Designing Woman Dyslexia couldn't keep this award-winning entrepreneur from multimillion-dollar success.
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You could say this year's winner of the OfficeDepot/Entrepreneur Magazine Entrepreneurial Woman of theYear award had designs on success as far back as 1979. That'swhen Terri Bowersock borrowed $2,000 from her grandmother, leased asmall building, and filled it with "gently used"furniture--her own and her mother's. No sacrifice was too greatas Bowersock launched Mesa, Arizona-based Terri's Consign &Design Furnishings, the little consignment shop that has grown intoa franchised chain of 12 superstores in five states and boastsannual sales of $15 million.
A star entrepreneur in the making, Bowersock set out to create abusiness of her own straight out of high school. Her motivation wassimple: She was incapable of filling out a job application to workfor someone else. As a result of the dyslexia she'd sufferedfrom since childhood, any position requiring strong reading andwriting skills was out of the question. So she drew on the well ofdetermination that got her through school and allowed herself todream big. "Sometimes our disabilities give us ourdrive," says Bowersock, 42.
Her vision of a consignment-only store was rare in those days,but Bowersock was used to swimming upstream. She credits one ofEntrepreneur magazine's business start-up guides withsteering her in the right direction. "The guide was writtensimply. It really helped me for the first few years,"remembers Bowersock, who paid close attention to the list of commonreasons businesses fail. Avoiding the traditional consignmentadvertising in the classifieds, which she saw as inefficient,Bowersock launched a TV advertising campaign to educate viewers onthe joys of low-priced, upscale consignment furnishings. Hercreative approach worked, and the business took off.
Fashioning Success
But Bowersock was just getting started. Distinguishing herselfin the area of corporate culture was next on her lofty agenda, andshe sums up her strategy this way: "You've got to visitthe village to be the king." Loosely translated? "I talkto my employees," she says. "I don't analyze theirjobs on paper--I get out there with them so I know whatworks."
If overcoming obstacles is the hallmark of a true entrepreneur,savvy financial management is the skill that distinguishessuccessful women business owners. "I paid back mygrandmother's $2,000 and built Terri's to $15 millionwithout any loans," says Bowersock. Completely debt-free,Bowersock began franchising three years ago; she's nowpreparing to take her company public. "There are key employeeswho've worked as hard as I've worked," she says."Going public allows them to share in [the financialrewards]."
Bowersock makes time in her busy schedule to give back to thecommunity through Habitat for Humanity and other serviceorganizations. The 1998 Entrepreneurial Woman of the Year is alsoan outspoken advocate for empowering women in business, and shepractices what she preaches. In a male-dominated industry, 80percent of Bowersock's corporate and store-level managers arewomen. In motivational speeches across the country, Bowersockcounsels other women: "Don't have one store--have achain," she says. "And don't let anyone tell you youcan't."
A favorite story she tells on the speaking circuit is the jokeabout British children on a playground a few years ago preparing toplay "prime minister." A boy speaks up and says, "Iget to be the prime minister," to which his friend replies,"But you can't. The prime minister is a woman."
Contact Source
Terri's Consign & Design Furnishings, 1826 W.Broadway Rd., #3, Mesa, AZ 85202, (602) 969-1121
