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Inside
Story
A
Cinderella Story
Debbie Green and her partners create systems to make decorators
work efficiently and profitably.
Debbie Green started a very small design business, Debbie’s
Designs, more than 24 years ago. While there was much to learn about
owning a business, an outgoing personality, a desire to succeed and
an I-can-do-anything attitude gave her the confidence to tread new
waters.
Green began her business in a 100-year-old antebellum home, which
she inherited from her grandparents. To showcase her design talents,
she turned every room of the house into a showroom featuring the latest
in custom designed window and bedroom treatments. It was not long
before she realized she had to hire employees, but even so Green stayed
true to her roots and decided not to move into a retail space. She
found inspiration in the home of her grandmother, and the charm of
the old house was also a huge asset to her business. Each year, she
redecorates one room to showcase the latest design trends. Clients
who come to view the treatments will often inquire, “Does anyone
live here?”
THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS
Several years after Debbie started her business, she enrolled in an
Advanced Business Concepts class, which drastically changed her life
and her business. The class gave her motivation to start systematizing
every aspect of her business. Before the class, she never thought
that a custom oriented business could be systematized. While attending,
she also learned that, in fact, every business could and should be
systematized; it’s the key to efficiency and in increasing the
bottom line.
In 1997, Green started attending the Professional Design Association
meetings, which are now known as the Window Coverings Association
of America (WCAA) Chapter of Middle Tennessee. During one of these
meetings, she was asked to speak on how she ran her own workroom.
She showed the group her Measuring System, Work Order System and the
Instructional Systems that she had created. The group immediately
saw their timesaving benefits, and inquired about purchasing the systems.
At that point, Minutes Matter was born.
In 2003, Green decided to expand the company even more by adding a
new product: Minutes Matter Studio, a graphic software program. At
the same time she added two partners, Casey and Owen Green. Casey’s
creative talent is a big asset to the company. Debbie and Casey spend
countless hours educating themselves by attending business seminars,
reading articles and books, and conferencing with other business professionals.
Debbie and Casey strongly believe that knowledge is the best advantage
for a growing business. Minutes Matter also strongly relies on Owen
for the company’s technological advances. Owen works to make
sure the Web sites, forums, computers and software are running smoothly.
Essentially, three people with distinct talents have intergraded to
create a very successful partnership.
MORE THAN WHAT IS EXPECTED
Minutes Matter has grown tremendously since its establishment in 1997.
The company now offers over 30 different products or services. One
thing that has never changed, however, is Green’s attitude to
give clients more than they expect. Minutes Matter is always listening
to customers and adapting products and services to meet their needs.
Minutes Matter believes that staying up-to-date is the most important
part of keeping the business successful. Because of this philosophy,
every product that Minutes Matter offers has gone through multiple
revisions to make them better than before. This company knows that
there is always room for improvement and Green is never afraid of
changing to improve. For instance, after attending a marketing seminar
(and reading multiple marketing articles on the subject of why a customer
decides to purchase) it was clear that a 30-day money-back guarantee
made customers more incline to purchase. They knew from their own
experience a 30-day money back guarantee helped to sway their buying
decisions.
Green believes not just in educating herself, but also shares what
she has learned by teaching seminars around the country. Her “Inspiring
Ideas” seminars include topics such as “QuickBooks &
You,” “Capture the Best Shot.” “Measuring
Solutions,” “Designing Start to Finish” and “10
Ways to Increase Your Profits with Studio.” She also creates
a free newsletter that is e-mailed to her customers on a monthly basis.
The newsletter includes topics such as organization, computers, technology,
design ideas, QuickBooks tips and more.
Minutes Matter offers a variety of products to meet the needs of the
interior design industry. These products include the Measuring System,
Instructional Systems, Pleating and Swag Templates, etc. One of the
company’s biggest sellers is the graphic design software, Minutes
Matter Studio. By using Studio, designers can create beautiful window
treatment illustrations to scale on a computer. The program maximizes
the design process, saves hours of time during consultations, and
eliminates costly communication errors.
Minutes Matter also has updated its industry-specific QuickBooks manual.
QuickBooks & Quoting 7.1 consolidates the estimating and accounting
processes in an existing QuickBooks program. Now it is easier than
ever before to quote and close a job on the spot.
Designers can design a treatment in Studio and then use QuickBooks
& Quoting 7.1 to calculate the yardage and create an estimate.
Minutes Matter Solution Inc.
796 New Shackle Island Rd.
Hendersonville, TN 37075
(615) 824-1933
(800) 343-0616
fax: (615) 826-0832
debbie@minutesmatter.com
www.minutesmatter.com |
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