Putting Your Experience to Work for You
Since graduating from high school in 1990, Eric had always had a job. Working for other people meant he could get by, but he could not really get ahead. And the jobs Eric had never offered health insurance. Eric decided to put his experience, skills, and intelligence to work for him instead of someone else, so he opened his own business doing what he had done for other people— designing and installing windows and doors. Eric’s business specializes in high-end to ultra high-end residential windows and doors. They are exclusive with their suppliers; no one else in the area has these products.
Initially Eric’s business did not do well. He was running the glass business out of a home garage. He was extremely limited in the work he could accept and he could not do enough business to keep the company going. It was a Catch 22 situation: he would get a great mirror installation job that paid $500, but would need a $600 tool to complete the job, which he could not afford. Also, suppliers would not deliver to a garage, but he could not afford to pay the rent on a storefront. Eric had one word to say about how his business was doing financially: “SAD!”
Then Eric learned about a grant project through the Montana Job Training Partnership (MJTP) and the Rural Institute that offered funds to people with disabilities in Montana and Wyoming who were starting or expanding their businesses. And the rest, shall we say, is history. The Careers through Partnerships Project granted Eric money for tools and business advertising. He was given $7,800 and that money, he says, made the difference in his going from “being a loser to being a winner.”
The funds solved some of Eric’s problems, creating others. He had the tools and storefront he needed and work orders quickly followed. Eric’s company experienced exponential growth, but it grew too fast. He hired staff to meet the work load and was soon employing four people. Eric did not want to turn down any work and quality started to slip. He decided that quality was more important and scaled back production. He now has only one employee, Mike, in addition to his wife Eryn, who also works for the company.
The Careers through Partnerships Project granted Eric money for tools and business advertising
Monthly sales have gone from $1,100 in June 1999 to $42,000 in June 2000 to $136,000 in August 2001. The company expects to earn more than $750,000 in sales for the year 2001. They are now able to rent two commercial buildings. Eric and Eryn have recently purchased their first home and Eric is driving a new company pickup. They take home a modest salary and continue to put money back into the business. They recently were able to buy into a health plan so now they have insurance and are able to provide it to their employee, Mike. Currently, they are as busy as they can be without having to raise prices or hire another employee.
If Eric were to start this business all over again he would do many things differently. He would first design and build the business on paper with a business plan. He would get a loan up-front for one year’s operating expenses, including equipment, tools, wages, rent, etc. His accounting system would be in place prior to going into business.
For Eric, the most exciting thing about running his own business is being a viable, thriving, contributing member of the community. He loves being the boss. He also loves the competition—competing and winning! He really enjoys doing a quote on an ultra high-end home, making the quote easy to read for the customer, and putting the bid in an attractive binder with a cover letter and brochures. He bids competitively and puts his bids together professionally. As he is presenting his bid to his potential customer, he loves nothing more than to see the competition just fax over their bids! Part of Eric’s business model includes the concept of “value-added.” Watching the company grow is also exciting. Eric has plans to merge with another Montana company next year and buy land and build a building in 2003. This business means freedom in many ways for Eric and his wife Eryn.
The Careers through Partnerships Project made the difference for Eric. As he says, “Give a man a fish and you’ve fed him for a day. Give the man who knows how to fish a fishing pole and you’ll feed him for life!”
How to contact this small
business owner:
Eric Edelen
Edelen Glass
2705 Highway 93 S.
Kalispell, MT 59901
(406) 752-GLAS
eric@edelenglass.com