Women In Business

By Sarah [email protected]

After Albert Lea resident Shelly Woitas graduated from college in sales and marketing, she worked in retail for several years.

But when she started having a family, she said, she realized retail hours didn’t mesh. She began to look for something else that fit better with their lives.

Though she never saw herself work-ing in a long-term care facility or with older people, she said she was caught by surprise when she found Oak Park Place.

“I had never been here before,” Woitas said of the facility. “I remem-ber thinking, this is a hidden secret in Albert Lea.”

Now, seven years later, she’s still at the facility on Bridge Avenue and works as the business and marketing coordinator.

“I really enjoy it,” Woitas said. “I have the fun part, getting to chat and see the residents every day, getting to know them.”

As marketing coordinator, she also

works with people who are interested in moving to the facility, gives tours, sends out information and does some advertising.

For the business part of her job, she’s involved with resident bill-ing, some human resources work and insurance paperwork for the employees.

“In this job it’s more emotional or personal than others,” Woitas said. “When people come here they’re at their wits’ end. I listen to a lot of sto-ries, a lot of sad stories.

“Some days can be very emotional, very draining.”

Regardless, she said she loves help-ing people.

Sometimes, she also gets assigned other miscellaneous tasks, making her a jill of all trades.

“We’re a small community here, so we kind of wear a lot of hats,” she said. “Every day is different. Today, I was moving furniture; tomorrow I might help with a resident party. You never know what you’re going to do. That’s what I like about it.”

As a single mother of two boys, Aaron, 17, and Andy, 13, she said she

typically works traditional hours, but she noted the company has been flexible with her and her sons’ sched-ules, allowing her to take time off for appointments and then come in at different times if needed.

The facility, which she describes as a “cozy, warm, home-like atmo-

sphere,” instead of one with stark hallways and intercoms, has 49 residents.

She said the Oak Park Place staff pride themselves on quality one-on-one resident care.

When she’s not at work, she enjoys reading, decorating and camping.

Page 8 • WOMEN IN BUSINESS • Albert Lea Tribune • Friday, October 28, 2011

From retail to long-term caring

Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea TribuneOak Park Place Business and Marketing Coordinator Shelly Woitas stands in front of a fireplace at the facility Oct. 21. Woitas has worked at Oak Park Place for seven years.

Oak Park Place can be found at 1615 Bridge Ave., Albert Lea. Thursday, October 20, 2011

InsIde:• An Albert Lea woman speaks about being a small business owner• Visit Darcy at Conger Meat Market• An Albert Lea woman enjoys the long-term care industry

By Amanda [email protected]

AUSTIN — When Lindsey Haney and Jill DeMeyer opened the Style Lounge Salon on Main Street in Aus-tin last November, they had no idea how well the community would take to the business.

Nearly one year later, both women are thrilled with their first year in business and hope to continue thriving.

“It really has been an amazing journey,” DeMeyer said. “Our guests have been so amazing and supportive throughout this whole ordeal that we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”

Much of the salon’s success can be attributed to the salon’s styling team, which includes Haney and DeMeyer along with four other styl-ists and one associate. Haney said everyone who works there is pas-sionate about their work and has a good work ethic.

Not to mention, guests have been loving the modern decor and atmo-sphere of the salon. When Haney and DeMeyer started carrying Bare Es-

centuals makeup, the president of the company said their salon looks like it belongs in California.

“When they came back and were overwhelmed with a rural Minne-sota town having such a modern and different look, it was a great compli-ment,” DeMeyer said. “We work in an atmosphere where we feel like everybody in here is a superstar, so it’s really fun.”

“We get the comment that ‘this doesn’t feel like Austin’ a lot,” Haney added.

Haney said she and DeMeyer are constantly training their staff, which can be a rarity among salons. They are currently training their associates in a program that is similar to a master’s program.

“We’re constantly doing education,” Haney said. “You’re not required as a stylist to have continued education, which is kind of sad.”

As the Style Lounge Salon cel-ebrates its first birthday, Haney and DeMeyer are happy with their success thus far and excited about what the future might hold.

The salon has room for 10 more stylists than it currently has, and

Haney said they’ll likely fill those slots eventually.

The salon is also offering a special first birthday promotion starting Nov. 1. For $15, customers can buy a “birthday card” from the salon and get $110 worth of products and services.

“We can’t believe that it’s already been a year,” DeMeyer said.

“I feel like Austin has this really strong support for small businesses, and there’s camaraderie between small business owners in town,” Haney said. “I’m ecstatic about how things have gone so far. It was really overwhelming at first, but I definitely feel more confident than I did a year ago.”

Page 2 • WOMEN IN BUSINESS • Albert Lea Tribune • Friday, October 28, 2011 Albert Lea Tribune • Friday, October 28, 2011 • WOMEN IN BUSINESS • Page 7

At MANPOWER, we interview, train,

assess and screen candidates EVERY DAY who are READY to begin their

NEW CAREER PATH.Call MANPOWER today.We are the trusted advisor in

today’s changing world of work.

507-377-7410www.us.manpower.com

1st year of business going well for 2 Austin women

Tribune file photoJill DeMeyer, right, and Lindsey Haney opened the doors last November of The Salon Lounge, a full service hair salon, on Main Street in Austin.

The inside of the Style Lounge, reworked from the days when it was Marty’s Hobby in Austin.

While raising children, many women find themselves looking for a solution in which they can work, while still being involved in their child’s life. This may be one of the reasons for the rising trend of successful “mompre-neurs” — women starting and run-ning their own businesses, often from home.

There’s no need to choose between being a parent and running your dream business. Female entrepre-neurs have been phenomenally suc-cessful in the recent past, with more than 8 million women-owned busi-nesses in the United States.

This trend doesn’t seem to be a blip on the radar; in fact, women entrepreneurs are poised for con-tinued growth over the next few years. Women entrepreneurs in the United States will create more than 5 million new jobs by 2018, which is more than half of the new jobs the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to be created over that time, according to the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.

When women do make the leap to start their own businesses, research shows that they may be more success-ful than their male counterparts. The Institute also found that female small business owners may succeed because they are more engaged in strategic facets of their business, more com-mitted to creating opportunities for others, and more customer-focused than their male counterparts.

Becoming a mompreneur is excit-ing, but your dream business won’t start itself. BizFilings, an online incor-poration provider, offers the following business tips for mompreneurs, both aspiring and current.

Start a business that lets you follow your passion. If you plan a business around a hobby or something you enjoy, work can be fun, and you may

not mind putting in the extra hours it will take to make your endeavor successful. BizFilings has helped over a million entrepreneurs start a busi-ness, and has incorporated businesses large and small, from fabric stores to Facebook. Starting your business gives you the freedom to choose your dream job or something that lets you spend more time with your family.

This past year saw continued •growth from “digital moms,” or wom-en bloggers, turning their blogs into businesses. If you have a blog, you can draw revenue from companies who agree to advertise or promote their products or services on your blog, turning something you love into a suc-cessful business model.

If you have a soft spot for our •four-legged friends, consider capital-izing on the millions people spend each year on their pets. Start a pet care business for busy pet owners who don’t get a break in the day to take Fido for a walk. If you’d rather take your pooch to work, opening your own pet store (or pet bakery, a rising trend) can give you that flexibility.

Starting your own bakery or res-•taurant may seem daunting — but a food truck presents a unique oppor-tunity to break into the food industry. Food trucks are popping up in cities nationwide, with Americans embrac-ing the trend of mobile eating. Serving everything from crepes to cupcakes and sushi to sandwiches, this trend may be perfect for food-fueled entrepreneurs.

Create a business plan that works for you. This can be one of the most important first steps to starting a small business. Business plans aren’t tailor-made — everyone considers different things to be important. Use the Small Business Administration to help you write yours by visiting your

local chapter or by using the resources available on www.sba.gov.

Consider incorporation to protect your family. When you’re starting up a business, you may have to rely on your family’s savings to get the business off the ground. Incorporat-ing your company can protect your family’s assets and savings by provid-ing a layer of liability between your business and your savings. If anything goes wrong, your family’s home, vehicles and even your child’s college fund could be at stake — but not if you’ve incorporated.

Incorporation can also grant you a better financial foundation when getting your business off the ground. Women are more prone than men to finance their business on credit cards — a risky gamble that often backfires with bad credit and steep interest charges. Getting a loan from a bank is a much savvier business decision, and incorporating your business can be a

crucial factor in showing the bank that you take your business seriously.

“If you have a dream business, we’ll incorporate it — it’s that simple,” says Karen Kobelski, mother of two and a member of the leadership team at BizFilings. “And as a supporter of mompreneurs, we help our customers pick the business structure that’s right for them and their family.”

Becoming a mompreneur can have many benefits other than spending more time with your kids. Working from home can come with its own set of tax breaks, as long as your des-ignated home office meets certain specifications. The government also provides specific programs to help women entrepreneurs, including grants and loans as well as specific contract work not available to other entrepreneurs. To find out more about government assistance for entrepreneurs, visit the SBA’s website, www.sba.gov.

How moms can find opportunities to chase business dreams

www.americanainsurance.com • (507) 377-2000We’re the Insurance Guys!

Nancy Vaale, Dorothy Paulsen Blum,Lori Bagley, Lauren Nelson, Suzanne Dickson

“The Insurance Guys” want to recognize the “Insurance Gals” & their Excellence

to the insurance industryComing your wayOctober 31

By Andrew [email protected]

Jody Davis never considered herself a small business owner, but after struggling to book tanning appoint-ments before a friend’s wedding, she decided to become one.

Davis, 35, opened Etcetera Tanning & Clothing in Skyline Plaza in 2005 after seeing a need in the community. The former sales associate at Slum-berland Furniture spent 1 1/2 years researching the industry before jump-ing in.

Etcetera opened as a tanning salon with six beds, which also sold children’s clothes. Davis had small children herself and knew Albert Lea didn’t have a lot of options in retail.

“I knew how they outgrow stuff, how good of condition it’s in and how expensive it can be,” Davis said.

At Etcetera, people can drop off slightly used clothes and Davis and her staff thoroughly inspect it. If it’s free of stains and tears, and in good shape, Etcetera may buy the items and sell them used at a discounted

price. The store sells name brands such as Old Navy, Gap, OshKosh and The Children’s Place, and after the children’s clothes were a hit, Davis began selling maternity and junior’s clothes, baby gear and purses, most recently.

Davis also expanded her salon, moving from six to nine beds over six years. Etcetera’s latest additions are a 12-minute bed which features better bulbs, and reflectors that tan custom-ers’ faces, shoulders and sides. Davis also added a skin conditioning/hydra-tion spa and airbrush tanning.

As the store kept expanding Davis said the amount of customers did, too.

“Being here six years, I’m still sur-prised how many new clients we have here each week,” Davis said. “We get a lot of people from small, surrounding communities, too.”

Davis has reached farther-away clients through a broad range of ad-vertising. Since she opened Etcetera, Davis has advertised in newspapers including the Tribune and the Alden Advance, and local radio stations KATE and Power 96. She said she’s also began advertising in the North-wood Anchor, New Richland Star Eagle, Lake Mills Graphic and the Freeborn County Shopper, to name a few.

Davis said she chose Skyline Plaza to start her business because she lived nearby. Her children attend Sibley Elementary and Southwest Middle School, which are located right behind

the plaza, so it’s easy for Davis to pick them up or for them to walk over after school.

“There’s great parking, it’s clean and well maintained,” Davis said.

Davis said she was aware that the plaza, which was once Skyline Mall, was changing from a retail hotspot to more of a business park, but that didn’t deter her.

“I knew up front that we weren’t go-ing to have walk-by traffic from other

stores,” Davis said. “But tanning is a destination. I wasn’t too worried.”

Davis said walk-by traffic, which would help the clothing aspect of Et-cetera, has declined since the closing of Skyline Plaza’s food court and Jo-Ann Fabrics, which were both open in 2005.

Davis’ biggest fear when opening the store was going out of business, especially since it required a personal financial investment. Davis said her husband, Kevin, who works at Alamco Wood Products, remodeled the store’s interior, which had brand new beds and light fixtures.

Davis’ step-dad, an electrician, did the wiring, and other family members and friends pitched in.

“Everybody came together to help,” Davis said.

Davis said owning a business was completely new to her and she quickly had to learn about payroll, taxes and inventory. She goes to skin care conventions each year to stay current with the latest products and techniques, and likes to use the latest equipment, too.

Her sales background helps her communicate with customers. Davis said she would like to get another 12-minute tanning bed but be-yond that has no plans for further expansion.

“There’s no other direction to go,” Davis said, pointing to her store.


901 Luther Place, Albert Lea, MN507-373-8226

www.stjohnsofalbertlea.org

We Salute & are proud ofour 250 Women Workers!

2401 Bridge Ave., Albert Lea 507-373-8600

www.statebankcg.com

Celebrating 108 years of dedicated service

Helping women succeed in business and life every day

NOT YOUR TYPICAL BANKERS, NOT YOUR TYPICAL BANK!

INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY

MemberFDIC

Massage ConnectionsWellness Center & Spa

2209 E. Main, Albert Lea

All working women,

we invite you to relax and

be well.

Just another day at the meat marketBy Danielle Boss

Top left: Darcy Johnson, co-owner of Conger Meat Market, pulls out jerky for a customer.Above: Johnson does bookkeeping for the Conger Meat Market, which has locations in Conger and Northbridge Mall in Albert Lea.Far bottom left: Johnson bags an order while visiting with customers.Left: Johnson weighs a customer’s meat before computing its cost.

Andrew Dyrdal/Albert Lea TribuneJody Davis, owner of Etcetera Tanning & Clothing, sits on the salon’s new 12-minute bed.

Becoming a small business owner

The exterior of Etcetera Tanning & Clothing as seen from inside the Skyline Plaza.

ETCEtceteraTanning & Clothing

Feel TANtastic!

Located in Skyline Plaza • 1663 W. Main St. 507.377.TANS (8267) Open 7 days a week

Walk-insWelcome!

• 12, 15 & 20 minute tanning beds• Red Light Therapy• Custom airbrush tanning• Skin conditioning, hydration spa

greAt seLeCtIoN oF geNtLy useD ChILDreNs, juNIors & MAterNIty CLothINg, BABy geAr,

shoes, toys, treNDy Purses & etC.

From a young age, we’re often told the path to a successful career leads through college. However, college is not a one-size-fits-all experience for ev-

eryone pursuing a post-secondary education. Where one person might stand to benefit from completing a degree at a four-year university, another may be just as well off with an associate degree.

Might you be one of the many who are well-suited for an associate degree? Here are a few scenarios where an associate degree might be the best college option for you:

You need career-specific training. Associate •degree programs often cater to those who need training relating directly to the career they would like to pursue. You may need specific computer programming training, or certification in a certain field of health care. For example, some colleges of-fer a number of career-specific associate programs featuring plenty of hands-on training in the fields of health care, IT and business, among others.

You’re looking to bolster your earning potential. •You may find yourself in a situation where simply adding a college degree to your resume will increase the amount of money you can earn. This could be through a promotion at your current workplace, or simply receiving some necessary training that will open other doors for you. Those with an associate degree earn, on average, $6,000 more in annual income than those with a high school diploma, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

You’re looking for flexible scheduling. Because •associate degrees are often aimed at nontraditional students who may be completing degrees while con-tinuing employment or juggling other life events, you’re likely to find plenty of options when it comes to completing your degree. Taking night classes, going to school part-time, enrolling in an acceler-ated program and attending classes online are all

options you can expect to find from an associate degree program.

You’re looking for a shorter path to a degree. •If making a four-year commitment at this point in your life is difficult, an associate degree might be the right choice for the time being. Some programs allow you to complete your associate degree in as little as 17 months. If you’re in a place in your life where you immediately need to provide an income for your family, or you’ve recently been laid off, an associate degree is one short-term option that can help improve your job prospects.

You haven’t identified a career path. If you’re •looking to further your education, but aren’t quite sure what you want to do for a living, an associate degree allows you to complete many of the general education courses that are the building blocks of any college degree. Once you complete your as-sociate degree, you can decide whether you’d like to take what you’ve learned and apply it to a more advanced degree, or you can enter the workforce with a leg up on those who only have a high school education. The unemployment rate for those with some college education or an associate degree was 8.2 percent compared to 9.6 percent for those with a high school diploma, according the most recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

When you’re planning your college education, it’s important to find a program that meets your goals, rather than just selecting a program based on what society has told you. For many, an associate degree is a sensible option for their life-style and ca-reer plans.


Proud tobe Women

owned!Elegant cakes witha decadent taste

1417 St. John Ave, Albert Lea369-0272

[email protected]

MemberFDIC

www.securitybankmn.comAlbert Lea • 437 Bridge • 373-1481Emmons • 201 Main St • 297-5461

We’re Your Local Partner In Business

Providing financial solutions for business owners

since 1906 - with the local decision process you deserve.

Thanks to all of the women providing care

to the residents of

1615 Bridge Ave, Albert Lea

373-5600

®

I have never met a mom who wasn’t working — or any other woman for that matter. More than ever before women are handling their own or their family’s finances. It’s not about what you have; it’s what you do with it to secure your future.

We all have unique needs and resources, but everyone wants to protect what they’ve worked so hard to acquire. It’s all about taking what you have, making the most of it, and building a solid financial future that is uniquely yours. A woman has dif-ferent financial needs than a man. Everyone must face the good news that women live longer and the poten-tially bad news that they will spend more years in retirement than the last generation.

Why is that bad news? More years in retirement could mean potentially

outliving your nest egg. Women, having greater life expectancies than men, must place a greater empha-sis on planning for retirement and long term care to ensure they have saved enough to last through their golden years. That’s why State Farm has a special website just for women called the State Farm Red Portfolio at sfredportfolio.com. It’s all about you, your finances and your dreams for the future, and how to make the most of what you have.

Whether you want to buy a new

home, fund a child’s education, pro-tect your business interests, or save for a comfortable retirement, sfred-portfolio.com is a great place to start.

But it’s just a start. You should work with a trusted professional who can be your long-term resource for help with your financial goals. Schedule a meet-ing to explore your goals and begin building a road map for your financial future. It’s never too late or too early to start securing your financial future. The sooner you develop a plan that fits your situation, the more likely you are to achieve your goals and be able to do the things you really want to do when you retire.

So why wait? The clock is ticking and it is time to set your goals and achieve them! Remember, it’s not what you have; it’s what you do with it that can make all the difference.

Future dreams take financial planningNancy

VanderWaerdt

State Farm agent

Is an associate degree right for you?

Award-winning news coverage.

When you start a small business, you’ll probably discover that what you learned in business school doesn’t cover everything you need to know as a business leader.

That’s what Michael Alter, SurePayroll president and CEO, discovered during his 10 years leading the company. He’s put together five tips for growing a small business that you probably won’t learn in business school:

1. Don’t be afraid to make new mistakes.Mistakes are one of the most valuable learn-

ing tools I’ve ever come across. You can’t learn anything if you’re afraid to try something new, or worried about letting your staff do things differently.

As a small business owner, you can’t afford to fall victim to “the paralysis of analysis.” That doesn’t mean you should change how you run an aspect of your business without doing your due diligence. But the longer you wait to try something new, the longer you’ll wait to learn something your competitors might already know.

Develop a culture where you and your employees feel comfortable trying something new and embrac-ing an entrepreneurial spirit.

“At SurePayroll, we give a ‘Best New Mistake’ award that’s our equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The winner walks away with $400 — the largest prize we issue to any employee,” Alter said.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much you learn, and how entrepreneurial your employees can be, when you give them the freedom to err.

2. Saying “no” to new business is one of your most powerful assets.

Taking on new challenges and doing practi-cally everything yourself is the hallmark of a small business owner. But rather than accepting every new opportunity that looks like it might be helpful with your business, start saying “no” to things that aren’t strategically aligned with your business.

Be sure “no” is part of your vocabulary so you can say “yes” to focusing on your core business.

3. Use negatives as positives.You may never have the big marketing budgets,

huge cash flow, or large infrastructure that your big competitors will. Most people will tell you that’s a negative you’ll have to overcome (or a “challenge”

you have to overcome, if they’re being nice). Rather, think of it as a positive — an opportunity you need to seize.

Working with abundant resources is always more cumbersome. When your competitors want to change, they have an army of employees to retrain, technology to reprogram and at least a few big wigs who’ll need to sign off on it — usually after a lot of convincing.

As the owner of a small business, you are able to

change quickly. Use your nimbleness to your ad-vantage. Turning your idea into a reality quickly is much easier for you than for a colleague who works at a large employer.

4. Play to your strengths, not your weaknesses.In past jobs your bosses probably tried to help

you by identifying skills or traits you should im-prove when they conducted your performance reviews. But, time is the one resource you can never get more of. So why waste time trying to improve something you’re not good at — and probably don’t have any passion for — when you can outsource your weaknesses?

If you’re buried in receipts and your general ledger, struggling to keep the books accurate, find an accountant or bookkeeper so you can free up your time to focus on growing your business. If you’re great at selling your service or product but can’t help customers with questions, get a customer service representative on board so you can focus on what you’re best at.

When you’re in the middle of doing something you hate, pass the buck to someone else.

5. Use technology to improve everything.The advances in business technology over the

last 15 years have leveled the playing field. With the right technology, you can revolutionize how your business and service works — and even what your market expects.

Find the technology that can help you improve operations and free your staff to work on tasks that generate more revenue. If your employees are still digging through mounds of paper files and different spreadsheets for customer and prospect information, put everything in a central online customer relationship manager. And when your employees are on the go, ensure they have smartphones with apps (such as a document and spreadsheet viewers) they need to work from anywhere.

Smart technology investments always produce a strong return on investment.

“Following these principles has helped me in every step of my career,” Alter said. “But they wouldn’t matter if I didn’t adhere to one overarch-ing goal: Keep learning and remaining open to change. Markets change, consumers change, needs change. You need to provide the change businesses and consumers demand.”

5 tips for growing a small business

Some Women Dream of success... while others look to Express Employment Professionals to fulfill it!

We wish to thank the outstanding women in our community that place their trust in Express Employment Professionals.

We're Hiring!www.expresspros.com

1410 West Main StreetAlbert Lea

507-373-2826

From a young age, we’re often told the path to a successful career leads through college. However, college is not a one-size-fits-all experience for ev-

eryone pursuing a post-secondary education. Where one person might stand to benefit from completing a degree at a four-year university, another may be just as well off with an associate degree.

Might you be one of the many who are well-suited for an associate degree? Here are a few scenarios where an associate degree might be the best college option for you:

You need career-specific training. Associate •degree programs often cater to those who need training relating directly to the career they would like to pursue. You may need specific computer programming training, or certification in a certain field of health care. For example, some colleges of-fer a number of career-specific associate programs featuring plenty of hands-on training in the fields of health care, IT and business, among others.

You’re looking to bolster your earning potential. •You may find yourself in a situation where simply adding a college degree to your resume will increase the amount of money you can earn. This could be through a promotion at your current workplace, or simply receiving some necessary training that will open other doors for you. Those with an associate degree earn, on average, $6,000 more in annual income than those with a high school diploma, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

You’re looking for flexible scheduling. Because •associate degrees are often aimed at nontraditional students who may be completing degrees while con-tinuing employment or juggling other life events, you’re likely to find plenty of options when it comes to completing your degree. Taking night classes, going to school part-time, enrolling in an acceler-ated program and attending classes online are all

options you can expect to find from an associate degree program.

You’re looking for a shorter path to a degree. •If making a four-year commitment at this point in your life is difficult, an associate degree might be the right choice for the time being. Some programs allow you to complete your associate degree in as little as 17 months. If you’re in a place in your life where you immediately need to provide an income for your family, or you’ve recently been laid off, an associate degree is one short-term option that can help improve your job prospects.

You haven’t identified a career path. If you’re •looking to further your education, but aren’t quite sure what you want to do for a living, an associate degree allows you to complete many of the general education courses that are the building blocks of any college degree. Once you complete your as-sociate degree, you can decide whether you’d like to take what you’ve learned and apply it to a more advanced degree, or you can enter the workforce with a leg up on those who only have a high school education. The unemployment rate for those with some college education or an associate degree was 8.2 percent compared to 9.6 percent for those with a high school diploma, according the most recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

When you’re planning your college education, it’s important to find a program that meets your goals, rather than just selecting a program based on what society has told you. For many, an associate degree is a sensible option for their life-style and ca-reer plans.


Proud tobe Women

owned!Elegant cakes witha decadent taste

1417 St. John Ave, Albert Lea369-0272

[email protected]

MemberFDIC

www.securitybankmn.comAlbert Lea • 437 Bridge • 373-1481Emmons • 201 Main St • 297-5461

We’re Your Local Partner In Business

Providing financial solutions for business owners

since 1906 - with the local decision process you deserve.

Thanks to all of the women providing care

to the residents of

1615 Bridge Ave, Albert Lea

373-5600

®

I have never met a mom who wasn’t working — or any other woman for that matter. More than ever before women are handling their own or their family’s finances. It’s not about what you have; it’s what you do with it to secure your future.

We all have unique needs and resources, but everyone wants to protect what they’ve worked so hard to acquire. It’s all about taking what you have, making the most of it, and building a solid financial future that is uniquely yours. A woman has dif-ferent financial needs than a man. Everyone must face the good news that women live longer and the poten-tially bad news that they will spend more years in retirement than the last generation.

Why is that bad news? More years in retirement could mean potentially

outliving your nest egg. Women, having greater life expectancies than men, must place a greater empha-sis on planning for retirement and long term care to ensure they have saved enough to last through their golden years. That’s why State Farm has a special website just for women called the State Farm Red Portfolio at sfredportfolio.com. It’s all about you, your finances and your dreams for the future, and how to make the most of what you have.

Whether you want to buy a new

home, fund a child’s education, pro-tect your business interests, or save for a comfortable retirement, sfred-portfolio.com is a great place to start.

But it’s just a start. You should work with a trusted professional who can be your long-term resource for help with your financial goals. Schedule a meet-ing to explore your goals and begin building a road map for your financial future. It’s never too late or too early to start securing your financial future. The sooner you develop a plan that fits your situation, the more likely you are to achieve your goals and be able to do the things you really want to do when you retire.

So why wait? The clock is ticking and it is time to set your goals and achieve them! Remember, it’s not what you have; it’s what you do with it that can make all the difference.

Future dreams take financial planningNancy

VanderWaerdt

State Farm agent

Is an associate degree right for you?

Award-winning news coverage.

When you start a small business, you’ll probably discover that what you learned in business school doesn’t cover everything you need to know as a business leader.

That’s what Michael Alter, SurePayroll president and CEO, discovered during his 10 years leading the company. He’s put together five tips for growing a small business that you probably won’t learn in business school:

1. Don’t be afraid to make new mistakes.Mistakes are one of the most valuable learn-

ing tools I’ve ever come across. You can’t learn anything if you’re afraid to try something new, or worried about letting your staff do things differently.

As a small business owner, you can’t afford to fall victim to “the paralysis of analysis.” That doesn’t mean you should change how you run an aspect of your business without doing your due diligence. But the longer you wait to try something new, the longer you’ll wait to learn something your competitors might already know.

Develop a culture where you and your employees feel comfortable trying something new and embrac-ing an entrepreneurial spirit.

“At SurePayroll, we give a ‘Best New Mistake’ award that’s our equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The winner walks away with $400 — the largest prize we issue to any employee,” Alter said.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much you learn, and how entrepreneurial your employees can be, when you give them the freedom to err.

2. Saying “no” to new business is one of your most powerful assets.

Taking on new challenges and doing practi-cally everything yourself is the hallmark of a small business owner. But rather than accepting every new opportunity that looks like it might be helpful with your business, start saying “no” to things that aren’t strategically aligned with your business.

Be sure “no” is part of your vocabulary so you can say “yes” to focusing on your core business.

3. Use negatives as positives.You may never have the big marketing budgets,

huge cash flow, or large infrastructure that your big competitors will. Most people will tell you that’s a negative you’ll have to overcome (or a “challenge”

you have to overcome, if they’re being nice). Rather, think of it as a positive — an opportunity you need to seize.

Working with abundant resources is always more cumbersome. When your competitors want to change, they have an army of employees to retrain, technology to reprogram and at least a few big wigs who’ll need to sign off on it — usually after a lot of convincing.

As the owner of a small business, you are able to

change quickly. Use your nimbleness to your ad-vantage. Turning your idea into a reality quickly is much easier for you than for a colleague who works at a large employer.

4. Play to your strengths, not your weaknesses.In past jobs your bosses probably tried to help

you by identifying skills or traits you should im-prove when they conducted your performance reviews. But, time is the one resource you can never get more of. So why waste time trying to improve something you’re not good at — and probably don’t have any passion for — when you can outsource your weaknesses?

If you’re buried in receipts and your general ledger, struggling to keep the books accurate, find an accountant or bookkeeper so you can free up your time to focus on growing your business. If you’re great at selling your service or product but can’t help customers with questions, get a customer service representative on board so you can focus on what you’re best at.

When you’re in the middle of doing something you hate, pass the buck to someone else.

5. Use technology to improve everything.The advances in business technology over the

last 15 years have leveled the playing field. With the right technology, you can revolutionize how your business and service works — and even what your market expects.

Find the technology that can help you improve operations and free your staff to work on tasks that generate more revenue. If your employees are still digging through mounds of paper files and different spreadsheets for customer and prospect information, put everything in a central online customer relationship manager. And when your employees are on the go, ensure they have smartphones with apps (such as a document and spreadsheet viewers) they need to work from anywhere.

Smart technology investments always produce a strong return on investment.

“Following these principles has helped me in every step of my career,” Alter said. “But they wouldn’t matter if I didn’t adhere to one overarch-ing goal: Keep learning and remaining open to change. Markets change, consumers change, needs change. You need to provide the change businesses and consumers demand.”

5 tips for growing a small business

Some Women Dream of success... while others look to Express Employment Professionals to fulfill it!

We wish to thank the outstanding women in our community that place their trust in Express Employment Professionals.

We're Hiring!www.expresspros.com

1410 West Main StreetAlbert Lea

507-373-2826

By Andrew [email protected]

Jody Davis never considered herself a small business owner, but after struggling to book tanning appoint-ments before a friend’s wedding, she decided to become one.

Davis, 35, opened Etcetera Tanning & Clothing in Skyline Plaza in 2005 after seeing a need in the community. The former sales associate at Slum-berland Furniture spent 1 1/2 years researching the industry before jump-ing in.

Etcetera opened as a tanning salon with six beds, which also sold children’s clothes. Davis had small children herself and knew Albert Lea didn’t have a lot of options in retail.

“I knew how they outgrow stuff, how good of condition it’s in and how expensive it can be,” Davis said.

At Etcetera, people can drop off slightly used clothes and Davis and her staff thoroughly inspect it. If it’s free of stains and tears, and in good shape, Etcetera may buy the items and sell them used at a discounted

price. The store sells name brands such as Old Navy, Gap, OshKosh and The Children’s Place, and after the children’s clothes were a hit, Davis began selling maternity and junior’s clothes, baby gear and purses, most recently.

Davis also expanded her salon, moving from six to nine beds over six years. Etcetera’s latest additions are a 12-minute bed which features better bulbs, and reflectors that tan custom-ers’ faces, shoulders and sides. Davis also added a skin conditioning/hydra-tion spa and airbrush tanning.

As the store kept expanding Davis said the amount of customers did, too.

“Being here six years, I’m still sur-prised how many new clients we have here each week,” Davis said. “We get a lot of people from small, surrounding communities, too.”

Davis has reached farther-away clients through a broad range of ad-vertising. Since she opened Etcetera, Davis has advertised in newspapers including the Tribune and the Alden Advance, and local radio stations KATE and Power 96. She said she’s also began advertising in the North-wood Anchor, New Richland Star Eagle, Lake Mills Graphic and the Freeborn County Shopper, to name a few.

Davis said she chose Skyline Plaza to start her business because she lived nearby. Her children attend Sibley Elementary and Southwest Middle School, which are located right behind

the plaza, so it’s easy for Davis to pick them up or for them to walk over after school.

“There’s great parking, it’s clean and well maintained,” Davis said.

Davis said she was aware that the plaza, which was once Skyline Mall, was changing from a retail hotspot to more of a business park, but that didn’t deter her.

“I knew up front that we weren’t go-ing to have walk-by traffic from other

stores,” Davis said. “But tanning is a destination. I wasn’t too worried.”

Davis said walk-by traffic, which would help the clothing aspect of Et-cetera, has declined since the closing of Skyline Plaza’s food court and Jo-Ann Fabrics, which were both open in 2005.

Davis’ biggest fear when opening the store was going out of business, especially since it required a personal financial investment. Davis said her husband, Kevin, who works at Alamco Wood Products, remodeled the store’s interior, which had brand new beds and light fixtures.

Davis’ step-dad, an electrician, did the wiring, and other family members and friends pitched in.

“Everybody came together to help,” Davis said.

Davis said owning a business was completely new to her and she quickly had to learn about payroll, taxes and inventory. She goes to skin care conventions each year to stay current with the latest products and techniques, and likes to use the latest equipment, too.

Her sales background helps her communicate with customers. Davis said she would like to get another 12-minute tanning bed but be-yond that has no plans for further expansion.

“There’s no other direction to go,” Davis said, pointing to her store.


901 Luther Place, Albert Lea, MN507-373-8226

www.stjohnsofalbertlea.org

We Salute & are proud ofour 250 Women Workers!

2401 Bridge Ave., Albert Lea 507-373-8600

www.statebankcg.com

Celebrating 108 years of dedicated service

Helping women succeed in business and life every day

NOT YOUR TYPICAL BANKERS, NOT YOUR TYPICAL BANK!

INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY

MemberFDIC

Massage ConnectionsWellness Center & Spa

2209 E. Main, Albert Lea

All working women,

we invite you to relax and

be well.

Just another day at the meat marketBy Danielle Boss

Top left: Darcy Johnson, co-owner of Conger Meat Market, pulls out jerky for a customer.Above: Johnson does bookkeeping for the Conger Meat Market, which has locations in Conger and Northbridge Mall in Albert Lea.Far bottom left: Johnson bags an order while visiting with customers.Left: Johnson weighs a customer’s meat before computing its cost.

Andrew Dyrdal/Albert Lea TribuneJody Davis, owner of Etcetera Tanning & Clothing, sits on the salon’s new 12-minute bed.

Becoming a small business owner

The exterior of Etcetera Tanning & Clothing as seen from inside the Skyline Plaza.

ETCEtceteraTanning & Clothing

Feel TANtastic!

Located in Skyline Plaza • 1663 W. Main St. 507.377.TANS (8267) Open 7 days a week

Walk-insWelcome!

• 12, 15 & 20 minute tanning beds• Red Light Therapy• Custom airbrush tanning• Skin conditioning, hydration spa

greAt seLeCtIoN oF geNtLy useD ChILDreNs, juNIors & MAterNIty CLothINg, BABy geAr,

shoes, toys, treNDy Purses & etC.

By Amanda [email protected]

AUSTIN — When Lindsey Haney and Jill DeMeyer opened the Style Lounge Salon on Main Street in Aus-tin last November, they had no idea how well the community would take to the business.

Nearly one year later, both women are thrilled with their first year in business and hope to continue thriving.

“It really has been an amazing journey,” DeMeyer said. “Our guests have been so amazing and supportive throughout this whole ordeal that we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”

Much of the salon’s success can be attributed to the salon’s styling team, which includes Haney and DeMeyer along with four other styl-ists and one associate. Haney said everyone who works there is pas-sionate about their work and has a good work ethic.

Not to mention, guests have been loving the modern decor and atmo-sphere of the salon. When Haney and DeMeyer started carrying Bare Es-

centuals makeup, the president of the company said their salon looks like it belongs in California.

“When they came back and were overwhelmed with a rural Minne-sota town having such a modern and different look, it was a great compli-ment,” DeMeyer said. “We work in an atmosphere where we feel like everybody in here is a superstar, so it’s really fun.”

“We get the comment that ‘this doesn’t feel like Austin’ a lot,” Haney added.

Haney said she and DeMeyer are constantly training their staff, which can be a rarity among salons. They are currently training their associates in a program that is similar to a master’s program.

“We’re constantly doing education,” Haney said. “You’re not required as a stylist to have continued education, which is kind of sad.”

As the Style Lounge Salon cel-ebrates its first birthday, Haney and DeMeyer are happy with their success thus far and excited about what the future might hold.

The salon has room for 10 more stylists than it currently has, and

Haney said they’ll likely fill those slots eventually.

The salon is also offering a special first birthday promotion starting Nov. 1. For $15, customers can buy a “birthday card” from the salon and get $110 worth of products and services.

“We can’t believe that it’s already been a year,” DeMeyer said.

“I feel like Austin has this really strong support for small businesses, and there’s camaraderie between small business owners in town,” Haney said. “I’m ecstatic about how things have gone so far. It was really overwhelming at first, but I definitely feel more confident than I did a year ago.”


At MANPOWER, we interview, train,

assess and screen candidates EVERY DAY who are READY to begin their

NEW CAREER PATH.Call MANPOWER today.We are the trusted advisor in

today’s changing world of work.

507-377-7410www.us.manpower.com

1st year of business going well for 2 Austin women

Tribune file photoJill DeMeyer, right, and Lindsey Haney opened the doors last November of The Salon Lounge, a full service hair salon, on Main Street in Austin.

The inside of the Style Lounge, reworked from the days when it was Marty’s Hobby in Austin.

While raising children, many women find themselves looking for a solution in which they can work, while still being involved in their child’s life. This may be one of the reasons for the rising trend of successful “mompre-neurs” — women starting and run-ning their own businesses, often from home.

There’s no need to choose between being a parent and running your dream business. Female entrepre-neurs have been phenomenally suc-cessful in the recent past, with more than 8 million women-owned busi-nesses in the United States.

This trend doesn’t seem to be a blip on the radar; in fact, women entrepreneurs are poised for con-tinued growth over the next few years. Women entrepreneurs in the United States will create more than 5 million new jobs by 2018, which is more than half of the new jobs the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to be created over that time, according to the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.

When women do make the leap to start their own businesses, research shows that they may be more success-ful than their male counterparts. The Institute also found that female small business owners may succeed because they are more engaged in strategic facets of their business, more com-mitted to creating opportunities for others, and more customer-focused than their male counterparts.

Becoming a mompreneur is excit-ing, but your dream business won’t start itself. BizFilings, an online incor-poration provider, offers the following business tips for mompreneurs, both aspiring and current.

Start a business that lets you follow your passion. If you plan a business around a hobby or something you enjoy, work can be fun, and you may

not mind putting in the extra hours it will take to make your endeavor successful. BizFilings has helped over a million entrepreneurs start a busi-ness, and has incorporated businesses large and small, from fabric stores to Facebook. Starting your business gives you the freedom to choose your dream job or something that lets you spend more time with your family.

This past year saw continued •growth from “digital moms,” or wom-en bloggers, turning their blogs into businesses. If you have a blog, you can draw revenue from companies who agree to advertise or promote their products or services on your blog, turning something you love into a suc-cessful business model.

If you have a soft spot for our •four-legged friends, consider capital-izing on the millions people spend each year on their pets. Start a pet care business for busy pet owners who don’t get a break in the day to take Fido for a walk. If you’d rather take your pooch to work, opening your own pet store (or pet bakery, a rising trend) can give you that flexibility.

Starting your own bakery or res-•taurant may seem daunting — but a food truck presents a unique oppor-tunity to break into the food industry. Food trucks are popping up in cities nationwide, with Americans embrac-ing the trend of mobile eating. Serving everything from crepes to cupcakes and sushi to sandwiches, this trend may be perfect for food-fueled entrepreneurs.

Create a business plan that works for you. This can be one of the most important first steps to starting a small business. Business plans aren’t tailor-made — everyone considers different things to be important. Use the Small Business Administration to help you write yours by visiting your

local chapter or by using the resources available on www.sba.gov.

Consider incorporation to protect your family. When you’re starting up a business, you may have to rely on your family’s savings to get the business off the ground. Incorporat-ing your company can protect your family’s assets and savings by provid-ing a layer of liability between your business and your savings. If anything goes wrong, your family’s home, vehicles and even your child’s college fund could be at stake — but not if you’ve incorporated.

Incorporation can also grant you a better financial foundation when getting your business off the ground. Women are more prone than men to finance their business on credit cards — a risky gamble that often backfires with bad credit and steep interest charges. Getting a loan from a bank is a much savvier business decision, and incorporating your business can be a

crucial factor in showing the bank that you take your business seriously.

“If you have a dream business, we’ll incorporate it — it’s that simple,” says Karen Kobelski, mother of two and a member of the leadership team at BizFilings. “And as a supporter of mompreneurs, we help our customers pick the business structure that’s right for them and their family.”

Becoming a mompreneur can have many benefits other than spending more time with your kids. Working from home can come with its own set of tax breaks, as long as your des-ignated home office meets certain specifications. The government also provides specific programs to help women entrepreneurs, including grants and loans as well as specific contract work not available to other entrepreneurs. To find out more about government assistance for entrepreneurs, visit the SBA’s website, www.sba.gov.

How moms can find opportunities to chase business dreams

www.americanainsurance.com • (507) 377-2000We’re the Insurance Guys!

Nancy Vaale, Dorothy Paulsen Blum,Lori Bagley, Lauren Nelson, Suzanne Dickson

“The Insurance Guys” want to recognize the “Insurance Gals” & their Excellence

to the insurance industryComing your wayOctober 31

By Sarah [email protected]

After Albert Lea resident Shelly Woitas graduated from college in sales and marketing, she worked in retail for several years.

But when she started having a family, she said, she realized retail hours didn’t mesh. She began to look for something else that fit better with their lives.

Though she never saw herself work-ing in a long-term care facility or with older people, she said she was caught by surprise when she found Oak Park Place.

“I had never been here before,” Woitas said of the facility. “I remem-ber thinking, this is a hidden secret in Albert Lea.”

Now, seven years later, she’s still at the facility on Bridge Avenue and works as the business and marketing coordinator.

“I really enjoy it,” Woitas said. “I have the fun part, getting to chat and see the residents every day, getting to know them.”

As marketing coordinator, she also

works with people who are interested in moving to the facility, gives tours, sends out information and does some advertising.

For the business part of her job, she’s involved with resident bill-ing, some human resources work and insurance paperwork for the employees.

“In this job it’s more emotional or personal than others,” Woitas said. “When people come here they’re at their wits’ end. I listen to a lot of sto-ries, a lot of sad stories.

“Some days can be very emotional, very draining.”

Regardless, she said she loves help-ing people.

Sometimes, she also gets assigned other miscellaneous tasks, making her a jill of all trades.

“We’re a small community here, so we kind of wear a lot of hats,” she said. “Every day is different. Today, I was moving furniture; tomorrow I might help with a resident party. You never know what you’re going to do. That’s what I like about it.”

As a single mother of two boys, Aaron, 17, and Andy, 13, she said she

typically works traditional hours, but she noted the company has been flexible with her and her sons’ sched-ules, allowing her to take time off for appointments and then come in at different times if needed.

The facility, which she describes as a “cozy, warm, home-like atmo-

sphere,” instead of one with stark hallways and intercoms, has 49 residents.

She said the Oak Park Place staff pride themselves on quality one-on-one resident care.

When she’s not at work, she enjoys reading, decorating and camping.

Page 8 • WOMEN IN BUSINESS • Albert Lea Tribune • Friday, October 28, 2011

From retail to long-term caring

Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea TribuneOak Park Place Business and Marketing Coordinator Shelly Woitas stands in front of a fireplace at the facility Oct. 21. Woitas has worked at Oak Park Place for seven years.

Oak Park Place can be found at 1615 Bridge Ave., Albert Lea. Thursday, October 20, 2011

InsIde:• An Albert Lea woman speaks about being a small business owner• Visit Darcy at Conger Meat Market• An Albert Lea woman enjoys the long-term care industry

Documents

Women In Business