Small business, big opportunity
A Roseburg High graduate, unemployed and low on funds, like many of us, needed a job. A local vinyl sign and graphics company needed a new owner. For Kory Struthers, 27, of Roseburg, and his brother Kyle, 22, the opportunity to set their own hours and be their own boss was too enticing to pass up.
Running a business is not an easy thing to do in any economic climate, let alone this one. Only about half of new businesses survive five years. And since earning a business degree takes three to five years and a small fortune, the idea of starting a small business isn’t everyone’s first choice.
In fact, the age group that the Struthers fit in, 20 to 34, has the lowest rate of entrepreneurial activity in the U.S. according to Duke University’s study “The Coming Entrepreneurship Boom,” authored by Vivek Wadhwa. The highest rate is for those aged 55-64.
But the Struthers were willing to take a chance. Kory and Kyle took over Huckleberry Press in May. They run a full service vinyl printing shop, located at 2405 Garden Valley Boulevard by the Roseburg gun shop. The young printers do everything from bumper stickers to cardboard cut-outs to banners and signs.
Kory decided to take over this sign business with little to no business training. “I took a marketing class in high school,” is how he describes his business background. He had done some work for Huckleberry Press in the past, though, so he at least knew the basics about the equipment. As a favor, Kory had helped the business’s previous owner, a friend of his, with big projects his friend couldn’t do alone.
“My favorite part of the job is when someone brings me a challenge,” Kory says. When a customer doesn’t know exactly what he or she wants, Kory enjoys helping them figure that out.
Some advice Kory gives to new business starters is to find the methods of advertising that you can afford. Don’t spend your entire budget on advertising when there are more cheap and effective ways of advertising. “Treat every customer as though they are the only customer you have,” Kory also advise. “One of the only ways you can afford to advertise, when you are starting out, is customer word of mouth.”
As for short term goals, the Struthers hope to get their name out more, sponsor some bigger events, and get internet sales up and running. Their long term goal is to turn a profit and have the money to give themselves pay checks. “It is hard to say at this point, but I am hoping I can someday sell the business and retire,” jokes Kory.
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