My autobiography…

“How I started a gift gallery and tea room from scratch!”

Dedication
            This report is dedicated to women who would like to own their own business but don’t know where to begin.  It is offered to women who often have little business experience, but would love to free themselves from the glass ceiling of  corporate America.  I hope to assist those who have a dream to free themselves from a male dominated world where women make about 75 percent of the wages men make doing the same or more responsible jobs. 

            Some women do not have the background and/or experience needed to start their own business. Others have in depth business experience, which makes them better equipped to launch their own business.  If running and operating a Victorian gift shop and English tea room sounds exciting to you, then please allow me to guide you.             

            This report is dedicated specifically to those who are considering starting their own tea room or gift gallery or both.  What I have to say may discourage you or it could excite you; whatever its affects on you, my intent is to help you decide whether to proceed into your own business. I will inform you of the good and the bad of operating a tea room and gift gallery. 

            I wish you the best as you ponder owning your own business.   Don’t let others destroy your dreams or discourage you, but don’t jump into your own business blindly without an experienced person to guide you as a mentor.  This single step could save you thousands of dollars, the embarrassment of business failure and maybe help you become a more successful business owner.

Preface
            Today, more than ever, Americans are in a quandary over their future because of the uncertainty of the economy.  The threats of terrorism and war in Iraq, coupled with corporate scandals and bankruptcies have left many working Americans unsure of their future and bewildered about where their career is headed.  Corporate executives have a general lack of concern for employees and only care about profits that keep their salaries and bonuses up and their shareholders happy.  Never has there been a better time to start  your own business.

            My story is a first hand account of what I have experienced during my work history and the obstacles I faced trying to build a business in Marysville, Ohio.  This report on My autobiography…”How I started a Victorian gift gallery and English tea room from scratch” will detail the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur. Even with my years of corporate experience as an executive and my personal business experience, I still was shocked at the obstacles I faced as my business evolved over the past eight years.  Yes, I made costly mistakes and I have learned a lot of tough lessons during my pilgrimage, yet what I learned from these lessons can be very beneficial to others planning a new venture. 

            Always remember, no business is easy to operate!  If you are considering setting up your own tea room and/or a gift gallery, understand that you also will make costly mistakes unless you have a mentor who can consult with you as you step into this new arena of owning your own business.  Just think how many times Thomas Edison failed at making a light bulb, or Benjamin Franklin’s attempts to discover electricity or the failures of Eli Whitney as he attempted to invent the cotton gin.  Yes, you know for certain that you will make costly mistakes and face numerous business “surprises” when you start your own business.           

            If running your own business was easy, everyone would be doing it and there would be no profit in doing so.  Unless you are a “tough cookie,” are determined and have tenacity, don’t even think about starting your own business without a mentor or consultant.  Launching a new business will have financial surprises 100 percent of the time.  You will not avoid them even if you have years of experience in the exact business you are considering.

            Many women have come to me to pick my brain on how to run a tea room.  Two ladies came to me for advice and were unwilling to pay me a consulting fee, saying they could do it alone.  They were open only one year and went out of business. On the other hand, I charged an hourly rate to consult with a woman from New York and she is still thriving.  Sadly, others have thought, “It would be fun to run a tea room.”  They start out naively with good intentions and a dream, never realizing the requirements, financial and otherwise, long hours and hard work involved.  To succeed your business must be like a marriage with the same passion, commitment and dedication.           

            We have had corporate executives of restaurant chains visit our tea room to gain insight of our operation.  Our unique approach has gained media attention and popularity.  Many have tried to get ideas for their own business, but what most of these folks don’t realize is there is more to it than what you see during a single visit.  Most of the knowledge is in my head.  I have a unique gift of intuition, coordination and design  ability. 

            My business skills and over 30 years experience as an executive in varied businesses and the corporate world gives me a broad range of knowledge from which to draw. Importantly, I failed at one business before I started my Victorian gift store, which taught me the biggest lessons of all.  Very few people have the skill to start and run a business without the help of a consultant who has experience in their planned venture. Yet, with all of my training, it has been tough to make the business profitable.  There will always be variables such as the economy, competition and trends.  What you must do is be willing to make the necessary adjustments to survive.

Introduction
            My humble beginning… I will share with you my background in the business and executive world and later my struggle to survive in my own business.  These experiences helped set the stage for my future career and business endeavors.

            I married at age 17, just two months after high school graduation in 1959. In the fifties girls in my family were taught to get married and rear a family.  Career choices were not as varied as today.  You married forever, regardless of how unhappy you were. I was too young to be married and as many women did in my day, I stuck it out.  By age 19, I gave birth to my first child, a son.  I made a choice to be a good mother and I truly loved motherhood. By age 25 I had two sons and a daughter.  For the next few years, I reveled in my children.  When the children began school, I became very involved in scouts, school activities and chaired many fund raising events, always working for no pay, just self gratification and filling a need. 

            My first dream of owning a business was in the sixties.  I designed a portfolio of  plus sized women’s clothing and wanted to open a retail store.  I had page after page of drawings and research.  I had been assured by a company in Texas that they would back me if I could buy $10,000 worth of merchandise from them up front.  When I discussed my dream with my husband, he totally refused and did nothing but laugh at me…he said I was crazy and I could never run a business.  That was my first tough business experience. The frustrating part was that this was even before Lane Bryant and other plus sized clothing stores were even begun.  I would have been at the forefront of the industry.  I even went to our local bank with my business plan for a personal loan. Our bank said my husband had to sign for the loan, which was only $10,000.  He refused.  From then on I kept my ideas quiet and filled folders with designs and ideas.  I was totally suppressed, but I was still dreaming quietly. ( I became an entrepreneur 20 years later!)

            I became a Welcome Wagon hostess for my community when my youngest child started to kindergarten.  I enjoyed this low paying job because it exposed me to newcomers, businesses and sponsors in our community. I did this for a few years until my youngest was ten years old.  Then, out of the blue, I became pregnant with my fourth child. This was devastating to me because I was planning to separate from my husband in the spring.  I had complications in my pregnancy and had to give up my hostess job, which was very hard to do.  I thought about an abortion but simply could not do it.  I agonized over my decision, then resolved to do what I had always done…be the best mother I knew how to be. 

            After nearly twenty years of an abusive first marriage I began laying plans for a divorce.  My sons were approaching graduation and I then felt I could handle the girls financially.  I was so unhappy and was so tired of being mentally and physically abused that I could no longer endure my marriage. One afternoon as I sat in my backyard with my two year old daughter I prayed for God to find me something to do, something just for me!  God answered my prayer.  The very next day one of my previous Welcome Wagon sponsors (the president of the bank) called and asked me to come in for an interview for a new program they were starting. To make a long story short, he offered me the position and I went home to discuss this with my husband.  He flat out said no.  To my husband’s dismay, I took the job anyway. My prayer had been answered.  When my baby daughter was two I went back to work with serious feelings of guilt.  You see, I had never had a babysitter for any of my children and I cherished my little princess.

            My first husband, a domineering man of five foot nine, said I could never make it without him.  Needless to say, my salary the first year was more than he had earned annually his whole life. I am not putting him down, but he had had several offers for promotion but would never take any risks…he would not move, didn’t want responsibility and could never handle accountability…but he surely could criticize, put people down and belittle everyone around him, including any thought  I ever had about opening a business. 

            I quickly excelled at my new position, which meant the end of my marriage.  My first husband was totally threatened. I begged him to get counseling and asked him to let me go with his blessing, let me do something for me.  He said, “If anybody is going to change it’s going to be you because I am happy and there is nothing wrong with me.” It was as if a switch clicked in my head.  That was the end.  I was finished with our marriage.  He was not going to work with me, he had lost control of me and had become more violent.  I moved out on my own taking the girls with me.

            All those warnings from my husband had been proven wrong.  I was successful. My first marriage ended, which marked the beginning of finding myself.  Finally, I was utilizing the God given talents that I had suppressed for so long. I was headed for the corporate world. Many times I was scared underneath, but I kept trying and never let it show.  Little did I know at the time that I could excel in a man’s world without a college degree.   Yes, you may be surprised but I do not have a college degree.  The only college education I have is two writing classes I took at a Miami University branch where I lived.

     I became strong by taking risks.  I will share with you the foundation that was laid to help me excel in the business and executive world and later in my own business. These background experiences helped set the stage for my future career.

My Career Path
            The position at the bank resulted in three promotions in four years.  I  launched the “in home banking” program bringing in over a million dollars of new money to the bank.  My efforts resulted in several new trust accounts.  All was going well until my superior felt threatened.  He said the program needed a more experienced banker to take over the program (I was getting too much attention).  I was “promoted” to new accounts and doubled as a marketing assistant to the marketing director.  Happily, life gave me lemons and I again made lemonade.  From then on, marketing and public relations was my forte’.  I loved the creativity.  I named and designed new bank products and services and handled all the promotions.  A “Hometown Holiday” celebration I helped create won a bank marketing award and the program has become a tradition. 

            During my career at the bank I was offered a position at a financial planning association that offered marketing and public relations support services to financial planners in over 25 states and Puerto Rico.  There I served as vice president. My responsibilities were consulting with financial planning offices across the country assisting them in public relations and marketing.  I designed and wrote brochures, communications and gained publicity through the media.  During my tenure with the association, I conducted 12 national public relations and marketing seminars around the country to assist in recruiting new members.  This public relations and marketing experience gave me the confidence I needed to market any business.  Marketing and public relations is one of the most important business “hats” any business owner can wear if their business is to succeed.

            One example of a unique public relations event was the development of a “financial fair” for one financial planner in Carlyle, Ohio.  I organized and promoted this event as a “financial fair” to the local media.  The event consisted of broker exhibitors in his barn, a tent for meetings, a national speaker and a drawing for prizes. A balloon ride was the major event, which drew hundreds of people and media attention.  The event was featured on the front cover of Financial Planning Magazine, the industry’s top publication. 

            However, that was not the main event.  As a result of this publicity, I met my current husband.  Seeing the  balloon picture on the front of Financial Planning Magazine and reading the feature article, Charles “Chuck” Whitaker, the owner of Registered Financial Planning, Inc. from Oregon called and flew to Ohio to learn more about our services. 

            That year I was chosen as “the most outstanding employee” of the association winning its top award.  I was recognized in the annual meeting and given a $500 bonus. As usual when you go up, you must come down…A group of members of the association  at the next year’s annual event tried to get the president to vote me in on the all male board of directors.  This promotion on my behalf and my relationship with my current husband was the beginning of the downfall of my business relationship with the president.  His face became blood red when the  members tried to promote me and he was intimidated by my fiance’.  Frankly, I think he wanted total control over me because I made him look good to the board and to the company members.  For whatever reason, I was later fired.

            Getting fired was a shock.  I loved my work and had given 100 percent to my job.   I brought national attention to the association, gained new members and within one year helped it to grow far beyond its previous level of success. After I left the company, it went down hill within a short time.  The board and the members knew that I was the key to providing the public relations and marketing services in the field and slowly but surely they began leaving.  Many of them told me they left because of my being fired. One lady said when you left the heart was gone…it was never the same!

     The next step in helping other businesses to succeed was when I joined my husband to form a marketing company in 1984, The Advisor Group, Ltd.  This helped us  start a national consulting company serving the financial services industry.  During this career move we helped financial service companies get radio programs started, helped broker dealers design corporate brochures and helped financial services offices develop and promote themselves in order to grow their businesses. This experience further advanced my skills to help others succeed.

     During mid-year of 1985 I faced another career change. I was offered a position with a big company in Chicago.  They flew me there for an interview.  The company was the tenth largest privately held corporation in Chicago and had 12  different companies in its conglomerate.  They owned a bank, real estate management company, rental and commercial properties, a broker dealership  and other businesses

     My interview with the president and 90 percent owner of the company went exceptionally well.  He was interviewing me to take over their public relations and marketing department and my challenge was to centralize all of the companies’ marketing programs into one public relations, marketing and communications department.  The offer was exciting, but I had to have the president’s commitment that he would back me as I dealt with the “egos” of  each company president. He gave me that commitment and I took the job and moved to Chicago in November of 1985.  I was now vice president in charge of communications.

     During the many challenges I faced, the president was true to his word and backed me when one of the company presidents refused to cooperate.  He gave me the strong hand I needed as a woman to get the job done.  Because of his support my department was able to handle all public relations and marketing for his companies, which saved over $300,000 the first year.  This was the most exciting career I have ever had, and I was very well compensated.

     However, again I had to make a choice.  My fiancée took a great position in New York and moved.  He gave me an ultimatum to marry him by March.  To me love was more powerful than a good job. I am sharing this information only because I walked away from this position to move to New York to be married (my second marriage).  In New York I took a vice president’s position of a corporation in the print district of Manhattan where I developed and worked with major financial accounts in the Wall Street District.

     One day I found that the president was unethical (I won’t go into details). He asked me to have breakfast with him at the “Windows of the World” at the top of the World Trade Center. During our breakfast meeting he asked me, “How much will it cost to keep you on the job?” and I replied, “You can’t pay me enough to stay!” He then asked me another question, “How much will it cost me to keep you from suing me?” and I thought about it a while and then told him I would not sue him if he gave me $5,000.  He opened his check book and wrote me a $5,000 check and that was the end of my position with his company.  I was looking over his shoulder and could see the Statue of Liberty standing proudly in the bay.  As I watched the sunlight sparkling on the skyscrapers below, I had never felt so empowered.  I took the check, took the elevator to the bottom floor and cashed the check at my bank…Chase Manhattan.

     I then called my husband who was assistant vice president of MONY Financial Services and told him I have some good news and some bad news.  He said what happened?  I told him I had quit my job and that I was going shopping in Manhattan.  He simply said, “I expected it. Have fun!”  I was FREE! 

     That day was one of the best days I had ever encountered.  It was a true beginning for me.  No longer would I ever allow a man or boss to dominate my life.  I shopped for a while, then had lunch at one of Manhattan’s famous restaurants.  As I sat there with reality facing me, (you see I had just resigned from a very good paying job), I started to plan my future.  My first plan was to make a few calls to successful people I had worked with in the past on various projects.  My creativity had always been my real strength and my people skills were well honed after being in management for so many years.  Virtually every experience I had had in the past had been basic training for running my own business in the future. For several years I worked as a marketing communications and public relations consultant to Wall Street financial firms and investment companies and brokers

     One day an announcement was spotted in the Wall Street Journal that MONY was downsizing.  The article went on to say that $75,000 million dollars would be cut from the budget and that 75 percent of the cuts would come from middle management.  What a shock!  My husband was traveling all over America helping various MONY offices provide educational employee benefits programs as a retirement planning service to large companies.  Now he would have to face a career decision as Arthur Anderson was hired to do an internal study of all departments.  The Human Resource Department conducted meetings telling us what was going on and a corporate attorney was always present.  The fact is that MONY wanted to downsize and was using fear tactics to create a voluntary reduction in force by scaring people into leaving.  My husband was not so lucky.  He was fired because he loved his work and was not going to quit. 

     Even though he had conducted national human resource seminars in seven cities around the country presenting the retirement planning program he developed, his position was not seen as a priority.  Even though he had clients such as NASA Space Flight Center engineers in Huntsville, Alabama, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Martin Marietta Corporation, Monroe Auto Equipment Company and many others, the company saw his marketing efforts as an expense.  So another good executive had lost his career due to downsizing, re-engineering, reduction in force, age discrimination or whatever you want to call this workplace phenomena!

     What would we do next?  My whole family was in Ohio…mother, children and grandchildren.  I decided I wanted to move back to Ohio to be near them. 

     My husband and I talked and we agreed to make the move back to Ohio so I could be near my mother who was in her 70s at the time. Even though I could take my consulting clients with me and he had a generous severance package, we basically had to begin anew.  We had loved New York and liked living there, but executive jobs were scarce at the time and the cost of living was double to living in Ohio.  We believed we had made a sound strategic decision.

     Getting work in Ohio was difficult after having worked in New York.  We both had high salaries, great positions and large departments that we had managed.  We had several interviews but were not hired because of the standard “You are over qualified.”  or “Your salary is too high.”  To make a long story short, I kept consulting and my husband started his own financial planning practice. 

            At least one of us expected to find a career in Columbus Ohio but, we were both nearly age 49 at the time and little did we realize that health care costs, high income and over qualification would prevent either of us from finding a career.  We never got a chance to find work in Ohio because no one responded to our excellent resumes.  Another fact we did not realize was that corporate America was radically downsizing management levels of the corporate management model.  The “middle” management was being eliminated.  We were both victims of corporate America’s downsizing, reduction in force, age discrimination and re-engineering or whatever you want to call the demoralizing of the American workforce.  Corporate America was switching to hiring cheaper labor to compete in world markets and was hiring the younger baby boom population and investing in training to keep labor costs down, reduce health care costs and minimize the older populations pension and retiree benefits costs.  Older Americans were being discriminated against in favor of younger boomer workers.

            Following many attempts to find an executive level position, I decided to try my hand at starting a city magazine.  My writing and design skills could be used for this new venture.  The magazine was very well done and the Chamber, City Offices and other groups wanted me to provide free magazines for those who had interest in our area. Never once did these groups support us by running ads or funding special promotions.  In fact, it was the opposite, they seemed to eagerly want us to fail. 

     I published Dublin Magazine single-handedly for two years.  I developed the format, sold advertising, wrote and managed the publication.  Although it was a popular, beautiful magazine that won a Bronze Quill Award for Excellence in publishing, I burned out after seven issues.  I had serious money problems.  I was totally under funded and I had been over charged by a designer and printer.  At the end I found the resources that would have allowed my magazine to be profitable, but it was too late.  I had to dissolve the publication.  It broke my heart after working day and night for two years.

     A few years later, the City of Dublin has copied my magazine concept by producing a glitzy magazine well financed by city funds.  Now it is their idea and the money flows freely. 

     For a while I was really down, then I worked with my husband for several years.  I was fulfilling his dream, but I was restless and hated the technical nature of finances.  I was burned out on the whole industry after nearly 15 years of writing and creating financial marketing plans and point of sales material.

     I wrote freelance financial newspaper columns for nearly ten years and kept a few consulting jobs writing annual reports and ad copy to keep the bills paid, but I still had my dreams of owning a creative business that more fit my talents and abilities. 

Starting a Victorian Gift Gallery
      My second husband is largely responsible for me being able to start a business.  He encouraged me from day one and has been supportive all the way.  He has unselfishly shared my time (which is little), supported me emotionally and financially and has reinforced my belief in myself when things are tough.  I am fortunate to have him…he is a wonderful partner in life.  As I have illustrated, timing is important. 

     My point is…most everyone will be negative, opinionated and unsupportive of your dream.  The key here is to have desire, strong will and a burning passion to do whatever it takes to succeed.  You are entering a marriage here…you will be tied to your business and it will consume you.  You must put your total focus and energy into succeeding.  Even when you do all this, you will still struggle, especially the first few years.  Also, you will need a sizable nest egg to live on during your start up phase unless you have a supportive life partner.  I am telling you this because it is not easy and you will not get rich quick.  At this point, you are probably wondering why I am being so blunt. You must totally believe in yourself and that your idea will work! It is simple…If you can read all of this and still want to proceed, you have what it takes to succeed.  

     The birth of my retail store started one evening when my husband came home and wanted to go to the annual home show at the fair grounds.  I had been writing all day and was not dressed to go out, it was very hot and I was in sportswear.  He said, “Come on.  You look fine.”  So we went.  As I turned the corner of one isle, there it was, a booth of English and Victorian furniture with an authentic Englishman running it.  My immediate reaction was of excitement.  I thought…this is my kind of thing!  We struck up a conversation and I made the decision right then and there to go into business following his footprints.  He was a wonderful man who brought containers over from England monthly.  I remind you, I had little money and a lot of dreams.

     Over the next weeks I looked for spaces to put a storefront because he said he would work with me if I would purchase $10,000 of furniture from him.  It may as well have been $100 at that time but I was hopeful.  My husband and I agreed to put $15,000 into my new business venture, so I was in business.

     I made the decision to open a 1,000 square foot furniture and gift gallery in Marysville, Ohio on the main street of town. My mother lived there and I wanted to work with her.   My display window was unsurpassed.  We truly stopped traffic.  We were unique, had no competition and had a great business.  We covered our bills the first month in business.  This momentum lasted for two years, then the uptown revitalized causing street closings and lost parking spaces, which were at a premium in the first place.  A large mall opened twenty minutes away and virtually every gift shop in the area started copying our gift lines.  We dropped $2,000 in monthly cash flow.

     Another rental space opened next door and we rented the extra space to have more exposure to the street traffic of over 15,000 vehicles per day.  We thought this would be an excellent marketing opportunity to combine the two spaces.  We had to remodel a small vacant building in the back of the present facility and cut two doors in the walls.  The city inspectors had a big problem with this project, but we got it passed.  Even with this new expansion, parking was a continual problem for our customers and the police officers were running people away issuing parking tickets.  Some towns remove parking meters to help people, but this town didn’t care if they ruined uptown businesses. Three uptown specialty shops opened and closed within three years. 

Time for plan B. 
      I had wanted to take the Victorian and English theme to the next step so I started planning a tea room. I had looked for a Victorian house for quite a while.  I wanted to stay on the main street for higher exposure, so location was first and foremost.  I found a Victorian house built in 1899, which was on the Ohio Registry of Historic Places.  The property had the added bonus of being on a double corner lot on the highest traffic street of town. Although renovation would be needed, I still felt the house and double lots would be a sound investment.

     We made an offer that was accepted, the bank approved our loan and the rest is history. We opened the tea room and gift gallery in 2000 with a bang.  We were very popular and have maintained a good following.  The recent recession and the economy have slowed our progressed, but we continue to thrive.  Because we are in a fast growth county we are very optimistic about the future.

      I knew from my past business experience that starting an entirely new business that I had never experienced would be difficult.  I did a lot of research before I began.  I felt that if I were going to operate a tea room, I certainly would want the best loose leaf teas available in the world.  We are still using my original choice after three years of operation.

     Never underestimate county inspectors.  Now begins the horrid task of dealing with building inspectors, permits, licenses and local bureaucracy.  Don’t ever under estimate the egos and attempts of local bureaucrats to destroy your business and double your cost of renovation.  I managed the renovation project,  working with my son and the local “gods” who were over building inspections.  I truly believe they were determined to stop a woman from starting a business in Marysville, Ohio.

     The inspectors would not honor the building code for historic homes and enforced tough codes on our project. These protectors of the town tried to make us permanently seal the beautiful oak pocket doors in the house.  They attempted to make us put in over 18 fire alarms and lights in the building that would increase our costs by 200 percent.  It was as if they were there to destroy, not to build or remodel a beautiful old home.  We appealed twice to the state board on key issues and beat the building inspector both times. Both appeals cost us weeks of delay on our project.  Because of the delays we had already been forced to close our Victorian gift store uptown and had to put everything in storage.  What a waste of money and time because of the building inspectors.

     When it came time to put in the kitchen hood and install kitchen appliances and equipment I was ready for these great white inspector "gods".  I hired the biggest restaurant hood company in the US to take these inspectors on and what a job they did.  They made them look like fools because they were trying to enforce building codes that they didn’t  even understand themselves. How can a small business person win?

     I tell you all these things because many people think of all the fun things about starting a business because they have no experience.  Hopefully my background and experience will save other women a lot of heartache by helping them become better informed about all the issues or business “hats” one has to wear as you launch a new business.  

     My goal now is to teach and train others how to open and operate a tea room or any other new business one may wish to launch.  There is so much to know and so many unknowns in the start up phase of any business.  I hope to help others be successful and profitable more quickly than I have in the past eight plus years in business.

Tea Room Set Up
      Depending on the tea room you are planning to open, the following will give you an idea of overall requirements and costs for a 42 seating capacity operation of 3,000 square feet.  Each county will have its own guidelines and all inspectors will be happy to tell you what they are.  Be prepared for a shock.  This is where the unknowns appear such as our tea room size is 3,000 square feet yet the county required us to comply with the same rules as specified for a 12,000 square foot building. You will always need more money, it is never less.

     For instance, in Union County, there were no codes for decks, and we had consulted Lowe’s for a commercial deck blueprint and quote.  Their design quote with an outline of materials needed totaled less than $6,000.  We then asked the inspector to review the Lowe’s plan thinking we were prepared to begin construction.  What a shock when they literally destroyed the drawing.  They required us to dig 42” footer holes (36 of them) instead of 36”, use 6” by 6” wood columns (no code but they required it) instead of 4”x4” and numerous other changes in Lowe’s plan.  Our original quote of $6,000 ended up being $15,000 mainly due to their overkill.  After labor was added the deck cost us $26,000.  Much of the cost was due to extreme codes and requirements.  Had we known this we could have added a whole addition to use year round.  (Our first big mistake).

     Then, there was the kitchen.  What a nightmare.  We had a new crew of engineers and inspectors in Union County so they really didn’t understand most kitchen codes.  They had to check a 12” thick book with every question.  We hired American Ventilation, a 50 year old company, to install our exhaust system and they had to argue with the inspectors about several requirements.  They could not believe what we were being required to do. My original quote for this was $4,500, which ended up being $8,500.  We were livid, but without appealing, which we had done on three other occasions and won at the expense of two hundred dollars an appeal plus six weeks of delays, we simply complied.  We were running out of patience, time and money.

     Big egos are hard to deal with in this kind of situation, so investigate carefully before beginning your project.  If at all possible, purchase a property that is grandfathered  and  has been approved and meets all codes for a restaurant. or lease (your start-up will be far less costly and more feasible if you do not have to incur a real estate purchase and renovations). Part of my business plan would include these issues before starting a project such as the one we started.

Dining Room
      Planning the dining room is the most fun. You may choose your china, linens, silverware and décor.  We were very frugal, doing most of the work within the family.   We used a lot of creativity to enhance the ambiance.  We were furnishing three and a half  rooms and a 40 square deck for seating up to 80 people.  All of the rooms opened to each other so colors and patterns were coordinated to be interchangeable.   If your tea room is Victorian, follow a Victorian historical color chart.  The details in this phase are very important because you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.  When people walk in the door, they must feel welcome and be excited about the experience. Your décor and theme enables this to happen.

     We frequented second hand shops, antique malls and watched the newspaper for good buys.  We went to Dalton, Georgia to select our patterned Victorian carpeting, which saved us money and offered a quieter, richer environment.  We chose a commercial dark leaf design that would not show soil.  The burgundy, mauve and deep green color blended with the whole décor.  Concurrently we painted and coordinated everything to be compatible. We faux painted the walls and kept patterns small so they would not compete with the merchandise we displayed.   We researched our sources and shopped price to get the best buys.  (When we enter into a consulting arrangement, we will share all of our vendors and suppliers).

     It is important to determine each room’s layout to capitalize on seating.  A display piece of attractive furniture makes the dining rooms homey and welcoming, not to mention they afford an opportunity to merchandise appropriate inventory—both seasonal and year round.

     When planning your rooms, keep in mind that many of your customers will be elderly or handicapped so leave room for wheel chairs and walkers.  You will need an easily accessible handicapped rest room on the dining floor.  This is a costly expense, but necessary and required to meet code.                                                

Food and Menus
      Creating your menu is where experience pays.  Absolutely everything has a cost factor.  From the very beginning, train your staff on the importance of controlling waste.  Most of the foods served in a tea room must be prepared fresh daily.  Scones and tea breads freeze well and improve in quality when baked right before serving.  Soups can be held for two days when refrigerated properly.  Salads and tea sandwich fillings should be made just before serving.  Groceries will be about one-third of your overall budget.  The secret to profitability in the restaurant business is cost management because it is easy to over buy, have too much waste and excessive labor.  Be aware of these factors at all times.  Profit margins in food service are limited.

     Our business is fortunate because we have a Chef who shops daily for perishables such as vegetables and fruits.  Our storage is limited so we are unable to order in bulk.  We buy from a direct wholesaler and pick up staple items usually twice a week, more on heavy booking weeks.  What is important is that you do whatever it takes to keep costs down, even if you must grocery shop yourself.

     The presentation of your foods is extremely important.  Garnish each plate with fresh fruit, vegetables, edible flowers and tea bread with flavored butter.  We form tea sandwiches into numerous shapes, use different breads and change fillings each month to take advantage of the bounty of the season.  Provide creative, colorful plates that look organized, colorful and appetizing.  Never skimp on serving size or quality because repeat customers are the lifeblood of your business.

     Pricing your menu is another area that requires in depth study. These costs can fluctuate because grocery prices go up and down in the marketplace.  Stock up on sale items and order by the case whenever you can; however,  this depends on your ability to freeze and store.  Know what every item on the plate costs and allow for food cost fluctuations.  Don’t forget that labor and overhead plays a role in pricing.  If you start out priced too low, it will be very difficult to raise prices later.  Your customers will notice and get upset.

Note: When we are hired to consult, we offer you the option to purchase our popular recipes.                                               

Staffing Can Be An Obstacle
      Now I was ready to hire staff for the tea room.  This was an interesting experience.  I found that people who call themselves a chef are often trying to bluff their way into a higher paying job.  I also found that some of them had huge egos and wanted total control of my kitchen even though they never put one dime into my business. Other’s we hired tried to hijack me into higher wages or they would quit. 

     The people I interviewed had no knowledge of my experience hiring a lot of people and did not realize that I could quickly “see through” their façade.  I had to hire and fire several so called “chefs” before ending up with an excellent staff. This is another area where I can help anyone in the restaurant business to hire the right people because I have an intuition and gift of finding the right people.

Budgeting
     Your budget cannot be planned too carefully.  Unexpected costs will always be a surprise as you tackle a remodeling project.  There are two major parts to budget development.  The first part is to develop your start-up costs.  These are basically one-time costs you will pay as you establish your new business.  Costs such as painting the outside of the building, remodeling, kitchen set up, handicap ramp and many other items go into your start-up budget.

     The core of your business plan is called your operating budget.  This is the budget you will live with month in and month out.  This is the budget that shows a profit or the budget that will send you into business failure and bankruptcy.  Both the start-up budget and the operating budget must be developed by an experienced party or you will face serious consequences and surprise costs.  Even with experience you will still face cost over-runs because you never see everything when starting a business.  That is why you will want to develop a budget and then double almost all estimates, because your initial budget is only an estimate.  Your real budget arrives after you have run your business for a while.  I have helped many business owners save thousands of dollars by spending a lot of time getting solid numbers together to complete a business plan before starting a project.

     Another major part of your start-up budget is called your break-even point.  This is the point at which your business income is “breaking even” with your operating budget expenses.  Many businesses fail because they never reach a break even point.  You have to continually work on cutting costs and increasing income in order for your business to begin to break even on income and costs.  The next step is to take your business to a profitable level so that you can draw your first salary as the business owner.  No salary will be available to the owner until you reach the break even point or your business will fail.  This is called by some business owners as having the “staying power” to last during the start-up phase of a new business.  The “staying power” usually will be referring to the first five years of the new business.  These can be trying times if you don’t have a sound business plan.

Marketing Your Business
     Once you have completed your business plan, designed your business and completed your budget you will need to address how you will get customers into your establishment or expand your customer base, if you bought a current business.  Many inexperienced people think that if they have a business people will flock to their door.  That is a fatal mistake.  With my vast public relations and marketing background, I still have to consistently work on marketing and business promotion.  I have experience in doing press releases, feature articles, advertising, billboard advertising, newsletters, publishing, mailers and flyers, buying mailing lists and numerous other marketing skills and I still have to stay on top of marketing my business.  Until your business has sufficient traffic, you will never be able to stop marketing.  This is one of my strong skills where I can be of tremendous help in launching a new business.

Business and Marketing Plan—Where to Begin
     Your first step toward your dream of establishing your own business is to put everything in writing in the form of a business plan.  Unless you have thought of every facet of your business operation such as location, start-up costs, operating costs and numerous other business issues, your dream will fail.  This is a warning . . . anyone starting a new business that is of any sophistication who thinks they can avoid going through the detailed process of formalizing a written business plan will doom their business from the beginning.

     If you have never done a business plan for a business and a marketing plan that should be your first warning sign.  If you have never done a plan for others or for your own business you cannot do your own plan without leaving openings for a number of huge financial mistakes.

     Your second warning sign in establishing your business plan is that if you have never done a business plan for the specific business of your dreams you cannot do one without help.  Trust me.  I know because I hired a consultant and there were still some surprises.  Without working with a mentor and a consultant, you simply will not have all the components in your business plan required to make it successful.

     I am reminded of a story about a young man who asked a rich man how he got so wealthy.  The rich man responded, “By getting experience”.  Then the aspiring young man asked the rich man, “How do you get experience?”, and to that the rich man said, “By making mistakes!”  Making mistakes is a costly way to learn a business.

     The young man’s and rich man’s story about sums up the average entrepreneur’s way of gaining wealth.  If you look at the wealthy people in America, they either inherited their wealth, own real estate or own a business.  Few people ever become wealthy working for the other guy, but most people have no choice.

     The moral of my own personal story and the value of this free report is to alert  aspiring dreamers who want their own business to the traps and solutions to starting your own business.  To try a new business on your own when you have no experience is folly.  To plan carefully, complete a business plan, seek out a mentor who will tell you the truth from experience and to do it with careful thought is the only way your dream will have a chance to become a reality.  Without careful planning a dream can turn into a nightmare.

Mentor and Business Consultant
      My eight years of experience in business, national business consulting, executive positions and years of public relations, marketing and communication gives me a tremendous ability to help women who want to try running a business.  Whether you wish to run a tearoom, gift gallery or any other business, I can be a valuable mentor and business consultant.  I feel I can save men and women a lot of money and even prevent some from making fatal mistakes. My warning to anyone considering launching a business is to do your planning with an experienced mentor unless you have a lot of money to waste getting experience the hard way.  Trying a new business on your own is a formula for failure.  There are simply too many “business hats” one must wear to be successful.

How I charge for consulting:
• Business plan outline identifying all the components you must include in your business plan.  This outline also includes your marketing plan outline. The consulting fee is $595 for a one-hour meeting and a final outline.

• Business plan completion - $5,000

• Hourly consulting – first hour is $350 and $150 there after.

• One year of on-site consulting for business launch, consulting regarding location, design, food planning, gift purchasing resources, web site development, implementing a marketing and public relations campaign, design of written material, open house and other requirements.  My on-site one year program is limited to 150 hours plus travel expenses.  My fee for one year of on-site consulting is $30,000 ($10,000 initial retainer and the balance paid $10,000 at the end of the first quarter, $10,000 paid at then end of the third quarter.)  You will receive a consulting contract identifying the exact work to be performed based upon individual requirements.

     If you are currently in business or are considering starting a business you may wish to call me for a no-cost phone discussion.  From our discussion you may feel I can be of help to you in your business interests.  If so, you may contact me at:

     If you are long-distance, you may also call my husband at The Advisor Group, Ltd. At (800) 800-5720.  Ask for Chuck  He is also a business consultant.  Between the two of us, we can be of tremendous help to any one starting or expanding a business.