. You can also seek the assistance of professional photographers who offer consulting services.
Work the Plan
~~Even while she’s going through the business boot camp, Lori is simultaneously working her plan, by supplying her store with products and services that match the vision she has for the store.~~
One of the challenges of being in business is the follow-through on the different aspects of a plan. Diligence and perseverance are key to fulfilling your vision. Keep moving forward and stick with it. You can do it!"
------------
Wow! I am beyond honored that Joan would think enough of me and the store to write this article and I'm so thankful that we got to meet. I only hope that someday I can return the favor, but for now a simple thank you will have to suffice. I also want to thank you, Joan, for the prayers - I appreciate them more than you know.
Links to the story and to Joan's blog are below on my blogroll.
She plans on publishing a book she's writing on the subject by the end of the year. She chose me to interview about how I go about buying artisan cards and what special things I look for. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion, which ended up being about much more than artist's cards. I was touched that she felt so in tune with what I spoke about, but now am verklempt as I read what she wrote about me. I have to reprint it here so you can read it, too:
"Vision Before Focus
This spotlight interview is with someone who is not a photographer, yet there are valuable lessons here for anyone wanting to start or expand a business venture.
Lori Webster is the owner of Webster’s Fine Stationers, a family business that has been serving the Altadena, California area since 1926. I interviewed Lori for my new book on how to start your own greeting card business (release set for December 09) , because she buys custom photographic greeting cards for her store. She gave very good information on the whole process of how she buys them, how to price them, the best methods of making contact, and what store owners look for in purchasing greeting cards. This information will be revealed in the book.
Though the business has been around for 83 years, Lori, with her husband Scott, have owned their store for the past two years. We had a chance to talk about the challenges they are facing with consequences of management decisions made before they took over, the effect of big box stores moving into the area, and the economy.
Lori exemplifies what it takes to successfully start and run any type of business, and I’ll relate these to starting and running a photography venture. Even though the store has been established for years, change is needed to meet the varied challenges the retail sector is facing in today’s world. Therefore, in putting a “new face” on Webster’s, it is parallel to starting a new venture.
3 vital things you must start with to have a successful photography venture
Vision
~~Lori’s vision for the store goes beyond stationery. The vision is to offer the community more lifestyle choices in what they carry, such as recycled and fair trade products, and products made locally and in the USA. They offer much more than stationery as customers can purchase products for their home and office, for their children, for school, and even for their appetites with the gourmet food selections they offer.~~
What does your ” finished product” look like? What is your vision? In other words, what goal do you have for your photography venture?
Is your goal to have a full-service boutique- style studio that caters to expectant mothers and their children? Or is it a weekend wedding business where you are booked three weekends a month? Perhaps it’s the art market where you want your images displayed in fine art stores in your city, or across the country. And then again, you may only be interested in having good images for your own personal reasons, such as documenting family history that can be passed down to generations to come.
Solidify your vision. “See” your end result from the start.
Craft a Plan
~~Lori is attending a 26-week ““Business Builders Boot Camp” where she is crafting her plan to reach her vision for the store.~~
Once you have your vision, you then need to craft your road map, your plan, to get there. This is the time to do research and gather the resources that you need. It’s a common joke that creative people don’t like taking care of the business end of things in learning the left-brain parts of launching a successful venture… like creating business plans and setting up and accounting system. You don’t necessarily have to create a full-blown business plan, but business acumen is necessary. Small Business Development Centers can be found in most cities, with business classes available for nominal fees. They also have counselors that can help guide you to beneficial resources. You can also seek the assistance of professional photographers who offer consulting services.
Work the Plan
~~Even while she’s going through the business boot camp, Lori is simultaneously working her plan, by supplying her store with products and services that match the vision she has for the store.~~
One of the challenges of being in business is the follow-through on the different aspects of a plan. Diligence and perseverance are key to fulfilling your vision. Keep moving forward and stick with it. You can do it!"
------------
Wow! I am beyond honored that Joan would think enough of me and the store to write this article and I'm so thankful that we got to meet. I only hope that someday I can return the favor, but for now a simple thank you will have to suffice. I also want to thank you, Joan, for the prayers - I appreciate them more than you know.
Links to the story and to Joan's blog are below on my blogroll.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Tempus Fugit
Hey,
Don't write yourself off yet.
It's only in your head you feel left out,
Or looked down on.
Just try your best,
Try everything you can.
And don't you worry what they tell themselves
When you're away.
It just takes some time,
little girl, you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything, everything will be just fine,
Everything, everything will be alright.
Hey,
You know they're all the same.
You know you're doing better on your own,
So don't buy in.
Live right now.
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough
For someone else.
Hey, don't write yourself off yet.
It's only in your head you feel left out,
Or looked down on.
Just do your best,
Do everything you can.
And don't you worry what their bitter hearts
Are gonna say.
------Jimmy Eats World
"The Middle"
Wow! Two weeks has flown by almost without my knowing it! Time's like that sometimes....you blink and it's gone. My friend, Debi Swanson-Patrick, mentioned that she hadn't seen any posts from me in a while and I thought, "really? I haven't?" I swear it seems like just the other day that I had.
When I last posted, Michelle, our manager, had found a more secure job elsewhere and left us on Oct. 2nd. Thanks to all the wonderful people who wished her farewell, I'm sure she'll miss you! Since then it's been a whirlwind of training - not just Leilana, who has been promoted to manager (yay, Leilana!), but our two new crew members, Trish and Devon. We've also been busy planning our Haute Halloween Night on Saturday, October 31st. The whole crew is involved in planning this event, so I'm confident that we'll all have a frighteningly fun time! I'll be posting more information about it mid-week, and keep your eye out for updates after that.
Yesterday was my 3rd class at the Business Builder's Boot Camp at the Women's City Club in Pasadena. I'm still awed by the talent of the women who are teaching and attending this class with me! They're all fascinating and I'm learning so much, not just in the class but by being in the company of such powerful women. It's an empowering thing to be bouncing ideas off of and having meaningful, intelligent discussions with this part of the area's top movers and shakers....for that's what we are, no doubt about it.
What we're learning is how to build a business phase by phase. By research, data, life experience and intuition, it is possible to fashion a successful business and by hard work, perseverance and sheer determination it is possible to keep that successful business going. Having the talent needed doesn't hurt, either. We're finding out, each of us, how we're going to craft that business and if the resident population in our areas will support it. Personally speaking, I want to be able to write a business plan that will take us where we'd like to be and also help guide us into the future. I'd like to grow that plan to encompass the North Lake Business District and its merchants. Cooperative advertising, cross promotion and building community are things that we should be doing all the time - I'd like to help us get there. Promoting a healthy business environment, nurturing it and keeping it thriving are key elements to a successful Altadena.
So while I'm busy learning how to improve this part of my world, please feel free to drop in, have a cuppa, a cookie and a looksee around the store. New things coming in for the holidays, which are almost directly upon us. Escape for awhile, indulge and allow yourself a small luxury or two. Enjoy the experience and if you do, please let us know. You can leave messages on this blog, you can contact me via email at lorinscott_1@msn.com or you can leave a suggestion in our suggestion pumpkin on the coffee table at the store. You can even write comments in our guestbook! I suggest you check out our website, too....it's informative, user-friendly, and best of all, chock full of wonderful things, some available on-line!
Don't write yourself off yet.
It's only in your head you feel left out,
Or looked down on.
Just try your best,
Try everything you can.
And don't you worry what they tell themselves
When you're away.
It just takes some time,
little girl, you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything, everything will be just fine,
Everything, everything will be alright.
Hey,
You know they're all the same.
You know you're doing better on your own,
So don't buy in.
Live right now.
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough
For someone else.
Hey, don't write yourself off yet.
It's only in your head you feel left out,
Or looked down on.
Just do your best,
Do everything you can.
And don't you worry what their bitter hearts
Are gonna say.
------Jimmy Eats World
"The Middle"
Wow! Two weeks has flown by almost without my knowing it! Time's like that sometimes....you blink and it's gone. My friend, Debi Swanson-Patrick, mentioned that she hadn't seen any posts from me in a while and I thought, "really? I haven't?" I swear it seems like just the other day that I had.
When I last posted, Michelle, our manager, had found a more secure job elsewhere and left us on Oct. 2nd. Thanks to all the wonderful people who wished her farewell, I'm sure she'll miss you! Since then it's been a whirlwind of training - not just Leilana, who has been promoted to manager (yay, Leilana!), but our two new crew members, Trish and Devon. We've also been busy planning our Haute Halloween Night on Saturday, October 31st. The whole crew is involved in planning this event, so I'm confident that we'll all have a frighteningly fun time! I'll be posting more information about it mid-week, and keep your eye out for updates after that.
Yesterday was my 3rd class at the Business Builder's Boot Camp at the Women's City Club in Pasadena. I'm still awed by the talent of the women who are teaching and attending this class with me! They're all fascinating and I'm learning so much, not just in the class but by being in the company of such powerful women. It's an empowering thing to be bouncing ideas off of and having meaningful, intelligent discussions with this part of the area's top movers and shakers....for that's what we are, no doubt about it.
What we're learning is how to build a business phase by phase. By research, data, life experience and intuition, it is possible to fashion a successful business and by hard work, perseverance and sheer determination it is possible to keep that successful business going. Having the talent needed doesn't hurt, either. We're finding out, each of us, how we're going to craft that business and if the resident population in our areas will support it. Personally speaking, I want to be able to write a business plan that will take us where we'd like to be and also help guide us into the future. I'd like to grow that plan to encompass the North Lake Business District and its merchants. Cooperative advertising, cross promotion and building community are things that we should be doing all the time - I'd like to help us get there. Promoting a healthy business environment, nurturing it and keeping it thriving are key elements to a successful Altadena.
So while I'm busy learning how to improve this part of my world, please feel free to drop in, have a cuppa, a cookie and a looksee around the store. New things coming in for the holidays, which are almost directly upon us. Escape for awhile, indulge and allow yourself a small luxury or two. Enjoy the experience and if you do, please let us know. You can leave messages on this blog, you can contact me via email at lorinscott_1@msn.com or you can leave a suggestion in our suggestion pumpkin on the coffee table at the store. You can even write comments in our guestbook! I suggest you check out our website, too....it's informative, user-friendly, and best of all, chock full of wonderful things, some available on-line!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
The Learning Curve at Webster's Fine Stationers
I’m embarking on an adventure. Today I started a 26-week course given by the Women’s City Club of Pasadena called “Business Builders Boot Camp”. The brainchild of Lilli Cloud, Donna Chaney and Jennifer Hamilton, this course will help me formulate a sound business plan for our store. I was blown away with the absolute awesomeness of the women attending along with me, and I feel that this is without doubt one of the most positive things I’ve done for our store so far. I need to learn more about how to steer our business toward the goals we set upon taking ownership of it. I want to learn how to maintain those goals and add to them and how to grow after realizing those goals. I can’t wait to soak in the knowledge and expertise all these wonderful women are offering and I’m so thankful that I happened to be invited into the group. I’m one lucky gal to have such fabulous friends and to have the chance to make more!
In class I spoke of our store and the history of Webster’s. We were identifying what the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are for our businesses and I volunteered to be the class example. It was an exciting discussion and I actually learned so much from listening to my classmates’ comments. Hands down, the top ranked strength for us was our name recognition. We discussed what a powerful tool name recognition is, then we talked about what can happen to that name recognition if it’s not given the proper care and attention it deserves. In other words, the store’s weakness is its lack of follow-through.
What Webster’s has become is a perfect example of what happens when you become complacent. Paraphrasing Petrea Bruchard in her article about us in her blog, Pasadena Daily Photo, Webster’s sat up on that hill and never really had to do much to attract shoppers. We were the only game in town and it was exciting at the time to have a nice place to shop in the neighborhood. We were the town’s hub and it was good. But local shopping fell out of favor. New and more exciting big box stores opened nearby and then warehouse stores came along. Things were less expensive at these places, you could get similar items for less, so business for Webster’s began fall off. The shopping demographic changed and we didn’t change with it, or we didn’t change in the right direction. With the years of neglect came apathy and denial, lackluster service and a general feeling of malaise that could be felt by customers. I noticed it when I took a full time job in the business office there in 1995 and I’ve talked with many people who’ve noticed the same thing throughout the years.
With Bill Webster’s retirement and the splitting up of the stores two years ago, our store began communicating with the public. We became very active on social media sites and have worked diligently to improve our visibility and reinforce our brand. Scott and I have made so many new friends and reinforced old friendships that we’re very thankful for. Many of these friends have offered advice, most of which we’ve taken to heart. But one piece of advice leaves us a bit flummoxed. Move on, they say, after learning about our trials with the Webster’s Corp…..find another storefront to rent where you’ll be more successful and get out before you go down with them. We’ve heard it from several different sources recently, especially now with the advent of Karen’s Hallmark‘s demise. I get where these friends are coming from, I truly do. But Scott and I just can’t reconcile moving the business away from Webster’s. What would happen to the main store if we did that? Where would that leave them? And more importantly, what would that say about our integrity?
Integrity is vitally important to Scott and I personally and it’s vitally important to us as a store. If we don’t follow through with what we’ve promised, then what are we? Integrity is also important to us in relationship to our family, reciprocated or not. If not for Webster’s, there would be no Webster’s Fine Stationers, and for that opportunity alone we’re more grateful than we can say.
Two years ago, we envisioned a small complex of stores working together to make a healthy whole and unfortunately, that didn’t happen. We’re now experiencing the closure of the Hallmark store, which will of course affect us all, and not in a good way. It will negatively affect the store on so many different levels, it’s staggering. Hopefully, though, this will become the catalyst for the two remaining stores to work together closely, and most of all, to learn from this experience. Scott and I remain hopeful because we believe in our store. We believe we can offer the community many benefits, which we’ve discussed in prior posts. We remain hopeful that with our help, Webster’s will remain in the community, but remember that we’ll need your help, too. Remember to shop local and please remember that Webster’s stands for Altadena.
In class I spoke of our store and the history of Webster’s. We were identifying what the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are for our businesses and I volunteered to be the class example. It was an exciting discussion and I actually learned so much from listening to my classmates’ comments. Hands down, the top ranked strength for us was our name recognition. We discussed what a powerful tool name recognition is, then we talked about what can happen to that name recognition if it’s not given the proper care and attention it deserves. In other words, the store’s weakness is its lack of follow-through.
What Webster’s has become is a perfect example of what happens when you become complacent. Paraphrasing Petrea Bruchard in her article about us in her blog, Pasadena Daily Photo, Webster’s sat up on that hill and never really had to do much to attract shoppers. We were the only game in town and it was exciting at the time to have a nice place to shop in the neighborhood. We were the town’s hub and it was good. But local shopping fell out of favor. New and more exciting big box stores opened nearby and then warehouse stores came along. Things were less expensive at these places, you could get similar items for less, so business for Webster’s began fall off. The shopping demographic changed and we didn’t change with it, or we didn’t change in the right direction. With the years of neglect came apathy and denial, lackluster service and a general feeling of malaise that could be felt by customers. I noticed it when I took a full time job in the business office there in 1995 and I’ve talked with many people who’ve noticed the same thing throughout the years.
With Bill Webster’s retirement and the splitting up of the stores two years ago, our store began communicating with the public. We became very active on social media sites and have worked diligently to improve our visibility and reinforce our brand. Scott and I have made so many new friends and reinforced old friendships that we’re very thankful for. Many of these friends have offered advice, most of which we’ve taken to heart. But one piece of advice leaves us a bit flummoxed. Move on, they say, after learning about our trials with the Webster’s Corp…..find another storefront to rent where you’ll be more successful and get out before you go down with them. We’ve heard it from several different sources recently, especially now with the advent of Karen’s Hallmark‘s demise. I get where these friends are coming from, I truly do. But Scott and I just can’t reconcile moving the business away from Webster’s. What would happen to the main store if we did that? Where would that leave them? And more importantly, what would that say about our integrity?
Integrity is vitally important to Scott and I personally and it’s vitally important to us as a store. If we don’t follow through with what we’ve promised, then what are we? Integrity is also important to us in relationship to our family, reciprocated or not. If not for Webster’s, there would be no Webster’s Fine Stationers, and for that opportunity alone we’re more grateful than we can say.
Two years ago, we envisioned a small complex of stores working together to make a healthy whole and unfortunately, that didn’t happen. We’re now experiencing the closure of the Hallmark store, which will of course affect us all, and not in a good way. It will negatively affect the store on so many different levels, it’s staggering. Hopefully, though, this will become the catalyst for the two remaining stores to work together closely, and most of all, to learn from this experience. Scott and I remain hopeful because we believe in our store. We believe we can offer the community many benefits, which we’ve discussed in prior posts. We remain hopeful that with our help, Webster’s will remain in the community, but remember that we’ll need your help, too. Remember to shop local and please remember that Webster’s stands for Altadena.
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