Starting a Small Business? What Set's YOU Apart?
Tammy Haggerty
Community Leader Committed to Mentoring Small Businesses | Founder at Jacob Matthew Jewelers
Have you ever had that burning desire that you wanted to do more, or that you have just felt like you could do more? That was me five years ago when I opened my jewelry store.? I had been wanting to open my store forever, but it was never the right time.? The kids were too young, I couldn't dedicate myself to it, and I didn't have enough money at the time. These are all challenges that you have to overcome.?
How do you even start a business?? How do you even buy the product to get to your store? How do you even pick a building?? These are all these things that you have to think about. I decided five years ago, when I turned 50, that it was now or never, and I went for it.? I got an SBA loan, mortgaged my house, told my husband not to worry and assured him we wouldn’t go bankrupt.? That is what I did, because I believed in myself.
There were three things that were important to me when I opened my store. First and foremost was a way to give back to the community. A certain percentage of my business is always donated back into the community. I've done that with over 50 different charitable organizations.?
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Number two was to take care of my staff.? As an employee myself of so many different other jewelry stores and companies, I felt we weren’t treated good enough. So, my staff gets full benefits. I pay 100% and they get a 401k that I match. They also get paid vacation for three weeks. They get all these different benefits, because I believe work life balance is important and if they're happy, they're going to make you happy.?
And number three was to do better for you. How many times have you gone into a store and you have thought that they are so pushy and all they cared about was how much you spent, or they didn't care after you walked out and you had a problem??
That is not going to happen in my store. We are not pushy, and I will always take care of you. If I? can't help you, I'll tell you where you can go to get the help and the service that you need.?
Tell me about a time when you felt you wanted to do better.