Twila Kaye from One Great Gift shares how she decided to open her own business and how Horizon has helped it grow.
What inspired you to open your own business?
Since young adulthood I had the dream of owning a gift store. For over 23 years I worked in the corporate world, most of which were in the real estate industry, where I had made gift baskets and gift arrangements for clients, friends and family. They always raved about them.
In 2006 my husband and I relocated to Indiana and bought a home. At closing, our Realtor left us a beautiful gift basket on the kitchen counter in our new house. Once again it made me remember my long lost dream. Shortly thereafter I became very good friends with our insurance agent and began sharing my gift business dream with her. She started having me make gift baskets for her company to donate to chamber events and other community events. Again, everyone raved about them. Every day she encouraged me to quit my “job” and open my gift store. A year later there came an opportunity that allowed me to do just that. I was finally able to stop trying to love what I was doing and actually do what I love. Twila Kaye’s Unique Gifts, Baskets & More was born!
What were your biggest concerns about starting your own business?
Because I started my business in 2007, the economy was my biggest concern. There were rumors that it was going to crash hard but I didn’t want to believe them. Another concern was that I had never been a business owner. My parents had been business owners so I knew a little bit, but not a lot. The third concern was being new to the area and not knowing a lot of people here. Even though these were big concerns, I thought to myself, “They are all things I can overcome,” and did it anyway.
What business steps did you take to get to where are you today?
One of the first steps was to research the retail and gift basket industries as well as my local market to determine what my store would offer. I knew I wanted gift baskets to be our main focus. At that time there wasn’t a lot of information specific to the gift basket industry so I knew I’d have to “wing it”. After much thought the conclusion was to open a gift store with a unique concept called “Create-A-Gift™. This concept allows customers to create their own gift by choosing separate gift and gourmet items that we in turn incorporate into a gift basket arrangement.
Because of my corporate experience it was natural for me to concentrate on building relationships with other businesses in the area. I joined every chamber, started a networking group, joined other networking groups, and got involved in the community to grow my business.
In October, 2010, an opportunity came to expand the business and take to the internet highways by acquiring One Great Gift Dropship. OGGD was a 2 year old company that was assembling and shipping gift arrangements for over 50 online gift basket companies. Since acquisition, we have proudly expanded that brand and are now serving over 150 online gift basket companies and retailers nationwide.
Today, with a new partner on board, Carol Thompson, Co-Founder/President Sales & Marketing, we are re-branding as One Great Gift, offering a plethora of products and services to meet the needs of our expanding marketplace and retail gift industry.
Long story short, being able to re-evaluate and change according to the industry and market demands has gotten us to where we are today.
What major challenges and obstacles did you face in the process of opening your business?
The major challenges, as stated before, have been the economy and being new to our area. At first I was trying to take my west coast experience and make the area fit me and the way I did things. It was like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. It didn’t take long to see that I had to let go and adapt myself to this marketplace, not the other way around. Then when the economy took a turn, again we had to re-evaluate and make the appropriate changes according to that.
What have been the most valuable lessons you’ve learned throughout the process?
I have that personality of always seeing the glass half-full and not half-empty. Over the years I’ve also learned to get out of my own way and not let fear hold me back. At a very young age my parents told me “where there’s a will there’s a way”, and that’s absolutely true. If you want it bad enough and you’re truly passionate about it, you will find a way to make it work. Now, after getting my degree from the school of hard knocks, my mantra is “So what, now what”! Every day we should re-evaluate who we are, what we do, and how we do it and be willing to adapt and change accordingly.
How has your relationship with Horizon Bank helped your business?
It’s actually helped quite a bit. The Vice President & Munster Branch Manager, Mike McIntyre, and his staff have been great fans and a great support for me and my business, not to mention one of my best customers! Mike supports my business whenever he can by purchasing gift baskets to give away at raffles and silent auctions. He’s introduced me to other organizations that have done the same, and even into another chamber where I’ve been able to build relationships and grow my business.
Over a year ago I transferred my business banking to Horizon Bank and have since opened personal accounts as well. Everyone at that branch has been very instrumental in helping me succeed, personally and professionally. I know as my business grows, they will always be there for me and that I can come to them first for anything. That’s what I really look for in a bank.
When my parents started their businesses, they had that type of personal touch with their bank. Although big banks have a great purpose, it’s really nice to have a relationship with a community-minded bank like Horizon.
I have a very genuine appreciation for Horizon Bank and feel very blessed to have them on my side!
Anything else you would like us to mention about your business?
The first week of November we’ll be launching our new website, OneGreatGift.com. In January 2012, we’ll be launching our third brand, One Great Gift Fundraising, where we will offer fundraising opportunities for schools, churches, clubs, teams, and organizations everywhere. We’ll provide them with an assigned promotional code and marketing campaign to send out to their supporters, and whenever those people shop on our website, we’ll track their sales and give back a percentage to the organization they support.
It’s very important for me to be charitable in everything I do, and this is one way my company can give back to the people who are helping us grow.
This is part of our Small Business Spotlight series on local businesses in the Michiana area that have partnered with Horizon Bank to help their organization grow.