Why promote small businesses?
Small businesses create new jobs everyday and make up a significant percentage of the gross national product. These ventures and their owners are a great contribution to the growth of this nation's economy.
HKR Photography in Germantown, Tennessee is our featured small business
this week. Approaching the first anniversary
of the founding of her business, owner Tammy Davis describes herself as a
photographer specializing in sports and action photography who also has
experience with family portraits, maternity, engagement, wedding and bridal and
baby showers. Upon asking Tammy how her
business came about, this was her reply:
“I started HKR Photography in August of 2011, but I got really interested
in photography when I received a Canon camera for Christmas 2010. When my
oldest son was playing football in the fall of 2010, a woman had asked me if I
wanted someone to take photos of my son for a sports poster. I said yes. Then I found out it was $50 for
the poster. I thought that I could do
that, all I needed was a good camera. So
when my youngest son started playing baseball in the spring of2011, I took my
camera out to the field and took pictures.
Then I had a friend of mine help me make a poster just like my oldest
son’s poster from the year before. The
poster my friend and I made turned out better than the one I bought for $50!
Since then I have taken engagement photos, baby showers, weddings, and lots of
sports photos. I have even taken graduation photos.”
Tammy named her business for her children, Haley, Kaleb and Ryan. Although Haley is currently away at college,
Tammy would like to see her business grow so that she can stay home with her
two younger children, Kaleb and Ryan, or at least provide her with a part-time
career so that she can spend more time with her family than her full-time job
allows. Even while she hopes it will
provide her with more time with her family, her sitting fees are relatively
low; for weddings, her fee is $275 for the first 90 minutes and $50 for each
additional hour, and $50 sitting fees for other portraits. She
has done photo sessions outside of the Memphis area and travel fees are based
on mileage if the commute takes longer than one hour.
This week’s small business
spotlight is on Divine Clementine’s Soap On A Rope in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a web-based business, but customers in
the Atlanta area do have a pickup/delivery option. This business was founded in the summer of
2009 after owner and native Memphian Curtisha Johnson was offered to take a
soap making class for free. She jumped at the
chance and knew it could be a great way to supplement her income as an
independent singer/songwriter/performer.
After a lot of research, including suggestions from some friends,
Curtisha has cultivated luxurious all-natural soaps. When I asked her how her business came into
being, this is what she had to say:
“I thought this soap making thing
would be perfect for me and my music career. I started out making soap with
distilled water but I wanted to set myself apart from other soap makers. I
started researching recipes on the net but really nothing spoke to me. One day while visiting a friend that had just given
birth, she suggested I make soap with goats milk because she had too much in her freezer and she needed to get rid of it. I gladly took it! Then I started to research
the benefits of using goats milk on the skin and I was hooked. It actually made me feel like my soap had
value and that it could heal people. It
is my goal to continue to make a great healing product and to have the best
customers in the universe! I would love for my soaps to have a lasting effect
on the planet long after I'm gone.”
Owner, Curtisha Johnson
After using her soaps myself for
over a year, I can vouch for the quality of the soap; however, people rarely
rely on opinion alone. So I asked her
how the all-natural ingredients in her soaps can benefit people, and in what
way. Her response:
“Goats milk soap is wonderful for
people with dry or sensitive skin, or conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
It is also perfect for healthy skin that wants to stay that way. Unprocessed
goats milk fresh from the farm contains many benefits.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids- goats milk contains alpha-hydroxy acids such as lactic acid
which helps remove dead skin cells from your skin’s surface. This leaves new
cells on the surface of your skin that are smoother and younger looking. The
alpha-hydroxy acids are so effective because they break down the bonds that
hold the dead skin cells together. Removing dead skin cells will help many skin
conditions by removing irritation. Water-based soaps may use harsh chemical
acids to accomplish this, frequently with skin-damaging results.
Vitamins- goats milk contains many vitamins, but is particularly high in Vitamin
A, which is necessary to repair damaged skin tissue and maintain healthy skin.
There have been several medical studies showing that creams made with Vitamin A
can reduce fine lines and wrinkles, control acne, and provide some psoriasis
relief. Water-based soaps can be artificially fortified with vitamins, but most
aren’t.
Cream- fat molecules are an important part of making good soap. The cream that
is present in goats milk helps boost the moisturizing quality of goats milk
soaps. Since many people suffer from dry skin, particularly in the winter
months, this is an important quality for soap. Goats milk soap will not dry your
skin out like many other soaps. This is important because keeping skin
naturally moisturized helps keep skin healthy.
Minerals- goats milk contains
important minerals for the skin such as selenium. Selenium is believed by
scientists to have an important role in preventing skin cancer. Selenium can
also help prevent damage to the skin from excessive time in the sun. Although
the water used in other soaps may contain minerals such as calcium, sodium, or
iron (commonly found in tap water), that’s not much help when it comes to your
skin.”
She obtains her goats milk from a
local goat farm in Jonesboro, Georgia. In
addition to goats milk, Divine Clementine’s Soap On A Rope contains other skin
soothing ingredients like coconut milk, oatmeal and essential oils such as
lavender, tea tree, ylang ylang and peppermint that she obtains from a day spa
in Atlanta.
Soapcicles and Grande bars
Products available include: $5 soapcicles
and $10 grande bars (free shipping on orders of $50 and up)
Lavender Goatsmilk (relaxing and calming scent)
Tea Tree Goatsmilk Oatmeal Cookie(helpful for those with eczema, psoriasis and
dry skin)
Peppermint Goatsmilk(helpful for those plagued with allergies or nausea,
including pregnancy nausea)
Coco Ylang Ylang with Lavender Flowers (effective for those with excessive
stress and anxiety)
All of Curtisha’s soaps,
soapcicles and grande bars, are made on a rope.
Why the rope?
“I put the soaps on ropes because
soap melts when kept in moisture. I didn’t want people to spend all that money
on my soap and it melt! After use, when you
hang your soap on its rope in a cool, dry place and away from moisture, one
grande bar can last up to 2 months!”
www.missionsmallbusiness.com
In addition to owning and operating this business and being a working singer, songwriter and performer, Curtisha is also applying for a grant through Chase and LivingSocial to expand her business. In order to qualify for the grant, 250 votes are required. To vote for this amazing business, please visit www.missionsmallbusiness.com, type in Divine Clementine in Atlanta, Georgia.
To learn more about Curtisha's soap, go to her blog at divineclementinesoap.blogspot.com.
Orders can be placed online at her blog page, by email or by phone.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Recently, a lot of my friends and family have struck out on their own and opened their own small businesses. What an incredibly brave thing to do, especially in this economy. Small Business With Big Dreams was created to spotlight one small business and its owner each week. If you have a small business and would like to be featured, please email me at smallbusinesswithbigdreams@gmail.com.
When asked about her special boutique, this is what owner Khristy Stephenson had to say:
I had been in construction my entire life and opened my own construction business in 1997. It was initially very successful, maybe even unusually successful. When the economy took a nasty turn for the worst, hitting construction business particularly hard, I had about 80 employees, 21 trucks and 4 secretaries. We were forced to downsize from more than 40 builders to just 3. One by one we sold our trucks to be able to meet payroll, and one by one we had to let people go until we were down to our original 5 employees. Eventually, we had to let two of them go.
We now have 5 employees, 2 trucks and 3 builders.
Needless to say I was about to lose my building. The business earnings could not cover the overhead expenses, insurance or taxes. My construction company was not bringing in enough profit to save what was left of the company I had opened 13 years prior. In January 2010, I went to market for the first time and I was overwhelmed. I had never worked in retail, much less been the "boutique" type of shopper. But what I knew was this: everyone has a birthday, many get married and many have babies... and everyone wants that special, one of a kind gift or even just a nice outfit to wear on that special day!
My husband didn't believe in what I wanted to create, and he was inadvertently responsible for the name. My nickname among my family members is Puffer, and he overheard me telling our one remaining secretary that I was going to open a store. Facetiously he said, "Yeah and she's going to name it Puffer's Purple Pickle!" Well, that was a bit of a tongue twister but I loved the name Purple Pickle. So the Purple Pickle it was going to be! I immediately saw the Pickle in my head and it took three graphic artists before someone actually saw my vision too!
The remodeling process began in July 2010. The office space of my warehouse became my boutique. We spent the month before the opening at school events and school fairs, advertising and setting up booths to show people what The Purple Pickle was going to be about. Never once did I bat an eye or worry that it wouldnt work... until the night before the grand opening. I sat straight up in bed and said to my husband, "Johnny, I'm scared! What if nobody comes?"
Owner Khristy Stephenson and her husband, John
The next day, on September 27, 2010, we opened our doors. Except for family members, everyone who came through those doors on that first day were people we had met at school shows. Our customers are the best! Without them, we wouldn't be here and my building would have been lost. Since the day we opened, we have expanded three times and my customers seem to love all the changes. All those tools from my construction business are put to good use on a very regular basis in my boutique. We make almost all of the frames, crosses and furniture in the store. We love to have our customers bring in a picture from a magazine or a sketch they have in their head and say, "Can you do this?" I LOVE A CHALLENGE! We also love local artists and handmade items. We carry the work of several locals in our store.
The Purple Pickle will soon be two years old and I'm still just as excited today as I was on the day we opened.
What kind of boutique is The Purple Pickle? I guess you could say we are your one stop gift shop for clothes, jewelry, purses, home decor and SO MUCH MORE!!!
“I started HKR Photography in August of 2011, but I got really interested
in photography when I received a Canon camera for Christmas 2010. When my
oldest son was playing football in the fall of 2010, a woman had asked me if I
wanted someone to take photos of my son for a sports poster. I said yes. Then I found out it was $50 for
the poster. I thought that I could do
that, all I needed was a good camera. So
when my youngest son started playing baseball in the spring of2011, I took my
camera out to the field and took pictures.
Then I had a friend of mine help me make a poster just like my oldest
son’s poster from the year before. The
poster my friend and I made turned out better than the one I bought for $50!
Since then I have taken engagement photos, baby showers, weddings, and lots of
sports photos. I have even taken graduation photos.”
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