When I first heard that Yaro Starak from Entrepreneur’s Journey was planning to sell this site, I felt like my own entrepreneurial journey was about to take another exciting and successful leap. It didn’t take long for me to decide to become the new owner of Small Business Branding.
I started my first small business when I was 20 years old selling products from a booth at the local mall. So strong was my desire to be an entrepreneur that I ran my booth while working full-time as a District Manager for PCA International. As District Manager I was responsible for 24 studio locations in BC and Alberta.
At 22 I negotiated a lease for my very first retail store in that same local mall. It was very tiny, but it did the job and my business flourished. I ran my business and continued on in my District Manager role for 2 years before quitting my job with PCA.
Within a little over a year my retail business grew to 5 locations. If that wasn’t hectic enough I had other priorities to manage as well. Like many entrepreneurs my life is multifaceted and as my business grew so did my family.
Often my husband and 2 children were off in one store while I was in another. Our weekends were unique. I spent most Saturdays in the van with the kids picking up products from wholesalers and dropping those products off at each of our 5 stores.
The biggest problem for us throughout this period was that the business was consuming our lives. I chose to be an entrepreneur for the control and the quality of life it potentially offered. We came to the conclusion that while we were able to actually exceed our financial goals, the quality of life aspect was seriously lacking. Mostly because of the time and dedication it took to run 5 locations with a husband that wanted to be there constantly.
Decisions had to be made.
Building up a business for me is a personal and professional endeavor that becomes difficult to let go. But we decided that the best choice for our family was to close out and sell our retail business.
Beyond the physical work of unloading inventory and store fixtures from some stores and selling others, was the emotional impact of this decision. It was very hard to say good-bye to loyal customers—some of whom had been coming to us for 12 years.
In May 2007, we sold our last store. We threw a party to mark the end of one entrepreneurial journey and the start of another.
Our retail business had an online component that had served us well and continues to do so. I took my considerable online business knowledge and merged it with my love for one of the fastest growing hobbies in the country—the $3 billion scrapbooking industry.
Today, my Scrap Venture brand includes information products, individual consulting and a premium membership site. In addition to the business sites, I host an enthusiasts podcast called Scrappers Talk Radio. I am living out an entrepreneurs dream having successfully turned a hobby I love into a profitable business!
There’s no question that I am driven by the whole notion of creating and building successful businesses, particularly small businesses. I discovered that I have a skill set that helped me develop a thriving offline business and that will serve me well now as an internet based business owner.
I’m thrilled to be a part of the Small Business Branding website community. We are poised to be the central resource for small businesses with big goals and a laser sharp focus on best practices in sales and marketing.
There are some exciting plans and features that will be incorporated into Smart Business Branding in the year ahead, but I’ll have to share that with you in an upcoming post!
Thank you for letting me share and I look forward to the future here at Small Business Branding.
