An Interview with Scrapbook Entrepreneur Caroline Meisel of my-memories.net
Three years ago, my publisher shared good news with me. "An online merchant in Tennessee wants to carry your books." A few months later at an industry trade show, a small cyclone of energy buzzed by our booth to say, "Hi." Her name was Caroline Meisel, owner of My-Memories (www.my-memories.net).
Fast track forward one year: I'm leaving for England, and I get an e-mail from Caroline explaining that she is moving to St. Louis. I share with her that I LOVE where I live and...
Today: Caroline lives within walking distance of my home. My son helps her with her business on occasion, and I have a great pal in the industry with oodles of neat products arriving at her home office every day.
Isn't this a scrapbooking fairytale?
Not really. There isn't a fairy godmother or a magic broom. Caroline works like a crazy person. She agonizes over her products and how best to serve customers. The good news is that an online scrapbook merchant lives nearby. The bad news is that I now see how hard it is to run a top-tier online business.
Caroline began her business 5 years ago when she spotted a void in the market. "The industry needed good, dependable and trustworthy scrapbook suppliers," Caroline says. She hasn't changed her mission statement since. I've seen her pack up merchandise from suppliers and return it when it hasn't met her standards--even if she has pending orders.
She moved her business to the internet three years ago, but it wasn't a simple or straightforward transition. Caroline says, "I didn't know anything about the internet! I'm still trying to learn as I go. It grew a lot faster than I ever imagined I would. I ran into all the stumbling blocks of growing a small business-complications with hired help, taxes, time commitment and inventory control."
The biggest surprise to scrapbookers would probably be her hours.
On a typical day, she will get up and get on the computer and not quit until about 14 hours later. She spends her day processing orders, receiving inbound packages, answering emails, working on the website, placing orders, doing the bookkeeping and meeting a variety of deadlines including catching up with the mail truck. In fact, Caroline has mail delivery to a science between all her carrier services. You don't want to be on the same road with her at 4:45pm as she zips out to her "rendezvous" with the mail truck at the side of a busy street in Chesterfield. One afternoon I volunteered to drop off her packages because I was going that way. The mailman cheerfully said, "Where's Caroline?" and I explained that I was a stand-in and away he went with the goods.
Because Caroline's business is home-based, outsiders often have a misconception about her investment. The bottom floor of her large home is chock full of scrapbooking wares. The rooms are covered with shelves, pegboard, and drawers, all filled with the latest scrapbooking and craft supplies. There's definitely an overhead and a hefty investment.
And yet, she loves it. As she explains, "I love being able to provide a much needed service with dependable, ethical service and bringing quality scrapbooking products to people all around the world." By the same token, she hates the paperwork and admits her hours are ridiculous. Going on vacation is nearly impossible because her business never shuts its metaphorical door.
"People think it's all fun and games and equivalent to a big scrapbook party!" she says. "Most people think this is the perfect job for someone who has limitations (young children at home, a handicap, lack of funds, etc.), while in reality, it's more demanding than any other job would ever be. It's very physically demanding as well, with all the hauling of boxes, loading and unloading of merchandise. And this is a very hard business to get into. The demands are tough, and the competition is even tougher. New stores are opening up every day! You can't have a successful business just on the love of scrapbooking alone. You HAVE to know a lot about business too."
Even when you seem to do everything right, you never know what will happen. Being in customer service and working directly with the consumer, "situations" always arise. " Each customer is different and comes to me with different backgrounds," Caroline says. "I can tell when a customer has had bad service from other retailers. They'll be so shocked when they receive their order within a few days, or receive a personal phone call when there is a question on their order." With customer service given such high priority, she's made a solid reputation for herself with scrappers all around the world. To get the best service, she has some recommendations for customers:
- Don't assume anything. Always read through a retailer's return/shipping/ordering/FAQ policies before ordering.
- If you have any questions, always feel free to contact the retailer before placing an order.
- The best way to contact an online retailer is via email (online retailers can answer your questions around the clock and eliminate phone tag!).
- Be considerate by following through with payment as quickly as possible. Respect the retailer's time-processing orders costs time and money.
- Feel free to give the retailer feedback. We love to hear from you. Tell us if you're looking for something new, if you liked your service or products, if you see room for improvement, if you have suggestions, etc. Most of us don't have R&D departments, so our best link is our customers! Our goal is to serve you and build a lasting relationship with you!
So you think you want to be the next Caroline Meisel? Here's her advice to perspective business owners:
- Be sure that you treat this as a business, and not as a hobby.
- Make sure you're opening a business for the right reasons.
- Realize that a business is a huge time and financial commitment, and be ready for big life changes. You receive a paycheck when you start a job, but you receive invoices and bills when you start a business. Profit will come "later".
- Be aware that competition for brick & mortar stores is tough, and even tougher for online stores.
- Be ethical and do the right thing!
- Have high expectations for yourself and your employees.
- Make decisions based on the long-term benefits, rather than the short-term gain.
- Keep your word and your promises. Mean what you say, and follow through in a timely manner.
- Focus and aspire to be the best!
After all, that focus on providing top-caliber service is why Caroline went into business-AND why she's so successful today.
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