Entrepreneur Archive:
The Herb Shop

Health Conscious Branson West Entrepreneur Practices
Lifetime Calling with Nutrition Store

Edie Keil showcases one of the more popular products – organic apple cider vinegar – at the nutritional supplement store The Herb Shop, which she owns and operates in Branson West, Mo.

The Herb Shop — Branson West, MO
Assisted by:
Tom Keohan, University of Missouri-Extension

Branson West entrepreneur Edie Keil has worked many jobs in her life.

As an eight-year-old growing up on her dad's Kansas ranch she earned nickels exercising race horses. As a young woman in southwest Missouri she portrayed a dance hall girl in the show at a Silver Dollar City saloon. For 10 years she successfully ran a cleaning business in Branson. Next she worked in Maryland as a sales representative for a nutritional supplement company, where she gained a wealth of experience she would apply later in life.

But it wasn't until 1996, that Edie finally found her calling.

Seeking that personal service that is Edie's trademark, one of her customers listens attentively as the shop owner explains the applications and benefits of a supplement. Local clientele comprise about 80 percent of her customers. The balance of her business comes from the considerable tourist trade prevalent in the Branson area.

She was living in Jacksonville, Fla., where her husband Bruce was based in the Navy. One day she came home from her new job as an assistant at a local nutrition supplement shop proclaiming: "I finally know what I want to be when I grow up!"

What she wanted to be was the purveyor of healthful lifestyles by starting her own shop devoted to herbal and nutritional supplements for customers seeking a healthier way of living. In 1998, with Bruce's retirement from the Navy, he and Edie moved back to the Branson area. That's when she decided, with help from her husband, to put her plan into action.

With about $1,000-worth of inventory, Edie opened The Herb Shop around back and in the lower level of a strip mall in Branson West. The goods filled only two shelves and she had to borrow from her mother-in-law to ensure she had change in the cash register.

Edie fields many calls from potential customers and long-time clients who want to know more about particular items in The Herb Shop's inventory.

Business was passable, but not brisk. However, with Edie's ever-present philosophy of "always looking ahead" and buoyed by the faith and encouragement of Bruce, she determined to expand her business and move to a better location to improve customer traffic. But she needed money to grow.

Edie explored financing options. She found her best opportunity for backing was through the Small Business Administration's micro-loan program. However, pinpointing a source was one thing; applying for it was quite another. She needed help to pursue the loan application. That's when she turned to Tom Keohan, a counselor with the University of Missouri Extension's business development program.

Keohan helped Edie develop a formal business plan, a critical part of any business loan application. In addition he worked with Edie to incorporate realistic cash flow projections for the growth and nurturing of her business.

Tom Keohan, the MU Extension business development specialist who has advised Edie on critical business issues related to her store, finds himself on the receiving end of advice as she tells him about some of her merchandise.

"I wouldn't be here without Tom," Edie says. "That micro-loan gave me the power to do what I wanted to do."

Today The Herb Shop, located in the front of Claybough Plaza at the intersection of highways 13 and 76, sports an expanded $28,000 inventory of natural vitamins, weight loss products, herbs, teas, books and literature.

And business is good, having increased significantly by the summer of 2005: "All of a sudden I felt like I had a tiger by the tail."

"My customers know I'm here to help them, because they know my heart is in it," she explains of her business success. "I don't rely on a Web site, because my customers come in for personal service."

While she may not be old enough to be interested in the wares, this young daughter of one of Edie's customers is hoping for a cool breeze when she opens the door to one of the shop's refrigeration units.

Her customers seek help with a variety of health issues including arthritis, hormone levels, weight loss, cholesterol and blood pressure. However, Edie doesn't just offer products. She also encourages all her customers to consider lifestyle changes, in proper consultation with medical professionals.

In addition Edie will occasionally offer a 12-week workshop one night a week to introduce potential customers to the benefits of nutritional supplements. Enrollment in the workshop entitles participants to a 15 percent discount on store merchandise. It's just another example of her savvy approach to promoting her business.

So with a little help from a business expert, Edie Keil has succeeded in finding her life's work: "I had the training. I knew what I wanted to do. I just didn't know exactly how to get there until Tom Keohan showed me the way."

The Herb Shop
Claybough Plaza – Hwy. 13 & 76 Jct.
P.O. Box 2176
Branson West, Mo. 65737
Phone: 417-272-8554
Fax: 417-272-1994

This story was featured in the April 2007 newsletter

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