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| Missouri Small Business
Development Centers ... your success is our business |
Saturday, May 17, 2008
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Entrepreneur Archive:
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| During another frenetic day of business-as-usual at the home base for her catering firm, Jamie takes the time to post a new message on the company bulletin board to keep her employees apprised of the latest customer-service developments. |
As her entrepreneurial inclinations expanded she added baked goods, syrups, dressings and sauces to her marketable inventory, and hundreds of square feet to her commercial production area. By 1995 she entered the catering business, as a result of a special request from her family doctor who needed help throwing an "Almost 40" birthday party.
Bearing her ever-present "conquer the world" attitude and facing the constant goal of financial security for herself and her young daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, Jamie marched on. She buried her profits, literally, in a jar in the ground under the greenhouse. Those growing dollars served her steadily over the years as a business start-up and expansion fund. Today she guides a team of 14 employees who energetically and enthusiastically prepare the meals to meet the catering whims of a lengthy roster of in-flight and corporate clients who rely on her company's made-to-order fare.
"We have a company motto," Jamie proudly proclaims. "We autograph our work with excellence for there are no convenience stores in the sky."
That motto makes an obvious point. But it also illustrates her successful approach to business. Achieving business excellence means continually meeting each customer's needs.
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| Jamie (right) and her daughter, Sarah, proudly display the 2005 Missouri Governor's Small Business Award recognizing Jamie's company, Nature's Window, as the top small business in the state of Missouri last year. |
"Anyone can make a sandwich," Jamie asserts. "I'm engaged in customer service. I just happen to do food."
Of course Nature's Window makes more than sandwiches. Its expansive shelves, cupboards and refrigerators hold the nearly limitless inventory of fresh foodstuffs necessary to meet the varied tastes of its many clients. The firm is available for catering duties 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
"Nature's Window proudly stands behind safety, dependability and quality," says Jamie. "Whether it's the CEO of a major corporation or the mechanic fueling the plane, I feel all our customers should be treated with value and respect."
Her unique approach to catering for people and companies on the go has led Jamie to serve such notable clientele as the White House press corps, professional athletic teams like the Detroit Tigers, and the entourages of professional entertainers such as U2 and Bon Jovi.
Of course, along the way, the entrepreneur has experienced some of the bumps and downdrafts frequently encountered by many small business owners. It was at such a point three years ago that a friend of hers recommended she seek the business counseling services of the Small Business Development Center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
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| A sign posted on her office door illustrates Jamie's philosophy: "Play While You Work." She emphasizes the need to intersperse the workday with enjoyment, and long-time employee Dani Pursel (right) nods in agreement with Jamie's attitude and follow-through. |
So, in her characteristic straightforward fashion, Jamie made a beeline for the SBDC office at 4747 Troost armed with her company's manual, a couple of box lunches and a willingness to learn. There she met SBDC counselor Larry Lee. They hit it off right away.
She threw business ideas and questions at him. He tossed them right back at her with slightly different spins…some she'd never considered before. It was the beginning of any eye-opening relationship for Jamie.
"Any question I had, he was there for me to teach me how to be a better business owner," Jamie recalls. "He taught me how to look at my venture with business sense. He took the emotion out and showed me how to run a business, while retaining its heart."
"Larry taught me how to be more productive and successful. But he didn't tell me what to do; he just showed me opportunities to improve."
She took Lee's advice to heart. And the benefits have mounted, not only in her company's bottom line but in the positive atmosphere generated by the genuine good-natured camaraderie among Jamie, her employees and her customers.
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| Jamie and Donn Klare (left), general manager of the company, do their best everyday to ensure that the staff of Nature’s Window offers the best possible products and service to meet the specialized catering needs of their many and varied clients. |
Ultimately her positive philosophy of business and dedication to customer service has led to recognition. So impressive has been her success, that Gov. Matt Blunt selected Nature's Window as the winner of the 2005 Governor's Small Business Award as the best small business in the state of Missouri last year. Jamie received the honor at last summer's annual Governor's Business Development Conference at the Lake of the Ozarks.
And while she's proud of this statewide recognition of her commercial prowess, she can also put it in perspective. People are her focus. She cares for her employees and she cares for her customers, well beyond their roles as valued keys to her business; she cares for them as people.
"I'm here to help change the world one person at a time," Jamie sincerely admits. It shows in the way she succeeds in business.
Nature's Window
In-Flight and Corporate Catering
6944 N. Oak Trafficway
Gladstone, MO 64118
Phone: 816-436-1334
Fax: 816-436-1351
E-mail: natwin@sbcglobal.net
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A few mornings ago hard-working Kansas City-area entrepreneur Jamie Smith-Hennessy decided to take life easy, for one day. She started her workday at 5 a.m. instead of the customary 3 a.m.
