|
The UPS Store in Schererville
UPS Store owners look beyond shipping for growth
Schererville, IN – Thinking outside the shipping box, The UPS store owners Ken and Vicky Schuett see the document services side as an avenue to growth since taking over the store in August 2009.
“We see the shipping growing as the economy recovers but we don’t see that as a real growth opportunity to the business,” Ken said of the store at 228 W. Lincoln Highway in Lincoln Ridge Plaza. “Printing and copying (services) is something this store hasn’t done a lot of in the past. We’re trying to get the word out to businesses and do brochures and stuff like that. As we get the word out, we think that is a growth opportunity.”
The duo has also teamed with a local graphic designer to transform pictures into calendars and posters. Examples dot the walls at the store, including a sports team keepsake created from a grandchild’s picture.
“Bring your pictures in and he’ll make a sports poster or whatever somebody wants. He just does a fantastic job,” Ken said. “We think this is a real opportunity for us and him. If we could just lock into a couple Little League programs or Pop Warner football programs, we could get that going.”
Ken’s 40 years of experience in the steel industry helped the couple launch into business ownership during his retirement years.
“I’d been in the steel industry all of my life and when I retired out of that I decided I wanted to have something to do. Not necessarily on a full-time basis but something to keep busy and keep the mind working,” Ken said. “Through my career I had done a number of startups of new plants so I knew the challenges of starting from scratch and I knew how hard that was versus improving on something that already existed. I also knew the number of unknowns in a start-up.”
The Schuetts investigated various franchise opportunities before deciding that taking over the UPS store was a fit for them.
“All my life I wanted to have my own business so we looked at different opportunities and decided we didn’t want to do fast food … so this one seemed to work out good that it was not a 24-hour operation, no holidays, no Sundays, half day on Saturdays and no 18-hour days like restaurants,” Ken said. “We thought this was something we could handle, never having been in retail before. We didn’t have to worry about buying the right inventory of clothes or of what people were going to buy. The boxes are going to sell sooner or later and they don’t go out of style.”
Ken looked to NWI SBDC business advisor Cindy Bertram for some initial advice in March 2009 as he reviewed his options and considered purchasing the store. Bertram also helped connect him with business contacts.
“By the time I left her, I felt comfortable that I was thinking the right way and we were pretty much on track. She helped me over that hump,” Ken said. “She helped me get in contact with the right people: a good attorney to set up the corporation and a good accountant. She helped me with stuff that I had no experience with. She was invaluable.”
Ken advises new entrepreneurs to do their homework and investigate different opportunities.
“Answer as many questions as you can and assume that every one you don’t answer is probably going to turn out worse than you expect. Most surprises are bad, they usually aren’t good surprises, so the fewer surprises you have, the better off you are going to be.”
|