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Lessons Learned From This Small Business Growth Story

May 26, 2014

It’s not just New Yorkers that are crazed about bagels. Turns out, Oregonians are also very into their bagels and they let their top vendors know it. Recently, we had a chance to speak with the owner of Spielman Bagels to learn more about the company and its substantial growth over the past year.

Spielman Bagels is based out of Portland, Oregon. However, their story begins in a suburban town called Hillsboro, where the company was based out of for 17 years. It was not until December 2011, that the owner, Rick Spielman, decided to move to a small 720 square foot space on SE Division Street in Portland, Oregon, with sights on the big city foot traffic. At the time, coffee was the core product and the goal was only to make a dozen bagels a day.

When they first moved to Portland, Kettleman’s was the major bagel shop in the area. They were producing over 12,000 bagels a day or a thousand times as many as Spielman Bagels. However, that didn’t last. The Einstein bagel chain stepped in and purchased Kettleman’s and changed their prized recipe. That ended up being a big mistake as customer demand dropped significantly. The result was that bagel lovers in the area and the local Press began looking for the, “best new bagel shop.” Soon, Spielman’s became the go to bagel shop in town. They received an explosion of interest and the business soon expanded from producing 12 bagels a day to now 500 bagels per day.  (more…)

Trademark Disputes: Now Playing At Your Local Redbox

May 23, 2014

If you’ve ever rented a movie from Redbox, you have likely seen some choices that bear a suspicious resemblance to films currently playing in theaters. For example, last holiday season, many Redbox kiosks offered a movie called “Age of the Hobbits” at the same time Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” was in theaters.

These movies are called “mockbusters.” They’re usually shot very quickly on a shoestring budget and titled in a way that calls to mind other movies, for example “Abraham Lincoln vs. Vampires” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.” The studios behind them allege they’re legitimate and original works of cinema, but critics complain they’re meant to trick customers into thinking they’re renting a mainstream movie.

Until recently, major movie studios did not take much legal action against mockbusters because it simply wasn’t worth the time and expense. That all might be changing, though.

Recently, Disney filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against a movie studio called Phase 4 films. Phase 4 had released a movie called “Frozen Land” and Disney felt like its title and marketing were too close to the title and marketing for its holiday hit “Frozen.” Disney alleged that Phase 4’s film was originally called “The Legend of Sarila,” and that months before it was released (at the same time as “Frozen,”) Phase 4 re-titled it and re-did the marketing to mimic that of “Frozen.”  (more…)

Minnesota SBDC Helps Small Businesses Think Big

May 21, 2014

Since 1951, the Wrazidlo family has been providing the Twin Ports area of Duluth MN, Superior WI, and surrounding communities with quality meats. Wrazidlo’s Old World Meats continues a tradition that started with Paul Wrazidlo’s grandfather, Frank Wrazidlo, when he opened Frank’s Quality Meats in Duluth, MN. Today, Old World Meats continues to grow and provide quality products made with the same meat recipes and techniques handed down through the generations.

Paul Wrazidlo first came to the Center for Economic Development (CED), Northeast Minnesota’s Small Business Development Center, to participate in the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) Student to Business Initiative (SBI) Marketing program in fall 2012. UMD students provided him with an integrated communications and marketing plan that really impressed him.

“The marketing program was the boost we needed,” Paul said, “we have used 99% of their proposed marketing suggestions and today when I walk through the door of a prospective customer I think ’People Buy What I Believe.’ The students stressed this to me in their presentation.”  (more…)

How to Turn Your Social Media Presence Into Profit

May 20, 2014

You likely already know that to be a successful small business marketer, you need to be where your customers are online—social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn; online review and ratings sites like Yelp; and in the inbox with email marketing.

Yet even if you have an active Facebook page, a growing Twitter following, a healthy amount of email subscribers, and good reviews on Yelp, it may not necessarily translate into customers (and profit) for your business. If all of those “Likes,” re-tweets and comments aren’t generating new business, here are three questions to ask yourself:

Are your messages focused?

You may offer a lot of products and services but if you focus on your differentiators, you’ll be able to demonstrate your expertise and dominate a market segment.

For example, a retailer specializing in high-end kitchen gadgets can show customers how to use the latest tools, offer cooking classes, and write about topics such as “what to look for when buying carving knives.” These actions will draw in customers looking for specific kitchen tools and while they’re shopping, they’ll discover other products offered by the retailer.  (more…)

How Can You Expand Your Business Through Financing?

May 19, 2014 1 Comment

There are about 8 million small businesses in the US that have employees; meaning they are not independent contractors. Some of these businesses don’t seek financing because they don’t believe they need it. However, a large majority of these firms may very well need debt financing at some point in their lifecycle to expand their businesses.

Not accessing expansion-oriented capital could mean a missed opportunity to gain on their competition. More nimble business owners seize on that opportunity like Utica, New York based auto-collision and repair shop, Whitesboro Frame & Body. I had a chance to speak with Bill Chromczak, the President of the company, to learn how financing has expanded his business.

Can you provide some background on your business?
Our company, Whitesboro Frame & Body, is based out of Utica, New York and we service the local community here. We are an auto-collision and repair shop.  (more…)