Biscuitville

100% Family Owned

From BusinessNC: https://businessnc.com/power-list-interview-biscuitville-ceo-kathie-niven/

Biscuitville has its origins in Burlington, NC….with 75+ locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Annual revenue is $150M.

Key points of the CEO interview:

• Biscuitville is family owned and run by an operator who works directly for the family.
• With respect to growth: “It’s about making sure that we go slowly enough to make sure our processes are appropriate, the culture is appropriate, and meets the standards of the company.”
• The business: “The recipe is the flour (flour from NC, shortening, buttermilk from NC)….but the people make it or break it.”

https://biscuitville.com/

Note: Time to make a personal visit

Business Name

Our Name – Baker

If business owners put their name on a business…..it means for the most part what the business stands for. From time to time our advertisements even had our photos. It made us known in the community…..customers could see who they were dealing with….and the name upheld the integrity of the business.

Many well known companies bear the names of the founders….Ford – Henry Ford…..Disney – Walt Disney….Pfizer – Charles Fizer plus hundreds more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_named_after_people

In the Muskegon County market: Vanderveldes…..Zaggoroli….Kellogg….Peterson….Cohn….Bell….Mathews…..Hoffius…..Baker…..Irwin….. Smitty….Perri were the owners names. They all were reputable businesses and responsible competition.

Integrity

Remembered

“Integrity is the quality of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or earnestness of one’s actions.”

After 46 years, probably most people do not remember our family home furnishings business. If they do….I would trust that they most valued integrity in our customer and business relationships.

Sunnyland Farms

Guarantee

“Our Guarantee To You: At Sunnyland we fully and unconditionally guarantee each package we ship for you. If a package is lost or damaged or if you are not satisfied, we will replace the package or refund your money.”

Since 1948, Sunnyland farms has grown Pecan trees in Albany, GA. It has expanded over the years in not just selling pecans but also related food products.

Sunnyland pecans are a premium pecan and their guarantee attests to that. Businesses that produce quality products….have been in operation for over 75 years….and stand unconditionally behind their products are simply good businesses.

A strong guarantee/warranty (“If you are not satisfied”) is a core value for any business.

https://www.sunnylandfarms.com/

Bugs

Pricing Model

We had been with our pest control service for many years. The service was quaterly at $75. For the most part…..it controlled the bugs (This is the south!).

The service recently changed its pricing model to a monthly rate and three different levels, good, better, and best. All levels significantly higher.

Businesses choose to change. In this case….perhaps there should have been a process to retain their Most Valued Customers. That was not the option…..thus Ortho Home Defense will be our plan for the next few months and may well work just as well as our previous pest applications.

News Roundup

May 2024

+ Where are they now from May 2019:

• Art-O-Mat: https://www.artomat.org/
• Cava: https://cava.com/
• Baked sweets: https://singlebakedsweets.com/

+ Where are they now from May 2014:

• Brooklyn Grange Farm: https://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/

+ Leadership: https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/united-airlines-ceo-scott-kirby-says-1-simple-thing-separates-great-leaders-from-mere-managers.html

+ Wendys two word mistake: https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/this-huge-2-word-mistake-by-wendys-ceo-teaches-a-powerful-lesson-in-how-to-communicate.html

+ Quartz NC: https://www.techspot.com/news/102377-two-mines-north-carolina-key-suppliers-world-semiconductor.html

+ Wind turbine: https://www.greentech-news.org/this-new-european-wind-turbine-for-home-out-perform-pv-solar-panels-in-2024/

+ Portillos: https://www.entrepreneur.com/entrepreneurs/this-chicago-italian-beef-chains-recipe-for-success/472119

+ Eisenhower Matrix: https://bigthink.com/the-learning-curve/why-the-eisenhower-matrix-is-a-fantastic-productivity-hack/

+ Healthy fast food: https://crispandgreen.com/

+ Customer service: https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/these-4-steps-make-unhappy-customers-happy.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=IncMagazine%2Fmagazine%2FTop+Stories

Succession

Unexpected

From: wzzm13.com: https://tinyurl.com/4k68kud7

“Succession planning is a business strategy that involves identifying and developing future leaders within an organization. It helps ensure that the business can continue to run smoothly when important people retire, pass away, or move on to new opportunities.”

Scarlett, Inc. is typical of many small businesses.

The loss of the founder/CEO can be devastating to the business unless there is a succession strategy. While that loss may never happen….it is imperative that businesses must have a succession plan.

https://scarlettinc.com/

Questionable

VinFast/NC

From WRAL: https://www.wral.com/story/vinfast-downsizes-planned-ev-factory-in-chatham-county-as-construction-hits-a-snag/21385386/

North Carolina (NC) has a solid economy and is consistently rated in the top ten of state economies. For some reason, NC has also desired an automobile assembly plant….just like South Carolina with the worlds largest Mercedes’s-Benz production facility. Unfortunately….NC has settled for a largely unproven VinFast factory.

Thankfully….NC does have a new and large Toyota battery plant coming online in 2025. The following article * + offers one perspective into whether VinFast will ever make automobiles in Chatham County….https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/vinfast-fails-faster-america-jimmy-thai-dtm/

Just having an assembly plant does not guarantee success in the ultra competitive U.S. marketplace.

* Though dated 3.12.23. I would suspect much has not changed.

+ Related stories:

• https://www.wral.com/story/vinfast-dealership-coming-to-greensboro-months-after-leith-vinfast-opens-in-cary/21395139/
• https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2024/04/22/report-vinfast-car-sales-struggles-north-carolina

What’s New

Each Day

Everyday in our business we asked “What’s New” numerous times. Why?

Because each day was a new day….new customers….new products…..new ideas. If we didn’t do that each day would be just another uninspiring day.

There were always sales reps who would make their monthly calls…..our first question…..what’s new. We, as most home furnishings businesses, were on the lookout for new and/or different products. That’s what we looked forward to. Not just for us…..but for our customers.

MBA

Valuable?

From Observer Media: https://observer.com/2023/12/mba-career-value-decline/

“The age of the MBA has passed.” For some maybe….for others not the least. An MBA is not a guarantee for success….that depends on the induvial.

What the MBA does is give a person advanced skills to comprehend the complexities of business. It is up to the person to use and better those skills.

Certainly some MBA programs are expensive…. however not everyone needs or can go to Harvard…..Stanford or even Michigan. North Carolina State, has a solid Masters program and would be an excellent choice.

Michigan is a world class university and I am grateful for the opportunity to earn an BBA and MBA. However it only provided the business tools….the rest was up to me. The MBA is still valuable.