Growing Good Companies

In 1991, I fell in love with small companies.

That was the year I started working for CD Superstore.

It was more than a record store. I knew the owners, and I understood what they wanted to do: expose the biggest catalog of music in every genre possible to people who would really appreciate the selection.

Once I knew what they wanted to do, I knew I had to be part of it.

I started as an assistant manager, then a manager. Before long, I ended up in the corporate office as the operations manager for the chain. By then, we had five small stores and five large warehouse-concept stores. But we had a small office staff, and it was more like a family than it was a company.

That’s what I love: a small group of dedicated people creating something wonderful, enjoying each other’s company, and providing something valuable to their customers.

From that point on, that’s what I sought to create in any department I’d ever been a part of, and in any iteration of my own company that I’ve launched.

Since that time, I’ve worked in IT and marketing for a global manufacturing company, and I’ve had my own business where I’ve been an operations consultant, a marketing consultant, and a business intelligence consultant. I’ve written articles and manuals; I’ve launched ad campaigns and at least one magazine. I’ve been at trade shows at 6am and I’ve set up promotions at 3am. I’ve cleaned a store top-to-bottom, so I could later mingle with investors in that same space.

I’ve worked in companies big and small, but the small ones are the ones I love.

If you have a small business, and you have questions about running your business or storefront or executing your marketing plan, give me a call. If you are thinking about starting a business and need help running the numbers, or just with a reality check, give me a call. I’d love to help.

Looking forward to working with you.

-Ceil Kessler, Owner/Consultant