West Company::Client Stories

Client Stories

Sand Piper Jewelry, Business Purchase

When Taylor Slevin first saw the listing come up for Sandpiper Jewelry, she knew it was the opportunity she had been looking for. She had experience working in the jewelry industry and had a high regard for the store. However, despite her years of experience working for other businesses, she had never purchased a business. She didn't know if it was feasible, what a fair price would be, but she did figure out where to begin, with West Company, the Mendocino Small Business Development Center.
"Right from the get go I developed a high regard for the professionalism and guidance of the West Company consultants. " said Slevin, who worked primarily with contract consultant Nancy Banker. "Nancy helped me to look at things I wouldn't have thought of on my own. She offered a neutral perspective, and peace of mind that I had covered all my bases," added Slevin.
Taylor also hired an attorney and an accountant to help her determine what level of risk she was taking on. Nancy helped her look through the books of the existing business and develop forecasts for the future. They were able to look at a "worst case scenario" and develop an offer that was fair for the previous owner, and feasible for Taylor.
Taylor was very fortunate, not only in the assistance of her management team, but also in the information she got from the previous owner. "She was very open and gave me a lot of information so that I was able to make a good decision," says Slevin. Between a combination of owner financing, and a personal bank loan Taylor was able to purchase the long-time Mendocino Jewelry store in October of 2010. After some time working in the store with the previous owner Taylor is now in full swing decking visitors and locals alike in fantastic jewelry.
Taylor spent a lot of time working on due diligence and working out a plan to purchase the business, and now she is seeing the pay off. "I am very fortunate for the help of the Mendocino SBDC. They helped me make my dream come true. This is what I am meant to be doing and it has been an amazing experience," concluded Slevin.

 

 

At One yOga

Justine Lemos is about to see one of her dreams become reality. Born and raised on the Mendocino Coast, Justine Lemos has traveled far and wide to become an expert in the field of the Anthropologies of Dance and Movement. A scholar, writer, and performer specializing in Indian dance, philosophy and yoga, Justine has worked hard to develop her expertise. After having spent fifteen years away, Justine recently returned to the Coast where her dream business, At One Yoga, is scheduled to open on August 1, 2011 in Fort Bragg.
Justine is an expert in her field. She holds a PhD, has studied yoga, philosophy and dance in India, and has a 200-hour yoga teaching certification, but she had never managed her own business and knew it could be challenging. Savvy with her finances, Justine knew there was a lot to consider in starting a business and she didn't want to miss anything important. “I never had a business before, and so I contacted West Company to get some assistance with preparation,” she explains.
Justine worked closely with Heather Gurewitz, Mendocino Women's Business Center Director at West Company, to conduct a feasibility study for her new studio. In their time working together, Justine and Heather covered all essential start-up topics including fixed costs, pricing models, break even analysis, and a start-up marketing plan. Gurewitz also assisted Justine as she worked through logistical issues and created a marketing campaign for the studio. “The nitty-gritty financial planning was really crucial and Heather thought of things I wouldn’t since I haven’t done it before. It was also really wonderful having someone sit down with me one-on-one and concentrate on me and my project.”
With some help from family and friends, Justine was able to secure and renovate a space in the Company Store, where she will begin offering classes on August 1st. She will also offer her first classical Indian Dance performance on August 5th at 6:30pm. At One Yoga will offer a variety of yoga classes including ones for mothers and toddlers, pregnant women, and even Thursday lunchtime yoga for those who can to slip away from their work. In the future, Justine hopes to expand her offerings to include classical Indian dance classes and adult beginning ballet.
When asked how she feels now that her business is about to open, Justine replied, “I’m just thrilled. I’m so excited to offer a studio dedicated to yoga and related yoga arts to the community, and to offer classes that aren’t offered elsewhere. The goal is more yoga for more people.”

(Adobe PDF 434 KB)

 

 

Divine Reflections Day Spa

“Sometimes my mom pinches me and says, ‘You’re not dreaming.’”

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Blue Moon Signature Weddings

Blue Moon Signature Wedding and Events specializes in unique weddings and events on the Mendocino Coast. Owner, Linda Macahilas started the business in 2011 after becoming a certified wedding and event planner through The Wedding Planning Institute. She came into wedding planning with 12 years of experience in the corporate world and experience as the organizer for many family weddings and events, but she had never started her own business. Through her certification program Linda got valuable tools to help her become a top-notch wedding planner, but was still struggling with turning it into a business. "I had a vision for what I wanted my business to look like and how I wanted to market it, but I didn't have a logo and I didn't think I could afford a website. I also needed help with pricing my services," said Macahilas.

Linda came to West Company and worked with Women's Business Center Director Heather Gurewitz. Together they looked at affordable options for a website and for a cohesive and well thought out marketing strategy. "Heather helped me get organized and find ways to make my business marketing work with my budget," commented Macahilas. Additionally, the two tackled the financial model for the business, focusing on a fair price for Linda's clients and a fair wage for Linda. Through this process Linda was able to set up clear marketing goals and strategies to make her business work financially. "Linda came with a lot of experience and enthusiasm for her business but I saw her making the same mistake that many women make across the globe; under pricing and under valuing her services. I think it is really difficult to find the right price that balances the needs of the business and the financial capacity of their clients," said Heather Gurewitz, Mendocino Women's Business Center Director.

As a wedding planner, Linda's highest priority is to create value for her clients while helping them realize their vision for their wedding or special event. She has already booked two weddings for 2012 and will continue to market and grow her business with the goal of bringing more weddings to the coast. "I am now moving forward with a focused vision and can see the results happening," added Macahilas.

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Pacific Preserves ~ Fort Bragg

download a Small Business Association article on Pacific Preserves.

 

 

Chandra Apperson, Attorney at Law ~ Ukiah

Chandra Apperson, Attorney at Law, Ukiah

By Kathy Brigham

Chandra Apperson not only has deep roots in Mendocino County, she is also heir to family traditions of self-employment and community service. Her father owns and runs Apperson Energy Management and her mother is CFO at the Mendocino Youth Project.

After a decade away from the County pursuing an education and working as an EMT Chandra has returned and “hung out her shingle” as a licensed attorney at law, focusing on consumer bankruptcy assistance.

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Lemon Fresh Designs ~ Boonville

Lemon Fresh Design in Mendocino County
By Kathy Brigham

Torrey Douglass designs websites under the name Lemon Fresh Design. And if your business is designing websites, your own website had better sparkle. That was a “no brainer” for Douglass, who studied digital design at S.F. State and worked in the fast-paced Bay Area dot.com world before moving to Anderson Valley...

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Jixi Day Spa and Salon ~ Willits

Rejuvenation In Willits
By Kathy Brigham

 

Mary Wilson has been working toward the creation of her own business for over 20 years. After earning her Cosmetology license in 1987, she worked in salons owned by others and built her clientele. Noticing the increased popularity of spa treatments -- and pampering in general -- she also became a licensed massage therapist in 1995. But it was not until 2005 that she took the plunge and opened Jixi Day Spa and Salon in Willits...

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OCO TIME Restaurant ~ Ukiah

OCO TIME RESTAURANT
What’s an OCO, and what is it doing in Mendocino County?

To Yoshiki and Naoko Sakane, owners of OCO TIME and IT’S TIME in downtown Ukiah, the OCO is a symbol of growing up in post war Hiroshima when Hiroshima had become a center for peace education and celebration. The OCO parlors were warm, friendly places and the OCO snack was yummy and cheap. As children, Yoshiki and Naoko visited the Hiroshima Peace Park and were immersed in a peace curriculum at school...

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Erica Fielder Studio ~ Fort Bragg

Erica Fielder Studio

the evolution of an artist in commerce

 

Erica Fielder’s business story is the story of a life journey that would eventually combine her love of nature and her need to create fine art. By 1983 her two passions had come together when she began making interpretive panels for parks and preserves along California’s coast. The panels perfectly blended her interest in ecosystems, art and a desire to inspire people to take care of the natural world...

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Rising Tide Sea Vegetables ~ Fort Bragg

County Business Carves A Niche With Seaweed
By Kathy Brigham

 

Larry Knowles is certainly not the first person to find a use for the bounty of sea vegetables to be found along the Mendocino coast. Native Americans have been harvesting seaweed for centuries and inland peoples once traded their most precious possessions for a bag of dried seaweed laboriously carried from the coast...

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Cowlicks Ice Cream ~ Fort Bragg

The Inside Scoop on Nancy, the Ice Cream Lady

As she wiped the mint-chip off her son’s chin, Nancy surprised herself by asking her friend, “Wouldn’t it be great to own Cowlick’s?”

 

Nancy knew what it was like to run a food business; she and her husband Bill own two busy Subways, and she’d never considered having a third. So what was it about Cowlick’s that started her dreaming?...

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