I hope you and your family had an
enjoyable Labor Day. Established in 1894 as a holiday to celebrate the economic
and social contributions of workers, it is now more about barbeques and a signal
that our summer fun and vacations are coming to a close and it's time to get
back to work.
Our entrepreneur this month
decided that after working for 25 years for someone else, he had enough. He was
tired of being "labor" and wanted to be the boss. He wanted to utilize his
skills to maximize his potential and be rewarded for his efforts.
Congratulations Shawn and wife
Corrine and welcome to the world of entrepreneurship!
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Shawn & Corrine Nareski 
Cartridge
World
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I first met Shawn Nareski in the
fall of 2011 at a job fair for sales professionals. Shawn was 48 years old at
the time and had an extensive sales career history working in the print media,
promotional advertising and grocery supply industries. He had a Business
Administration degree with a major in marketing. He was in career transition
looking for his next opportunity. He told me about his entrepreneurial
aspirations since his college years. "While in college, my goal was to have
my own business within 5 years. The problem was I started making money! Once
that happens and you start buying things, your creative mind focuses on your job
instead of your original plan. My plan got pushed aside for cash flow, a
paycheck."
Shawn is a very personable guy.
He's great at building relationships, creative and hardworking. He likes to be
out and about and not straddled to a desk. He definitely had entrepreneurial
aspirations and had previously looked at some franchises and a pet store on his
own. He also expressed a desire to have his wife Corrine and perhaps his kids
involved in a business. Shawn also wanted to have a business that made a
difference in the community.
Shawn was excited to learn about
his entrepreneurial options. He completed our initial interview, questionnaires
and behavior profile. Together we worked on the criteria for his possibilities
profile of his ideal business. We came up with four concepts for Shawn to
investigate and validate. One specialized in natural healthy frozen fruit bars
and snacks sold wholesale to retail outlets or sold at special events. Another
was a resale of a retail ink and toner cartridge refilling franchise. Also under
consideration was a franchise specializing in the sale and installation of
window blinds, shades, drapes, etc. And the last one was a marketing consulting
type franchise.
Shawn jumped in with both feet
and started learning about and validating these business models. At the same
time, Shawn continued to explore job opportunities and was researching an
entrepreneurial opportunity he had uncovered on his own. . When it came to
options about his career, he wasn't going to leave any stones unturned.
After several weeks of validating
the various business models, the local Cartridge World store that was for sale
in his area and a handicapped mobility store opportunity became his primary
interest. Shawn had met the owner of the mobility store who was looking to
expand to another location about 60 miles west of Shawn's home. Shawn would run
the new store as an independent contractor working for a percentage of the
sales. Shawn would be responsible for the rent and initial inventory.
Shawn met with the owner of the
Cartridge World store that was for sale. It turns out that this store was opened
several years prior by a husband and wife team. Their plan was for the wife to
work in the store and the husband was going to do the outside business
development while he continued to work his existing job. Unexpectedly, the
husband got a job offer in another state that he just couldn't turn down. He was
living in the new city and commuting on weekends to be with his family. His wife
and daughter were running the business and no one was out there promoting the
business and bringing in new customers. They had put their house up for sale and
wanted to sell their business so the family could be together again. They were
certainly motivated sellers and Shawn saw this as a definite opportunity.
Shawn realized that this business
needed a sales professional to increase awareness and bring in new customers and
this is where he excelled. It also turned out the owner's son and Shawn's son
were friends. There was an instant connection between the two families and I
think they knew this sale was meant to be. This is what Shawn had to say,
"It was divine intervention! It turned out that the owner was not only from
our hometown, but that their kids were friends with our kids! Their kids worked
in the business. So now, not only was my wife excited to see we could apply
ourselves together, there was a big new positive in Cartridge World for our kids
as well. Plus, Cartridge World already had a 5 year track record. The whole
deal had what I viewed as 'fertile soil'. All we had to do was apply ourselves
and project our future based on our multiplicative skill sets." After
further negotiation and investigation, Shawn and Corrine decided to purchase
this store. It was a win-win for both families.
In Shawn's due diligence of this
opportunity, he realized that he could increase profitability of the store and
moved it to a more desirable location at a reduced rent. This of course had
challenges with lease negotiations and moving without disrupting the daily
operations of the business. This was all accomplished while being trained by the
seller and going to corporate training. Shawn and Corrine definitely rose to the
challenge.
Shawn, Corrine and their kids are
now all actively involved in their Cartridge World franchise in Brookfield,
Wisconsin. Shawn elaborated, "It has been a lot of work and hours, but we
see it as factors we can control and impact with proper planning. One of the
best things about this business has been all the learning required. I did the
same thing in the same industry for 14 years. Now, because we are in a
technology field, technology always changes and we constantly must learn and
change with it. It's exciting to keep having to learn." He went on to
say, "After 25 years of selling for employers, I had no drive to take the
common high turn-over sales jobs offered at a job fair held at a local hotel.
Then I met Marty Barnes. To this day, this is what I tell people when
referring to Marty -- In 25 years of selling, I have been trained or have
associated with the very best of business people. I rank Marty in the top five.
You will be glad once you speak with him."
Thank you, Shawn. I'm happy to
have had the opportunity to help you explore your potential and realize your
dream.
Cartridge World is the leader in
remanufacturing and refilling printer cartridges for all major brands including
HP, Dell, Canon, Lexmark and Epson. They refill ink cartridges for most home or
small business printers, whether they are multi-function, color or black and
white. They also remanufacture laser cartridges for most high speed copiers,
full color printers or all-in-one laser printers, fax and copier cartridges.
With 600 stores in North America and 1,700 stores worldwide, they have a 100%
satisfaction guarantee, are environmental responsibility and offer saving of up
to 30%. We all know that printer manufacturers make their money on the refill
cartridges. Cartridge World breaks that cycle.
If you live in the greater
Milwaukee area and would like to save on ink and toner cartridges, please call
or stop by with your empty cartridges at Shawn and Corrine's store located at
19035 West Bluemound Road in Brookfield, Wisconsin, 262-754-2901. Shawn and
Corrine will provide outstanding customer service with a smile and save you
money in addition to helping the environment. Free delivery can be arranged for
business accounts. Saving money couldn't be easier! Shawn lives the Cartridge
World slogan: "Ink and toner don't have to be expensive anymore." Check out the
savings for yourself and let Shawn or Corrine know that Marty sent you.
Shawn had entrepreneurial aspirations in college. But once he took a job and the
paychecks starting coming in, he got caught up in the "norm" of having a job and
the things a paycheck can buy. But the satisfaction wasn't there, nor the job
security. It took the accidental meeting at a job fair for Shawn to re-ignite
his dream of being a business owner.
If you have had entrepreneurial
aspirations or if you are unhappy in your current career, you don't have to have
an accidental meeting to change course. Success doesn't happen over
night. It's a process taken one step at a time. Whether you are a corporate
executive, manager, office clerk, mechanic or working mom and if you have a
vision or desire of being your own boss and being self-sufficient, reply back or
give me a call and we'll discuss your life goals and aspirations. Are you
ready?
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