Benīs is purely a mail order business, except for over the counter sales at church, charity and Junior League bazaars, arts and crafts shows, and the Houston Rodeo. Most of his annual sales stem from customers he meets at these shows, which run for about 6 weeks in the fall. Theyīre a good opportunity to win new customers—the combination of a free sample and a brochure are he needs to convince new faces to become dedicated customers.
"We donīt take any orders at the shows. Itīs a curious thing, but we donīt. We give `em a taste and let them have a brochure, and then weīll hear from them at Christmas time. And usually, they donīt buy it for themselves; they buy it as a gift. Itīs rare that they order for their own consumption."
While technology has helped Ben automate the business side of the company, through computerized bookkeeping and online ordering, the production side remains a thoroughly hands-on operation. He keeps both a corporate database and a general database. Brochures are sent to the corporate clients in September, and to the general customer base in mid-November— refreshing their memories just in time for the holiday season.
"When I drop them in the mail in November, three days later, the phone will start to ring and the orders will start to come in. I have to have two people here answering the phone day and night. I donīt do many orders before that time. It just booms during the holidays."
"The unnerving thing is, that with the new popularity of the company, I have to run two shifts, I have to do some extraordinary things to accomplish a task I wasnīt really quite prepared for. But Iīm getting prepared for it!"
Ben feels that his background in consulting will serve him well when it comes to putting the business in high gear to meet the projected increase in this yearīs holiday sales.
"My work in consulting has definitely helped prepare me in that respect."
Ben has (quite by accident) isolated the ingredients to real retirement and implemented them. The need for security often keeps us in the driverīs seat way longer than is helpful for our business, our family, and us. We are afraid to let go because, what if they screw it up – what will we have left? Ben now pours his energy into something different – something that calls upon what he already knows and is teaching new stuff every day.
In a family business, there are a couple more keys to successful retirement. The plan must allow the successors a chance to learn, grow, and ultimately take charge. And it must fit into Momīs needs and desires.
These last two are often the most difficult. If you have a story of how you or someone you know is dealing with them (or the first two) please contact us. We would love to tell your story too.
Business profile courtesy of Family Business Strategies.
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Ben Burkholder can be reached at http://www.toffeeco.com.
