Client Stories
It's all about helping people get ahead.
Every year Community Futures Peace Liard helps businesses in the Peace Liard region get ahead or grow. And every year we continue to see growth in our local economy. Here are just some of our successful clients.
Meet some of Community Futures Clients…
Northern Windors and Doors: Manufacturing Success in the Peace
Shawn Jameson has been in the glass business for most of his life, 30 years worth to be exact. Moving from Speedy Auto Glass early in his career to a managerial position at Standard Auto Glass later on, gave Shawn a strong understanding of the glass business. It was not surprising, then, that he purchased an Apple Auto Glass franchise 11 years ago and has consecutively had the highest sales of any Apple Auto Glass store in western Canada. But Mr. Jameson did not stop there. With a strong understanding of the business and an established network of people in the industry, Shawn saw an opportunity to dominate a whole section of the glass business other than retail- this section was manufacturing. Shawn, along with his wife Janet, started Northern Windows and Doors, a manufacturing company that builds sealed units for windows and doors as well as window extrusions. Acquiring the necessary equipment and knowledge from a friend in Kamloops and receiving the financial aid from Community Futures helped the Jameson’s make Northern Windows and Doors a success.
Manufacturing windows consists of creating the right sized window either as a replacement or for a new home. After measuring and finding the right size, they build the sealed units and the ‘extrusions’ that windows are housed in before being built into the window frame of a house. This consists of using equipment to weld PVC and metal inserts that help strengthen the whole glass unit.
Shawn came up with the idea from a friend in Kamloops, Dave Mitchell, who also manufactured windows. He tipped Shawn off about a cheap PVC corner welder on EBay. With the business loan he got from Community Future, Shawn bought the welder and then spent three weeks with his wife Janet in Kamloops learning the trade. They learned how to weld PVC and how set up a manufacturing shop, realizing there was a certain ‘flow’ that needed to be followed when setting up a shop. After that, things came together. PH Tech, an extrusion sales company, got a hold of Shawn after hearing he was starting the business from Dave in Kamloops. Right away PH Tech agreed to sell extrusions to Shawn and his company. Shawn had the knowledge, equipment and now the product to start his business.
Northern Windows and Doors is a very unique business indeed, being the only window manufacturer in northern BC and that includes Prince George. Heading east, there is only one glass manufacturer in Grande Prairie and the next closest after that is in Edmonton. What makes his business so solitary? Other window businesses in the area either sell windows or install them. Northern Windows and Doors manufactures windows to-fit right here in Dawson Creek- they make, sell and install all their own windows.
Community Futures was a good experience according to Shawn. He needed the money for the manufacturing equipment quick and Community Futures came through, “Community Futures was fast, any information I asked for about the loan I had right away. I received the actual loan very fast as well”. One other attribute that Shawn enjoyed about Community Futures was the loans officer heading the loan was the person you were dealing with; it was much more personal then a bank. Shawn mentioned that he would definitely recommend Community Futures to others.
While talking with Shawn one can sense the confident magniloquence of a successful businessman- yet in a modest manner. Being the only manufacturer in northern BC, Northern Windows and Doors customers enjoy a three week less waiting period on windows. Also, he sells his windows to other retail stores in the area making him the go-to-guy for windows. He started with three employees in July and now has five people building windows for him. Expecting to have a slow start in his first year, he has done $625,000 in business in just half a year!
Shawn’s future goals include manufacturing and installing residential doors for renovation projects and new houses. He believes he has surpassed all his goals he set out to meet. To date he has made double the projected profit.
Hype Performance
Every company dreams of being the only business in town, for Hype Performance it isn’t a dream. Being the only Linex protective coating supplier north of Kamloops, Darrin Cruikshanks has a lot of customers and literally is the only business in town. Previously, Darren was an electrician who a few years back decided on buying some property on the east side of Dawson Creek. He bought the property to develop but instead decided on building a shop on the land to start a business. The business was for Linex protective coating and auto accessories. Darrin has had no previous experience in the Linex coating business but knows a good idea when he sees one.
Linex is a franchise that sells and applies protective coating for automobiles. The Linex coating is a special spray-on coating that protects against wear and abrasions on the box lining of trucks, the undercarriage of vehicles or anything else that needs protecting. Hype Performance specializes in box and under coating and has three employees.
It wasn’t too difficult, other than the banking system, for Mr. Cruikshanks to get started. He already had the land, he already had the franchise, what he needed was financial help for the building. He couldn’t get a business loan from any ordinary bank. So Darren came to Community Futures for the loan and enjoyed the experience. About the loans program he stated, “It was awesome, helpful and fast- it’s a hidden gem!”
Even before the business opened, Darren wanted to provide a business to the people of Dawson Creek where patrons seek out his services, not one where he had to go search for customers. Being that the next closest Linex business is in Kamloops, Darren provides a protective coating service to not only the people in Dawson Creek but to all northern British Columbians and has never had to go searching for clients. He has had customers come from all over the north just from word-of-mouth; from Prince George, Vanderhoof, Fort St. John, and Fort Nelson. Simply said, “they come for the quality” states Darren. “People hear by word-of-mouth just how great a product Linex is and they come from all over to get it”, Darren claimed.
How good is business? In his second year, sales grew by 50% and he made approximately $700,000 in gross income. He has had great response from the Linex head office as well. His future goal is to expand and open a store in Prince George. When asked if he will open anywhere else after that, he responded merely “two stores are good enough”.
Play Time Toys
What do nine staff members, loads of great toys, and a very merry proprietor give you? The best toy store in Fort St. John, Play Time Toys, of course! And for Kay Heidt heading into the busiest season as a new shop owner has been an entirely different experience, but nonetheless exactly what she imagined. As a newly independent, middle-aged woman with a wealth of customer service and retail buying experience, Heidt had been facing many changes in her life and was ready for a fresh outlet to channel her energy. When she heard the Northern Toy Box was on the market, she did some investigating and by August of 2009 she was the new owner of her very own toy store, Play Time Toys, in Fort St. John.
Eco-friendly toys and toys made out of recycled plastics are some of the rare toys which can be found at Play Time Toys. Heidt focuses on providing unique educational toys which engage young children in creative and abstract ways. The majority of her clientele are young, modern families who recognize the quality and value of the products and brands that Play Time Toys carries. Yet, the inventory is varied and appropriate for all ages.
The acquisition process was relatively smooth and yet a long haul. Heidt originally approached the Business Development Bank for a start-up business loan and then was redirected to Paul De Costa, Loans Administrator, at Community Futures Peace Liard. Once the fine details were worked out at Community Futures, the real work began and the challenges of becoming a proprietor began to present themselves. Developing business relations with new distributors has been positive, but operating on cash credit to start is always financially draining and even more so considering the economic climate. To improve business Heidt moved the store location and has seen more foot traffic as a result of having her store more visible and accessible from the main street. Thankfully, Heidt has managed to cover overhead expenses and sales are gradually increasing as Christmas approaches. Heidt has been busy behind the scenes doing the bookkeeping and working with a fabulous accountant to guide her when needed.
Sufficient advertising was crucial to the success of renaming the toy store Play Time Toys; although, deciding exactly how much of the budget to delegate for advertising and how much for reordering new stock was one of the biggest dilemmas. There is a fine balance between promoting a business and maintaining adequate inventory to keep customers satisfied and Heidt has spent more than originally anticipated on advertising thus far. Inventory levels are building as meeting customer’s needs and expectations is paramount.
In order to keep familiarity and quality service the core of the business, all original employees are still working at the store. Altogether Heidt employs nine staff of which one employee is full time and the other eight employees are part time. Heidt currently splits her time between her long-term place of employment, Shopper’s Drugmart, and the toy store. In the future she aims to spend more time at Play Time Toys; however, easing into a new workplace environment and role as owner/manager has been beneficial and Heidt really enjoys the camaraderie she has developed with her staff and many clients. And perhaps the one-on-one customer relations are what inspire Heidt the most. After years of working in a corporate environment, she is thrilled to offer a more personalized shopping experience. You’ve really got to wonder if there is a new Mrs. Claus in town.
Good Sense Goes Along Way
Heather Balatti has honed her skills and launched her own bookkeeping business, but who would have thought that the gal working at Fort St. John’s Kentucky Fried Chicken would ever be the ruler of her own roost. After years of working at a fast-food restaurant, Balatti finally decided to take the Applied Business Technology Program in September of 2000 at the Northern Lights College in Fort St. John. The intensity of the program was challenging and Balatti found herself questioning her own abilities; however, what she was not aware of was the opportunities that would soon follow. After graduation, she was asked to manage a retail store in Fort Nelson where she further developed her business savvy and was able to experience a new city and meet new people. In Fort Nelson she also had the opportunity to work for a large pipeline company where she was responsible for payroll of over 100 employees. An admitted “math geek”, Balatti enjoyed the challenge and developed a complex spreadsheet which made her job easier and more efficient by matching and tracking work order numbers, hours, and overtime to each employee in the click of a few simple buttons. With her new found confidence and work experience to back her, Balatti was increasingly enthusiastic and more motivated than ever.
It wasn’t until she moved back to Fort St. John and attended an entrepreneurial workshop offered at the college that she realized the potential of starting her own business. After a year off on maturnity leave, but nonetheless inspired and ready to tackle a new venture, Balatti approached Community Futures Peace Liard after her father kept promoting his own personal experience with the Community Futures Self-Employment Program on Vancouver Island. Balatti decided to approach Debbie Fynn at Community Futures Peace Liard with the idea of starting a small bookkeeping business. Over the course of that year she developed a business plan, completed Phase Two of the Self-Employment Program, and by May 2008 she had her very first client and her own bookkeeping business.
For Balatti, bookkeeping independently took some adjusting as she had always done the books for companies in-house and she quickly realized a slightly different approach was needed. Her original business structure was based on a steady flow of clients. Balatti would work with a client, train them, and then let them take over the bookkeeping on their own. She also provided spreadsheets and additional information at no extra charge. Although she has no regrets about any of the choices or clients she has helped along the way, from a business point of view this method was not as profitable as she had anticipated. Therefore, she has revised her business model and aims for long-term clients who need continual support and her expertise. Balatti now sells her spreadsheets and covets their value as part of her services and business.
Balatti attributes part of her current success to the Community Futures program and swears by the cashflow statements she learned to create and operate by. The “living breathing budget, I still use it today,” she stated. She has already forecast her 2010 budget and keeps up with weekly cashflows to reference. Balatti even keeps personal cashflow statements for her own affairs in order to remain on top of all finances in her life.
Being a single mom and working 75 hours a week instead of 40 hours is taxing at times, especially when sometimes only 30 hours are billable. But Balatti keeps going and her business has grown by 8 percent from 2008 to 2009. Part of her effectiveness comes from going to local businesses and doing on-site bookkeeping for the sake of professionalism and easier billing. Everything has become so natural a year and a half into the business and Balatti still loves messy books that need fixing. She now has many long-term clients and is in need of office space to call her own.
What makes Good Sense Office Solutions Ltd. so unique is the practical knowledge that Balatti can apply to enhance businesses’ profits. She now has one client who she provides financial consultations to and has become fully integrated into the business after turning their monthly loses into profits. By restructuring their business from the inside out, Balatti was able to redirect finances and turn things around. The owner of this particular business even calls her before making large business decisions as her direction and guidance to date has been extremely advantageous.
Balatti’s high standards and polished work ethic are admirable when it comes to bookkeeping. Upon meeting this enthusiastic, spirited bookkeeper, you too may pick up some good sense.
