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Chapter 13
Grenville Station
www.grenvillestation.com
Your name: Laurie-Ann Guitard
Company name: Grenville Station Inc.
Website URL:
http://www.grenvillestation.com/
Your company / website vision statement / goal:
Our company goal is to be the obvious choice to consumers who require
gift services both locally and across
Canada and the
United States.
What you sell / services you offer (brief description of your company):
Moderate to upscale gift baskets, flowers, candy bouquets and corporate
gifts shipped throughout
Canada and the
United States
Have you always wanted to run your own business? What were some of your
previous jobs / companies?
No, my parents were entrepreneurs their entire adult lives so I grew up
knowing first hand the sacrifices that small business owners often have
to make with regards to their families and personal lives.
I also knew the immense satisfaction that one derives from setting their
own schedule, taking risks and achieving business milestones and goals.
A few of my earliest jobs included working in my mother’s bridal
boutique and working with the developmentally handicapped. I also
taught elementary school and worked in a commercial casino as both a
table games dealer and supervisor.
Have you got any qualifications? Please tell us about yourself
academically?
B.A. in Sociology, M.S.Ed. in Elementary Education; various personal
development courses.
How / when did the idea of your website / company come about?
A back injury lead to a leave of absence from my casino position. Because I was accustomed to working nights until
4:00 a.m at the casino I found myself awake all night with nothing to do
but soul search and surf the internet while my husband was at work.
Knowing that I had no passion for my casino position I began researching
businesses that I could start on a shoe string. I eventually came up
with a gift service business because it was a natural fit with my retail
background and love of hands-on creative activities.
The web site came along a few months later when I realized that it was a
perfect sales media to allow me to avoid the financial pitfalls of a
traditional retail start up. The web site allowed Grenville Station to
develop slowly while we dealt with the entrepreneurial learning curve.
If you could give readers of this book one piece of advice when starting
up a business, what would it be?
1. Research, research, research!
2. Have a passion for your product and/or service because that
passion will carry you through the pitfalls and setbacks that nearly all
start-ups face.
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