Herbs Daughter Custom Soaps

herbsdaughterRoberta with Herbs Daughter makes some of the most delightful custom soaps. You can often find her at local farmer markets and you can order her soaps on her website. Checkout her website for further details.

Business Name: Herbs Daughter Custom Soaps

Main Contact: Roberta Michaels

Web Address: www.HerbsDaughter.NET

Phone: (503) 318-1974

Q: What made you want to start Herbs Daughter?
A: Eleven years ago, a friend asked me to make her a soap that was not only hypoallergenic, but was pretty and moisturizing. I made her a few soaps who she shared with other family members and friends. I actually had 4 different soaps when someone asked me if I would be interested in selling them. I had never thought of selling them but went to a holiday fair with 4 products and the rest is history!

Q: If you had to pick one thing out of your day, what’s the most exciting / favorite?
A: Last fall, a woman came to my booth at the Farmers’ Market with a really bad itch. She had had stitches on her pinkie for which the doctor recommended Vasoline. (This actually dries the skin with petrochemicals!) I asked her if she wanted to just try a sample of my herbal salve (Salve the Planet). Reluctantly, she unwrapped her bandage and put the salve on her stitches. She left the booth but in 10 minutes, she returned, telling me that the itching that she had for over 10 days was completely gone!!! I felt good that this special product that I make in my greenhouse helps people.

Q: Who is your ideal customer?
A: Someone who cares about the quality of the products and is willing to support their health by being selective.

Q: What do you consider your biggest weakness?
A: According to my husband, I don’t toot my horn enough!

Q: How are you improving on that weakness?
A: Practice, practice, practice!

Q: What is your biggest strength?
A: I care about the quality of products that I produce and am always improving what I make.

Q: How do you like running [their business]?
A: I find making the products fun and joyful. I am still learning “the business”.

Q: If you could change one thing about your businesses day-to-day routine, what would it be?
A: I don’t have a day-to-day routine. When I am working the Farmers’ Markets, I revise what I do all the time. I am always learning and customers guide how I do my work.

Q: Any new specials you can tell your customers about? 🙂
A: I have been studying perfume-making and have made a new herbal perfume roll-on and spray. The top note is tangerine which is just yummy.

My husband asked me to make him a shaving soap (to be used with a brush) that is moisturizing, healthy and that lasts a long time. I sell the Wild Whiskers shaving soap in a mug (with an optional Italian brush) that lasts a very very long time. These have been very popular.

Q: If you had a chance to say one thing to a brand new customer, before they walk in the door, what would it be?
A: Remember that whatever you put on your skin goes into your bloodstream in 30 seconds. When you use soap, lotions, lip balms, etc. remember that you can support your health by using the highest quality products.

PRO (Premier Resource Organization) – Networking/Mastermind Group

Business name: PRO (Premier Resource Organization, Inc)

Main contacts:
Mark Vandervest – (503) 495-4973
Dave Kezziah – (503) 481-2240

Website: www.OregonPRO.com

Excerpt from website:
To succeed & exceed in business, it is necessary to develop strong, lasting professional relationships. The focus of PRO is business development by creating the opportunity for you to network, develop marketing skills, share resources, and increase referrals while expanding your personal and professional sphere of influence on a regular basis.

Q: What made you want to start PRO?

A: I started PRO because I found immense value in professional networking, masterminding, and sharing resources.

Q: If you had to pick one thing out of your day, what’s the most exciting / favorite?

A: Coming home to my beautiful, loving family.

Q: Who is your ideal customer?

A: A solopreneuer who is eager to think outside of the box and contribute to the success of others.

Q: What do you consider your biggest weakness?

A: Procrastination.

Q: How are you improving on that weakness?

A: I am trying to plan out my week, and not be weak with my plan.

Q: What is your biggest strength?

A: I am a tenacious optimist.

Q: How do you like running [their business]?

A: With energy, enthusiasm, and a mix of humor.

Q: If you could change one thing about your businesses day-to-day routine, what would it be?

A: I would be more consistent with my daily schedule.

Q: Any new specials you can tell your customers about? 🙂

A: We are offering 50% off of our intake fee (a $37.50 value) with every membership through the last day of summer.

Q: If you had a chance to say one thing to a brand new customer, before they walk in the door, what would it be?

A: If you’re not part of a weekly resource or mastermind group, you are doing yourself and your business a huge disservice. Being part of PRO for the last 7+ years has cultivated strategies that have gained me far more business than any other referral source of income. It takes a different mindset to share your knowledge (and weaknesses) with your sphere of influence. Most people think business is a competition, when in reality you are only in competition with yourself. If you have a sharing mindset, you will excel. If not, you are going to continue to struggle throughout life. Come and check us out for free and experience the value. Coffee is on us!

Heritage School of Interior Design in Beaverton Oregon

Business name: Heritage School of Interior Design

Main contact: Jan Springer

Phone: 503-292-3343

Address:
9340 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway
Beaverton, OR 97005 – MAP

Website: www.HeritageSchoolOfInteriorDesign.com

Excerpt from website:
The foundation of Heritage School’s training is to instill the necessary guidelines, procedures and skills to enable our students to pursue an active role in the design industry, either through employment or self-employment. Our goal is to create a fun, stimulating work environment to promote each student’s success. This is accomplished through personal attention and an excellent and thorough curriculum (refer to Course Outline).

Q: What made you want to start Heritage School of Interior Design?

A: My love for interior design and the desire to share my knowledge fulfilling students career goals.

Q: If you had to pick one thing out of your day, what’s the most exciting / favorite?

A: Teaching students that share my passion. Watching them connect the dots.

Q: Who is your ideal student?

A: Career changers, late 20’s 30’s, 40’s,50’s, 60’s. Loves design for interior spaces, creative and solution oriented.

Q: What do you consider your biggest weakness?

A: This is difficult, we are so proud of Heritage and the instruction we offer. The only weakness I can think of is that it’s always challenging to find students.

Q: How are you improving on that weakness?

A: We are always open to new marketing techniques. We advertise in the newspaper, website,facebook and Angie’s list. We have graduate referrals in every class as well.

Q: What is your biggest strength?

A: We don’t just teach interior design…we teach them how to make a living at it!

Our graduates are also our biggest strength… We have an excellent reputation, just talk to them.

Q: How do you like running Heritage?

A: I love having my own business…I’m the best boss I ever had.

Q: If you could change one thing about your businesses day-to-day routine, what would it be?

A: Being licensed by the State Board of Education requires administrative paperwork which is not difficult but I’m happiest teaching.

Q: Any new specials you can tell your customers about?

A: Being licensed by the State Board of Education policies are set regarding tuition fees, we cannot offer discounts.

Q: If you had a chance to say one thing to a brand new customer, before they walk in the door, what would it be?

A: Follow your passion…if you have the desire, we have the training.

Eagle Eye Inspections – Beaverton Oregon Home Inspector

The details about Eagle Eye Inspections:

Main Contact: Vicki Giblin

Phone Numbers:
Office: 503-649-1814
Toll Free: 888-897-9707
Fax: 503-356-9986

Inspector: Ken Giblin

Cell: 503-260-4300

Web Address: www.kenseagleeye.com

Service Area: Western Oregon & SW Washington including Portland Oregon & Vancouver Washington

Ken & Vicki Giblin are Eagle Eye Inspections, and they offer home and construction inspections in the Western Oregon and SW Washington areas. Ken is a certified inspector since 1982, beginning with contrsuction and adding homes in 1999. Ken has performed nearly 6000 inspections and offers on-site computer generated reports, complete with photos! We recently chatter with Vicki about their business.

Q & A with Vicki

Q. What made you want to start Eagle Eye Inspections?
A. Never liked working for others & since we have the skills & knowledge to run our own business, why not?

Q. If you had to pick one thing out of your day, what’s the most exciting / favorite?
A. Educating customers.

Q. Who is your ideal customer?
A. A customer that has already done their research and is ready to get down to business.

Q. What do you consider your biggest weakness?
A. Patients with rude nasty people.

Q. How are you improving on that weakness?
A. Trying to keep a calm tone in my voice.

Q. What is your biggest strength?
A. I am very knowledgeable about the field I work in.

Q. How do you like running Eagle Eye Inspections?
A. We love working for ourselves & have for over 25 yrs.

Q. If you could change one thing about your businesses day-to-day routine, what would it be?
A. Work less hours and have more personal time. When you own your business you seem to work more than if you were an employee.

Q. Any new specials you can tell your customers about?
A. No, we just give professional services.

Q. If you had a chance to say one thing to a brand new customer, before they walk in the door, what would it be?
A. First info I fish for is how educated they are about home inspections & homes in general. Then I decide where we go next with the conversation.

1st Independent Leasing – Beaverton Oregon Leasing Services

Below is information about 1st Independent Leasing in Beaverton Oregon.

Main Contact: Rosanne Wilson, CLP, BPB

Physical Address:
3800 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Suite 165
Beaverton, OR 97005 – MAP

Phone Numbers:
(800) 926-0851
Fax: (503) 626-1631

Web Address: www.1stIndependentLeasing.com

Q & A with Rosanne

Q: What made you want to start your business?

A:I wanted to provide more “personal service” to my clients and make them feel
they are appreciated. In commercial lending, the personal relationship with
the customer is the most important aspect towards building trust and a long
lasting relationship. I did not feel that the large corporation that I
spent 15 years with was doing that. It was always about the bottom line and
quotas and the personal touches just weren’t there. Clients were “just
another number” to the corporate headquarters. Well I think of my clients
as real people and not numbers.

Q: If you had to pick one thing out of your day, what’s the most exciting /
favorite?

A: My morning follow-up calls with the clients I am currently helping are my
most favorite thing out of my day. I love speaking to them and learning
more about them and their businesses. I love updating them on the progress
I am making and when we might expect to see their financing approved.
Customers appreciate realistic expectations. They should not be kept in the
dark. I enjoy reminding them that their loan is our priority. The more I
communicate with them, the more they appreciate it and I can feel that I
have won their trust.

Q: Who is your ideal customer?

A: My most ideal customer has at least 3 years in business and great credit.
Of course the reality today is that credit underwriting has become tighter
due to the recession, and not everyone out there has stellar credit, so we
offer alternative financing programs to cover a wide range of credit types.
These transactions I can easily get approved through our many different
bank partners at very competitive rates, but I love the ability to help the
other businesses out there who have either challenged credit or financial
statements that reflect negatives. We have many ways of overcoming those
barriers and structuring their financing with one of our excellent
alternative lenders. I like to say “We perform miracles” because we do!

Q: What do you consider your biggest weakness?

A: Not having enough hours each week to get out there and foster more relationships because I am so busy spending each day getting the right paperwork processed and creating a complete and thorough package for my lenders. The right “packaging” and a great “story” is the key to success. When a credit officer reviews everything, he or she will want to approve the loan. It’s all in the presentation!

Q: How are you improving on that weakness?

A: I just added an outside sales representative who is cultivating many types of new clients. His job is to go out there prospecting and find new clients who could really use my help. It is my job to get them financed. It’s a great combination that I believe will work out well.

Q: What is your biggest strength?

A: My partnership with over 100 lenders is my biggest strength. These lenders are like gold to me. My relationships with them span over 20 years. They trust the work I perform on each transaction and rarely ask for anything additional. These rock solid relationships allow me to finance virtually any business type or credit type.

Q: How do you like running 1st Independent Leasing?

A: I love running my own business because I no longer have to answer to some corporate VP somewhere like I used to when I spent 15 years with TransAmerica Financial. I can take care of my customers far better and in a more personal way than a giant company can. In my previous corporate life, I learned very quickly that big corporations really only care about the bottom line. There is no atmosphere of a strong personal relationship with their customers. I knew when I started my own company, my customers will know immediately how important they are to me and will always get the personal attention they deserve. Customers aren’t just an item in a database. They are real people with real hopes and dreams and I feel great knowing I am helping them get there.

Q: If you could change one thing about your businesses day-to-day routine, what would it be?

A: Stop eating my lunch at my desk so I can keep working instead of stepping out of the office for at least a half an hour to escape and enjoy a nice lunch

Q: Any new specials you can tell your customers about?

A: We are waiving all Documentation fees on all new transactions through this 3rd quarter (June 1 to Sept. 30, 2012). Doc Fees run generally $150 to $500 depending on the lender that approves the transaction. We will cover your Doc Fees for you as a way of saying thanks!

Q: If you had a chance to say one thing to a brand new customer, before they walk in the door, what would it be?

A: My favorite saying is also at the bottom of all my company emails I sent out. “Believe you Can and You’re Halfway There!” (this is a quote from Theodore Roosevelt). There is a certain degree of fear and skepticism people have when they are trying to borrow money. The word on the street is that small businesses are having a tough time borrowing money. They also hear that it is almost impossible to get approved. Not true! We prove it every day. I believe in holding the customer’s hand throughout the process and taking the fear factor out of the picture.

We do the heavy lifting for them. We fight the loan officers so they don’t have to. Our customers often tell us how wonderful the experience was and as their own company grows, they come back to us each time they need additional financing.