From
one of a thousand in the corporate world to small business mentor,
Cary Clark has taken the leap to become a successful entrepreneur
and is helping others to do the same!
Cary bought a Mail Boxes, Etc. franchise in March 2002. In nearly
seven months, he has turned around a struggling packaging and shipping
business, retained four jobs, created two and begun to serve as a
business advisor to business owners who share his location in Leawood,
KS.
Cary was referred to the SBDC by his banker at First Community Bank
in Lee's Summit, MO. Cary visited his banker after deciding that he
would like to purchase a Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) franchise. His banker
recommended that Cary attend the SBDC's "Getting Started in Business"
workshop. After attending the workshop, Cary signed up for one-to-one
counseling and began working with Larry Lee.
Cary worked with Larry throughout the purchase process. Larry utilized
the SBDCNET National Information Clearinghouse for demographic research
the area. Together, Larry and Cary analyzed the various options for
location. After deciding to purchase the existing business in Leawood,
Cary determined that without the in-depth analysis he conducted with
Larry, he might have made some start-up decisions he would regret.
In addition to analyzing the research data, Larry also helped Cary
evaluate the psychological aspects of owning a business. Cary had
retired from Hewlett-Packard and was accustomed to the corporate world.
Larry and Cary spent some time discussing everything that is involved
when owning your own business. Cary also worked with Larry on several
"what if" scenarios. Cary attributes his successful startup to going
in with his eyes opened, thanks to Larry.
Cary strives to be his customer's total business support center.
One of the services Cary offers is producing hard copy materials from
email documents. Cary, always striving to go one step further for
his clients, will also bind the materials and FedEx them off to their
destination—a perfect service for someone traveling to a tradeshow
or business meeting in another city.
Cary prides himself on customer service. He firmly believes that
his customers deserve the very best. To that end, Cary made some personnel
changes when he took over the business and implemented new services
to cater to his customers. For example, Cary updated all of the equipment
and added digital black/white and color copiers. The copiers are now
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Eighty percent of Cary's
customers are small-office or home-based businesses, which means they
work all hours of the day/night. The front area of Cary's store houses
the mailboxes and copy machines. Customers have a key to the front
door and a copy card, allowing them to come in anytime to make copies
and pick up their mail.
In
addition, pursuing a truly innovative marketing approach, Cary has
made arrangements with several of the area clubs to ship golf equipment
to the members' vacation or business destinations for them, thereby
relieving them of the hassle of checking clubs through at the airport.
Cary states, "Without Larry's help, I wouldn't have been able
to make the decisions that I did. His guidance enabled me to ask the
right questions and examine the areas that I did. Even after I started
the business, he was available to work with me as I made critical
decisions to move my business forward. Larry has been an incredible
support mechanism!"
And as his business grows, Cary is working to ensure the viability
of neighborhood businesses as well. He is located in a retail area
that includes many small companies—everything from Starbucks
to Hy-Vee. The surrounding businesses have watched Cary come in and
turn the business around. They see customers walking in and out of
the store all day, and they hear customers talk about how great the
store is and how much fun it is to be in there. So, these other business
owners have been talking to Cary about what he's doing and how he's
doing it. He's referred a few of the businesses to the SBDCs at both
Rockhurst University and Johnson County Community College.
Cary has plans to open a new store in the Lee's Summit area in the
next few months.
Mail Boxes Etc.
Cary Clark, Owner
12120 State Line Road
Leawood, KS 66209
Phone: 913-663-1477
Fax: 913-663-1515
Cary's Email: caryclark@mbemail.com
Visit the current Featured Entrepreneur
