BUSINESS? What does it taketo run a BARBIE GRAHAM By Juliana Goodwin
We thought we’d ask female entrepreneurs in this community. Women- owned businesses are a growing segment of the American economy. According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, nationwide, more than 9.4 million firms are owned by women, employing nearly 7.9 million people, and generating $1.5 trillion in sales. So, what do these ladies wish they had known before they started? Where do they find inspiration? What challenges have they faced? We asked some of the area’s female entrepreneurs to share some tips and advice to other women who may be considering breaking out on their own. Almost everyone echoed a similar sentiment: Make sure you have a strong support system before you start, because you will need it. Here is what else they had to say:
Barbie Graham owns Kent Chevrolet Cadillac in Mountain Home, and is one of the only female-owned dealerships in Arkansas.
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Her father Kent ran the dealership and when Graham’s husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, she shifted careers and bought the family business 23 years ago. This gutsy woman was raised to believe she could do anything. “I never felt like I had any challenges because I was a female. I have a strong personality so I’m not easily intimidated. I never made it an issue,” she said. She didn’t feel discriminated against at the corporate or state level. “The problem was more with male customers who would come in and whatever the issue would be they would want to speak to the owner. I would say ‘That is me.’ They would say ‘I want the owner,’ well ‘That is me. ‘They’d say again ‘I want to speak to the person in charge.’ ‘That is me. You can’t get any higher than me,’” she said.
But it taught her two lessons: one, not to get bent out of shape about the small stuff. And two, listen patiently when a customer is angry. “I’m in the people business. When a customer comes in here and they are screaming and hollering about their car, you don’t know what else is wrong. Sometimes the car is just the camel’s back. People carry around things you don’t know anything about and you should always smile and be gracious,” Graham said. Running a dealership has been a tremendous amount of work, but she appreciates the opportunity. “I am grateful for what I have had all my life and what I have today,” she said.
LINDA PORTING
Linda Porting opened Shampooch in 2004, a dog grooming service in Mountain Home. She was inspired to start her own business when he father became ill. “I knew if my husband got sick, I wanted something that was mine … so I had control over my future. Being married so often the husband is the breadwinner, but if something happens to them you are lost. I never wanted to be that way,” Porting said. Early on, she was surprised by all the extra fees, taxes, licensing and recommends people save more money than they expect to spend. As she was building the business, Porting brainstormed ways to be different, to stand out, and asked herself what she would want as a customer.
Although Shampooch is not a
doggie day care, she decided if a client had to leave their dog for several hours because of the work day, Porting would not charge any extra fees. “I treat my customers like I want to be treated because dogs don’t write checks or schedule appointments. We take care of the animals, but we take care of the owners, too,” Porting said.
Heidi Price owns Heidi’s Ugly
Cakes, a restaurant in Norfork. If you’d asked her a decade ago if she planned to open a restaurant, she’d say no. But once people realized what an amazing baker she was, she was strongly encouraged to go for it. Price says people should start small and build the business slowly so they’re not “up to your ears in debt.” Save as much money as possible for lean times because those will come.
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