Amy Chase: Hi I’m Amy Chase and welcome to the 2007 SBA Awards Ceremony here in Saint Louis. Joining me right now is Jane Townsend; she is the owner and designer of Embroidery Town in Missouri. Thanks for joining me. Tell me a little bit about what you do and what you specialize in.
Jane Townsend: Well, I don’t really have an exact specialty. I will do anything for my handkerchief to a golf bag. I have some corporate clients. I do a lot of small jobs for people that want gifts for weddings, babies and on. Just sort of special occasions. I get ideas from my customers actually so it’s better to have them.
Amy Chase: As the people are looking maybe some customized, whatever, you know material that they have and maybe is monograms a large part of what you do?
Jane Townsend: I would say not exactly monograms. I have people coming to me. There’s such a wide, wide range. I do monogram its just I do it for business. I have people come to me they are taking a trip like they’re two or three married couples that are going on a trip and they have a little logo that they want on t-shirts so they all match. You know. So they like that a lot.
Amy Chase: So some people like to personalize. Okay, great. And how did you decided you wanted to start this business of assuming that this is a hobby of yours before you started in to the business?
Jane Townsend: No it was not. I didn’t know how to sew and I did have computer experience then this is done with a computer floppy disk, the embroider machine but the reason the business is born was I wanted a better quality life with my mother. She have been in the nursing home for about two and a half years and I just pulled her out of there. So I kind of stumbled on and the lady hand her business advertisements. Newspaper, and went and talked tried to—tried negotiations which did not worked out and I just said, “Well, I don’t need to buy you the little and existing business. I can do this myself.” And in the means, I have been researching on the internet what the industry is about. What kind of opportunities were out there and I thought “I can do this.” So, it’s how it started.
Amy Chase: Well, that’s great. Is the home-based business you mentioned that in some ways that’s gives you more flexibility. But I expect there also some challenges?
Jane Townsend: Yeah. I think maybe home- based businesses still are not quite respected as business at— We are working on that. I think it’s going in the right direction. What is the biggest challenge that life counts is that the idea is you. So I came from a corporate environment there. I was in a large office with many other people and initially it was quite kind of walk with it. It means that there’s social contact too. That’s the challenge. You have to make sure that you’re networking with other people and as you're giving out, out of your home so that you can.
Amy Chase: And what do you like about events like these where you got a chance to meet other entrepreneurs and meet other people?
Jane Townsend: Well, that’s why I like it because you do get to meet that exact—other small business people and you can exchange ideas with each other to learn things just walking through the display booth I picked up some brochures and then it gives me an opportunity to hand out my business card as well. So, hopefully it will work both ways.
Amy Chase: Great, Jane Townsend. Thanks for joining us she is President and Designer of the Embroidery Town. Thanks for joining us and sharing your expertise and stay tuned to SBTV.com where small business is our only business.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services