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Page 1B • The Leader • July 6, 2013 • www.theleadernews.com

Taking time for a tune-up

Alice David draws ideas for her custom sticker business, www. stuckonme.net, from daughters AnaCorynn and Kendall.

by Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader Car technology is changing, so the retro full-service garage repairing them has been getting a bit of a tune-up itself, says Katherine Van der Pol, who co-owns Adolph Hoepfl Garage with husband Sybren Van der Pol. The couple took on the 1946founded mechanic shop, located at 4610 N. Shepherd Dr., nearly a decade ago and has blended new customers into the established and loyal base of long-term regulars. “We’re taking care of customers, and that will take care of business,” she said. Still, the opportunity to grow a better business presented itself last year through the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program at Houston Community College. A respected business colleague told Kathryn Van der Pol, who serves as president of Hoepfl, that she “really needed” to apply. “The biggest thing I learned is that you have to grow your business constantly,” she said of the intensive, three-month training endeavor ending in December 2012. “You can’t rest on past success.” Her role as president has evolved since participating in the intensive business management program. Now more focused on the company’s vision and long-range growth strategy, she is developing operations processes and integrating them into the company, as well as working on training, hiring, a marketing campaign and public outreach. The growth plan comes from the class, she said: “It’s why you’re there.” Owning a small business and taking the class meant the course materials had particular relevance, meaning and immediacy, she said. Unlike the theoretical case studies encountered in a college business class, the program used participants’ companies, which lent reality and a been-there-tried-that element. The class schedule, mostly evenings and weekends, meant Van der Pol didn’t miss much at the garage. However, the family-owned company’s family members, technicians and staff had been given opportunities to stretch their own responsibilities a bit. Those who stepped it up a bit in her absence have retained some of the responsibilities they took on, she said. While the program’s content was beneficial, the networking of co-participants from a variety of

(Photo by Betsy Denson)

Stickers come from the wash by Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com

Show and tell: Van der Pol shows oﬀ the replica 1957 Corvette engine and copy of the U.S. Constitution that she brought to the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program to illustrate the mission of the automotive repair business she operates with her husband. (Photo by Cynthia Lescalleet) small businesses – called “cohorts” – was a real boon, she said, because they shared an interest in improving themselves, their companies and their employees.

The road map ahead

The garage’s growth plan is based on the idea of adapting to newer cars -- the hybrids, hightech and conversions of the industry. Toward that, she said, technicians will continue to tackle targeted training, and the 11-bay building will be getting some updates – but only at its non-historic end. “Our architecture is an asset to helping our clients feel at home and (at) a place they can trust. We are not changing that!,” she said in a follow-up email. The higher tech service area will ultimately be toward the front of the shop. Van der Pol, previously a high school teacher at an elite Houston prep school, said she had no formal business training when the couple took on the garage. In support of her role there, she had taken classes, seminars and automotive shop training as need dictated and time permitted. Because of that lack of ﬁnancial literacy, she found the small busi-

ness program’s financial modules “eye-opening.” She also gleaned the importance of having processes for many aspects of running a business. In hiring, for example, getting a job description correctly identified and honed first ultimately attracted a better candidate. The program’s “prop” exercise proved especially effective, for it helped identify – or in her case solidify -- the company culture. The exercise had students bring in items that represent their business’s mission. She presented two in tandem: a 1957 Corvette motor replica and a copy of U.S. Constitution – the latter an item on display and in ready supply at the automotive shop. Both represent independence and freedom to travel, she explained. “We love cars and we love the USA.” Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is a $500 million national program designed to help small businesses in the U.S. create jobs and economic growth by providing entrepreneurs with a practical business education, access to capital and business support services. Applications are due on the 15th of every month. For information, visit http://sites.hccs. edu/10ksb/.

Memorial Hermann, BCBSTX settle rate dispute With a Monday deadline looming that could have cut off Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas customers from most services in the Memorial Hermann healthcare system, the two sides have reached an agreement that will keep the healthcare giant — including Memorial Hermann Northwest — as a provider, it was announced Friday. According to the announcement, that also includes the Memorial Hermann Physical Network as providers. “The ﬁnalized agreement focuses BCBSTX and Memorial Hermann on strategies to provide increased value in health care services for the Houston community,” according to the announcement. The negotiations centered around reimbursement

levels, with the insurance company seeking to keep rates as low as possible and Memorial Hermann countering that increased levels of care in their Houston facilities warranted higher reimbursement.

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Inspiration for a new business can strike in the unlikeliest of places. For Garden Oaks’ Alice David, the “aha” moment for her new venture, www.stuckonme.net, came while washing clothes. “The idea of making large stickers to put on kids came to me in early 2011 when I was doing my girls’ laundry and had to peel off numerous stickers from their shirts,” said David. “I realized how much they love to stick them on their clothes, no matter whether they came from a birthday party, doctor’s office or the grocery store.” Then she thought about the tough time she had keeping track of her children at the park a couple of days before and how it would have been helpful to have something eye catching on them for identification purposes. Over the next year, David spent a lot of time thinking about how she might put her stamp on the custom sticker market. “I looked at sticker websites and all the ones I saw had stickers that were nowhere near the size I wanted for mine,” she said. “They were all 2-3” or smaller and were being used to label items with names.” David’s stickers would not just be bigger but would also incorporate lots of color and fun designs so that kids can accessorize with them. “I used [my daughters] favorite colors and prints when coming up with my first round of stickers as well as things we like to do in our home such as fist bump each other and give high fives,” she said. David thinks the stickers will appeal to both boys and girls. And to their parents. Because the stickers are large – 5.75” in diameter, people can easily spot their kids, or even their stuff, in crowds or a large public set-

ting. “People could use them for anything from a destination birthday party to a ski trip,” David said. She can also see a market for adults. Her stickers might keep a group together during a corporate event or be employed to mark luggage and golf bags. “You could use them on a tent to let your family and friends know where you have dug in your stakes at the next group camping trip,” said David. When David was doing the graphics for the stickers and designing her website, she spent about four hours a day on the business. For feedback on potential stickers, she utilized an informal focus group of her friends’ children. Once the ﬁrst batch was in house – printed by a local label making company – she gave some out to testers to see if she needed to do any more tweaking. Right now, she distributes her stickers via mail or personal drop off. She’s a good customer, too. The stickers will come in handy with her family over the busy days of summer. In the fall, she plans to reach out to schools to learn how she might best serve their needs. David, who studied English at University of Houston and court reporting at Houston Community College, was born and raised in Houston. She’s lived in Garden Oaks since 2001. Both of her parents had their own small businesses and David attributes her entrepreneurial spirit in part to them. “I truly just want to help my family by contributing ﬁnancially to my household, make my own hours, be creative in my job, include my kids in it and work out of my home so I’ll always be around to help them with school and activities,” said David. “Find what you love to do and you’ll never “work” a day in your life, right? What could be better than that?” To learn more, visit www.stuckonme.net

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