Designing a Successful Business

By Julie M. Young, Contributing Writer

Editor's Note: Becky Walawander, Owner, The Design & Copy Center, was a 2003 Winner of the WriteIdea Business Plan Competition, presented by Seton Hill University's National Education Center for Women in Business.

Becky Walawander was working as a graphic designer at a printing company, but soon discovered that she didn't like being desk-bound to do her design work. She liked interacting with customers and liked the bustle of a copy center. Her solution? She started her own. With a B.F.A. from West Virginia University and experience as a designer, she opened The Design & Copy Center in downtown Waynesburg, Pa. two years ago. The Design & Copy Center provides graphic design services, copies, laminating, and binding.

"Lost" entrepreneur finds guidance
Walawander never planned to become an entrepreneur — it just seemed to happen. "I just decided that if I was going to do this, I might as well just leap and see what happened," Walawander said of her foray into entrepreneurship. "There were mistakes along the way, but I learned from them." Walawander freely admits to being a novice when she first started her own business. "The biggest challenge was not knowing how big I wanted to become — and how to go about it all. I felt lost for a long time."

She turned to the University of Pittsburgh Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for business support. SBDCs are great resources for new businesses, as they provide technical assistance and consulting services to entrepreneurs and those just staring their own businesses. Walawander met Jeanine Henry, a management consultant at the SBDC. Henry helped Walawander write a business plan in the event that she needed a loan to finance the copy center. "I called her all the time to ask questions, and she was totally dedicated to helping me," Walawander said. "She lifted me up and made me feel a little less lost in my endeavor."

Henry even encouraged Walawander to enter the WriteIdea business plan competition — something Walawander never would have done on her own. But it's a good thing she entered. Walawander's business plan was a winner in 2003. Offered at Seton Hill University's National Education Center for Women in Business, the WriteIdea business plan competition is intended to stimulate and accelerate the business start-up process of women entrepreneurs in the Southwest Region of Pennsylvania by granting four winners equal shares of a $25,000 cash prize.

With the WriteIdea winnings and her own savings, Walawander ended up not needing an outside loan to start the copy center, so she didn't need her business plan for that exact reason. However, she still refers to it occasionally to see if her business goals are on target. Being goal-driven is one of Walawander's reasons for success. "I have visions for my business, and try to always keep that vision in the back of my mind when I make decisions," she said. "Seeing the big picture keeps it all in perspective." She advises other business owners to have that vision so that they know where they want to go. According to Walawander, with a business vision constantly in mind, business owners will constantly work toward their goal.

Goal-oriented business approach leads to success
Walawander's goal-oriented approach certainly aided her success and helped her make smart business decisions while dealing with the challenges of new business ownership. For example, she located her business in downtown Waynesburg because she knew that her customers would be there. She realized that the local business people and Waynesburg College would be her major clients. It only made sense to locate her business in the center of it all.

Locating the business was just the first instance of her customer-focused business decisions. The Design & Copy Center is a natural competitor to large chains like Kinko's, yet it is flourishing. Why? "It's all about the customers," Walawander said. "I have built a reputation for myself by serving others." She tries to make each customer feel like they are her only customer, and that type of attentiveness pays off. "My customers know I will go out of my way to make them happy, and that keeps them coming back. They've told me that they can't get that kind of service with a smile anywhere else." A growing client base and profitability also enabled Walawander to hire her first two employees just one and a half years after the copy center opened its doors for business.

Walawander also attributes her success to her faith. She finds a lot of inspiration from other Christian business owners, and finds strength from God when times are tough. Ultimately, Walawander sees herself as a servant to others through her business, just as she is a servant to God. When she just wants to give up, "God reminds me that this is His business and as long as I run it by the Book, "He will honor and bless it," she said. "Sometimes I lose sight of that, but I'm quickly reminded that He led me to this business to be a servant to others, and He will certainly lead me through it in good times and in bad."

Walawander has faith that her business will continue to grow, and she hopes to steward its fruitfulness for years to come. Her goal for the future? "I would like to still be here doing what I do best even better," she said.

**Photo courtesy of AT Cameron Photo.

June 2005