With her four restaurants affected by the shaky economy,
Jennifer Sarver, 32, founder of the $3 million San Francisco Soup
Co., got creative. "I resolved to diversify our business [in
2003] and start selling our soups wholesale," says Sarver. To
do so, her company's central kitchen first had to become a
USDA-inspected facility. "We then had to develop packaging
processes for selling wholesale and invest in new equipment,"
explains Sarver. She also found a distributor who delivered to
independent grocery stores in the Bay area.
Diversifying her business became her primary focus for the next
eight months. "Even though we were making our soups in larger
batches, it was our goal to produce the same quality product. In
the beginning, however, we had consistency problems," Sarver
recalls. "The soups were too thick or too thin."
Learning to fine-tune equipment and train new staff helped with
consistency, but not before Sarver donated hundreds of gallons of
chicken noodle soup with broken noodles to the local food bank.
Ultimately, Sarver's resolution did earn extra revenue,
offsetting the slowdown in her restaurants.
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Dian Griesel's resolution was to pay off debt-$240,000 on
her line of credit, which covered payroll when her business
decreased in 2002. "My associate was spending more than we
were making, and I didn't want to lay anyone off. I believed I
could turn things around somehow," says Griesel, 42, president
of New York City-based The
Investor Relations Group Inc., a $3 million corporate and
financial PR and marketing firm.
Her resolution plan included getting rid of the associate and
going back to basics-selling services based on the merits of her
work and not face-to-face meetings with high travel expenses. She
also revisited old business leads and stopped taking a salary.
"Try something
every single day that moves your business one inch closer to where
you want it to be."
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"I wasn't always able to pay back the amount I had in
my mind each month," Griesel admits. "I had hoped to be
out of debt by June 2003, but something always came up." What
came up that year included moving offices and signing a new lease,
upgrading phone systems, buying more computers and purchasing more
software licenses. But she did it! Despite those challenges, her
debt was paid off by the end of the year.
For Ceslie Armstrong, 42, editor-in-chief and founder of
Grace
Woman, a magazine for "real-size women," her
business resolution is going strong. "We made the decision not
to accept weight-loss and tobacco advertising in the
magazine," says Armstrong, even putting out a press release
explaining her magazine's stance.
But her resolution didn't come without challenges. Recounts
Armstrong, "For our first issue, we received an ad of a young
woman-probably about 16-in a bikini on the beach. I explained to
the ad agency that the image would be a major disconnect with our
readers, and unless they had an alternative, it would be better to
cancel the ad." Armstrong's conviction paid off-the
advertiser sent a different ad. Armstrong continues to reject ads
if the photographs aren't age-appropriate for her readers, who
are in their 40s.
What can help other business owners make their business
resolutions a reality? Says Armstrong, "Be proactive in
communicating the reasoning to your staff, your investors and the
consumer."
Advises Sarver, "Expect unforeseen obstacles, and be ready
to tackle problems as they arise. Don't shy away from the
challenges."
Griesel's advice? "Be realistic and confident. Try
something every single day that moves your business one inch closer
to where you want it to be. All the sweat really does pay off if
you single-mindedly believe it."
Aliza Pilar Sherman (www.mediaegg.com) is an author, freelance
writer and speaker specializing in women's issues.