Manufacturing in Algoma and called me up to work there. They gave me so many opportunities to succeed and I wanted to do the same for someone else.
What was the biggest help offered by the incubator? The Advance Incubator not only helped me through the finance system, but they also helped me with everyday business questions and with morale support, as well. Chuck Brys, upstairs at the Advance Business Center, gave me great guidance and I still am so grateful to know him. I consider him a great mentor and friend. A positive reinforcement daily is always great.
Has it been difficult to find investment capital? Capital wasn’t really an issue except at the start. If it wasn’t for my first loan from the Advance Business Center’s microloan fund and the money my family loaned me, I wouldn’t have been able to get started. Three months after that and a ton of 15 to 16 hour days – including weekends – I no longer lived on the line of credit. Six months later we bought our second machine in cash, still working 15 to 16 hours each day. I also paid back my family in full.
I worked through Christmas and kids’ birthdays. I would come home, spend a few hours with them, and go back to work. After this, financing became easier because we had built up some cash and a reputation. We wanted to make strategic financial decisions at the right times. We get many offers now for new banks but I really stand by the bank that gave us our first break.
How do you market to new clients? Twizzlers help! That’s kind of our thing. We promote happiness, and who isn’t happy holding Twizzlers? All kidding aside, if you look at everything this company stands for, from the reassuring plus symbol right down to the Twizzlers and the low product return rate, it all spells out how safe and happy people are working with Machine Plus. Marketing mostly comes from cold calling, but once our customers experience Machine Plus we always get more business. We also have an online site where customers can log in and see how their orders are doing, and see their costs. This helps with larger lean companies who need to know when their product will hit the ground and if multiple people need to see pricing. n
Rigorous. Transformative. Remarkably affordable. THE DONALD J. SCHNEIDER School of Business & Economics
www.snc.edu/go/mbasnc 36 | July 2016 2016 || NNB2B NNB2B
www.newnorthb2b.com