Woman's small business thrives despite hard times

Tag : Woman's Shoes

I don't have to tell anyone these are tough times. I don'tassociate with those who are the beneficiaries of the president'stax cuts for the top 1 percent of the population.
The Chicago Sun-Times has been full of tips to help - from savingmoney on your phones to making do with one automobile. I suspectmore people will be joining the ranks of cost-conscious consumers.
Small-businesspeople also are interested in saving precious dollarsand cutting costs. "Two-thirds of new employer establishmentssurvive at least two years, and 44 percent survive at least fouryears," according to the Small Business Administration. In thesehard economic times, small businesses must use every resourceavailable to be profitable and grow.
One way a business can enhance its profile is to seek out, createand build profitable alliances that will generate exposure thattranslates into customers. I attended an event at one of thosebusinesses last week.
The event at Sensual Steps, a boutique women's shoe store onCottage Grove Avenue in Chicago owned by Nicole Jones, waswell-attended and drew the targeted population. Jones is a young,attractive, upbeat and creative entrepreneur who's been in businessfor five years and has used some creative approaches to build hercustomer base.
Her store's in a neighborhood that's undergoing revitalization.Because there's little walk-in traffic, she developed a "heels onwheels" concept for house parties. She loads up her sport utilityvehicle with shoes and hauls her stock out to people's homes - anold format used to sell new products.
One could call it new wine in an old bottle, but it has kept her inbusiness.
She seized an opportunity to sharpen her business management skillswhen she learned of the Chicago Urban League's program for smallbusinesses. The Urban League, in conjunction with the NorthwesternUniversity Kellogg School of Business, offers seminars on variousaspects of operations for Chicago-area businesses.
On the strength of her presentation and business plan, she wasaccepted. She has applied her lessons well, and her business hasbecome the first Chicago shoe store to have its products sold atNorth Avenue beach.
Her beach location also features sandals, bags, sunglasses andother summer-related items. Being the only shoe store in the citywith a beach concession may be the break she has been waiting for.But that's not the only break she's had in her journey to success.
Her South Side boutique was selected as one of the sites for aninnovative Toyota ad campaign by the Burrell Communication Groupand Agency Partner 42 Entertainment titled "If Looks Could Kill."The campaign targets black women between the ages of 17 and 34 andplays in several large cities - New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta,Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. - in addition to offeringsix interactive Internet presentations. Essence magazine, theleading black women's magazine in the United States, is a partnerand provides Sensual Steps with significant credibility, visibilityand word-of-mouth buzz.
Such an approach reflects the increasing economic significance ofthe African-American market in general and black women inparticular. It also reflects the growing power of American women,who have started asserting their newfound economic and politicalmuscle.
In many ways, Jones reflects this trend. She had high praise forCheryl Jackson, new president of the Chicago Urban League, and heremphasis on economic development. Jackson will undoubtedly serve asa role model for a number of women just like the heroine in theInternet feature "If Looks Could Kill."
Jones is the beneficiary of a unique coming together ofbusinesspeople, a major corporation, a longstanding civil rightsorganization and a historic moment. She, too, is not unlike themovie heroine.
There will be other women who will identify with Jones and attemptto chart a new direction for their lives. I wonder what kind of carthey drive?
David Johnson is a professor at South Suburban College in SouthHolland. E-mail him at djohnson@ southsuburbancollege.edu.