CyberVillage SpotLight: Denise J Sachs-Mishalanie: Founder of Whirled Peas

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Necessity – Mother of Invention & Entrepreneurial Spirit

Necessity as the mother of invention also frequently sparks new entrepreneurial ventures and careers. Denise Sachs-Mishalanie discovered such a venture through her friends and family network. The necessity was her family’s desire for the beads and jewelry she makes as well as the need and desire to no longer have to rely on other people for her paycheck and security. A few years ago the company Denise worked for nearly 20 years implemented a layoff that impacted her closest associates and it hit her hard. Denise commented, “I was devastated to lose my partner that way, and I couldn't wrap my head around what I would do if happened again.” So, the necessity was predefined in two different ways. The need of her family to have more of her beads and the need to be in charge of her own destiny.



Background, Experience & Training

Denise’s husband, Chuck, is a long-time, successful entrepreneur, owning his business since before Denise and he were married. Denise: “I admire his ability to follow his vision successfully, and have always had a desire to do the same, but couldn't think of a good path that would work for me.” Denise’s parents owned a liquor store when she was young, but they did not keep it. It’s a very tough business and very competitive, and she saw the downside and struggle that running a retail business could be. That is the main reason she sought a different business model for her venture. Denise: “I like producing a tangible product, and marketing it to the right consumer.”

Denise grew up in Rochester, NY and moved to Utica about twenty-two years ago. Denise explains her family history: “My family was barely middle class - my parents struggled a bit to make ends meet, but were able to provide a stable home life for my brother and I. My Mom retired as a County social services employee. She would frequently share stories of families in crisis and we realized how lucky we were. We were safe, had a home and a stable family. My Dad worked with my Grandfather in the liquor store that my parents eventually owned. He knew the liquor business, but not how to run a business. It was very painful for him to have to give up that store, but in the end it was the only thing to do. Denise has a degree in Art from SUNY Oswego and graduated in 1979.

Denise had many experiences that seemed to be grooming her to be an entrepreneur. A family business, with many of the typical business pains. Her Mom helped show her how bad it can be for other people, which teaches you to count your blessings and be positive. And a husband with a long background as an entrepreneur which tends to take away some of the fear factor of trying a new venture.


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Up & Running

About a year ago Denise began to approach bead store owners, and slowly, her beads became the focus of the business. This new focus on beads was due mostly due to the fact that she got so many requests for the beads. At this time, she has a few stores that carry many of her beads. In Upstate New York she has accounts in Syracuse, Clinton, Herkimer, Rome, Skaneateles and New Hartford. One, in New Hartford, was the focus of a recent Business SpotLight. Outside New York, she also has accounts in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland and three in Colorado. She plans to expand to a few more states, but will only take on the customers that I can handle. This is similar to the slow growth strategy employed by Peter Corn, founder of Peter’s Cornucopia. Denise still works a regular job, so she has to fit the business in to her free time. She fully concentrates on her “9 to 5” job when she is working there. It is very common for new entrepreneurs to work their forty hour day job and then put in another twenty or forty hours on their own business.

Denise describes herself as “still in a growth pattern,” but she is taking it slowly, so she can accommodate her current customer base. “As I am able I will continually try to expand my customer base. I keep my eyes and ears opened, and pursue the opportunities that I am sure I can handle, and I hold off on the rest. My main concern is to keep my current customers satisfied and make their businesses successful. That is the best business strategy for keeping ME successful!”


Q&A

Rob: “How much product do you sell and what are your goals?”
Denise: “I try to be in a bead store at least once a month. I do what is called a ‘trunk show’ where I set up with all my new beads, and I also help make and design jewelry with people who are making their own pieces. I also am in a couple of gift shop / specialty stores, with my jewelry, and I will occasionally do a trunk show in these shops as well - here I would actually have jewelry made in advance, and make custom pieces for customers throughout those events. I am in constant contact with my customers and sell to them as needed. The jewelry sells more on a seasonal basis and around holidays and special occasions, and the beads sell each month. I try my best to keep new inventory in the stores as often as I can. Sometimes this means that i change things out at the conclusion of a trunk show - sometimes it means that I send things in the mail to my out - of - state customers.


My goals remain the same each year - I have been in business for three years - I hope to be able to cover my expenses and make a true profit for the first time this year. I try to open two to three new accounts each year, and I want to be able to keep up with my customer base in a satisfactory way for both them and myself. I hope to be able to have time to have a more consistent presence on line in the coming years, but I am concerned with how internet sales impact my retail customers, and they are my primary concern at the moment. I would like to reach people in markets where I don't have a retail presence, but I don't currently have enough hours in the day to keep all of those balls in the air. I hope to be able to address this within the next year or two.”

Rob: “ Tell us about business relationships that currently exist that help you sell more.”
Denise: “Locally, my largest BEAD customer is EmMi Beads at 3 Fountain Street in Clinton. I have known the owner, Kim Schweitzer, through our daughters for many years, and I have been lucky enough to have my beads in her store for a couple of years now. I have a number of loyal customers through her store, and I am there about once a month to show new things and do a little teaching. I also have a similar presence in Syracuse at Market Beads on Oswego St, in Liverpool, at a bead boutique in Bethesda, MD and in Northampton, Mass. On a recent trip to Colorado, I brought my beads to about seven stores, and ended up with three new customers in Frisco, Breckenridge and Littleton. Each of these stores routinely put in new merchandise.

I have a couple of local jewelry accounts, the largest is at Peter's Cornucopia. I do trunk shows at peter's three to four times each year, and have had a long connection with Peter. He is a real believer in supporting local businesses, and has been a role model for myself and others who do business with him. He also employed my step-son as a teenager, and now my son has worked there since he was sixteen. My daughter-in-law also works there full time. They keep me posted on how my jewelry sales are doing. In this store I sell an average of six pairs of earrings every month - sometimes a little more than that. I keep the earring rack full at all time at Peter's and often change out all of the jewelry - jut to freshen things up. I also will make a custom piece through his store.
My jewelry also sells at Hummels in Herkimer and Rome, at Mibeau Spa and Inn in Skaneateles, and at a florist / gift shop in Bethany, CN. I am hoping to see more jewelry opportunities in the near future - especially in preparation for the holiday season that starts right after school commences in the fall.”

Rob: “Is your office primarily your of your home? What other things do you do to keep overhead low? How much do you use the Internet?”
Denise: “I make all of my beads in my home studio - it's a corner of my basement. My jewelry is all made in my home office - a spare bedroom that i took over a few years ago. It's always a mess, but I know where most everything is! My overhead is entirely made up of supplies and equipment. At this point I am in pretty good shape with equipment - I just purchased a second kiln for use with PMC - a fine silver material for jewelry. My supplies include all sorts of silver materials, tons of swarovski crystals, and vintage crystals and beads that I like to incorporate into my jewelry. As far as the supplies for my hand made beads - it's all about the glass - I have TONs of glass rods - I am always experimenting with new colors to keep things fresh and different - I want my customers to have something new to see each time they encounter my work, so glass is what I spend most of my money on! There is no way for me to keep my overhead low, but I try to get creative. There is a store in Mass. that I work with that sells my beads, and they also sell raw glass rods, so sometimes, I just trade beads for raw material! That doesn't happen too often, but it's so cool when it does!”

Rob: “What is the future of our economy, your industry and your business?
Denise: “The one thing that I can say is that making beads gives an opportunity for people who like to make their own pieces to incorporate unique high quality focal pieces into their own designs. This gives many people to opportunity to have a very expensive piece for a fraction of the cost, by buying the materials and putting together their own design. You can still look in magazines and catalogues for inspiration, but when you have a local artist at your disposal, I can make something totally unique for you and your design - it's win-win. I thought the bead thing might be a short lived fad, but it is really going strong, and I know that people who are interested in fashion, are realizing that this is a real fashion accessory that can update wardrobes without having to change over the whole closet - also it's very hard to grow out of a piece of jewelry - I still wear the same size earrings, bracelet and necklace that I did in high school! You can't say that about to many things!”