VCU AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION FAMILY SUPPORT AND SELF EMPLOYMENT PRESENTED BY MELISSA CLARK AND JOHNELLE HOWANACH INTERVIEWED BY: CARY GRIFFIN Captioning Provided By: Caption First, Inc. *** >>CARY GRIFFIN: Well, thanks for having me over today in lovely Great Falls, Montana, with snow all the way here. >>MELISSA CLARK: No; no. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Lissie and Johnelle, I'm here to just ask you some questions and get your advice for other people who are interested in starting their own business. And since you are veterans of this, let me see, you started in '99. Was that right, Lissie? >>MELISSA CLARK: Yes. >>CARY GRIFFIN: And you started with a dog walking service; is that right? >>MELISSA CLARK: Yes, I did. >>CARY GRIFFIN: It was a really bad idea of mine I think. >>MELISSA CLARK: No. At the time it was really, really helpful. Actually it was a very good idea. It was just not knowing where to start. >>CARY GRIFFIN: But you grew out of that pretty fast. >>MELISSA CLARK: Oh, yes. >>CARY GRIFFIN: And you decided that making gourmet dog treats was the way to go. >>MELISSA CLARK: Right. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Right. >>CARY GRIFFIN: So we know that with all businesses you have your ups and downs and whatnot. But we've seen a pretty steady growth in your business over the years. >>MELISSA CLARK: Yes, we have. >>CARY GRIFFIN: With your mom's help and with the help of friends and family and neighbors and lots of folks. So is your business easier or harder to run these days now that it's a little more complicated? >>MELISSA CLARK: Actually it's getting easier to run. It's getting much easier to run. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Why is that? >>MELISSA CLARK: Because I have my mom's support, a baker that's willing to help out, a contract baker. And I've got -- >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Things are -- we know how to do things. Like yesterday when we did the beets, it used to take us hours and hours and we would have a mess all over the kitchen. Hey, we were done in an hour. >>MELISSA CLARK: Right. And it used to take us a few hours just to do the simple -- doing the dry mix. It would take us a couple of hours. And now we get it done in an hour. >>CARY GRIFFIN: That's great. Now you've hired a neighbor of yours to do some of the contract baking for you to fill in. >>MELISSA CLARK: She does a wonderful job. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Super. Can you tell me about her? >>MELISSA CLARK: She does a wonderful job. I basically make up the mix. She calls and says: I'm low on mix. I get the information of what she might need for ingredients. If she needs wet ingredients or if she needs the dry ingredients. I give her specifics -- or she gives me specifics on what she needs. If she needs eggs or if she needs molasses -- >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: We supply everything. >>MELISSA CLARK: Everything to her. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: All she does is the baking. And then she does -- the one thing we love to do is paint the little hearts. >>MELISSA CLARK: Hearts. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: But she -- >>MELISSA CLARK: She now does that. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: She paints the little hearts with beet juice. >>MELISSA CLARK: Yes. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: But we do -- about every other week we do a mass production of the dry mix like Lissie was saying. >>MELISSA CLARK: Right. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: We usually do about oh, 12 or 13. So we have the dry mix. And then Julie comes every week. And then we're -- at this time she's just doing six. During our busier times, she'll do 8 or 12 even, depending on what season. Because with most businesses, our business is seasonal. There are times -- fast times, slow times. And like Lissie was saying, Lissie checks to see does she need some molasses? Does she need some canola oil or whatever. >>CARY GRIFFIN: And part of the strategy, Lissie, is that Julie will become part of your support structure; is that right? >>MELISSA CLARK: Yes, she will. Definitely. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: She's very interested. >>MELISSA CLARK: She's very interested in becoming a part of the business and wanting to know how things at some point here run. So this is going to be a long term commitment for her. >>CARY GRIFFIN: That's great. Tell me a little bit about over the years how you've tried to promote your business and what's worked and maybe what hasn't worked as advice to other people who are starting their businesses. I know very early on you had a TV commercial, a public service announcement which worked great. And we've shown a lot of people that commercial. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Yes. I would say the TV commercial was -- of all of the different media, that was the one that we got the most response from. And then not -- well, had this last -- no. Let me back up. Two years ago we did -- we tried radio. And oh, we had a wonderful, wonderful commercial on the radio. It was just really -- just excellent. But we didn't get much of a response. And so this year we tried the paper, the newspaper. And I've got -- and they, again, did a beautiful job on the -- on the different ads. But again -- >>MELISSA CLARK: Again there was no response from the ad I put in the paper. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: I think this was the hot ticket. And I think we maybe out of all of this got one order that -- but we've had other people say: We saw your ad and boy -- they said -- that was really a good ad. And I thought: Well, yeah. But they didn't order. >>CARY GRIFFIN: And so for the last, you know, eight or nine years, really a lot of your sales have come through networking and through you know friends and neighbors and people telling other people. >>MELISSA CLARK: The other place that it's really come through is the Internet, the web. A lot of my orders come from all over the United States over the Internet. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: And we were in a couple of national magazines. And folks -- when we were in the magazines, we were just swamped with orders. >>MELISSA CLARK: Orders. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: And we're just now in a book that's just out called "Damaged Angels." And when we go places and give talks and then to different churches and things like that, we usually sell everything. >>MELISSA CLARK: Everything. >>CARY GRIFFIN: That's great. Well, and Lissie, I understand when I got to know you years ago, one of the things that you wanted to do was to go back on the reservations and talk to young girls about alcohol and that kind of stuff. >>MELISSA CLARK: Yeah. >>CARY GRIFFIN: And I understand you've been doing some work for the substance abuse and mental health services administration. >>MELISSA CLARK: Yes, I have -- I have done one of my favorite dreams. And that was to go up to my reservation and give a presentation on alcohol and what the aftereffects of it have been. And the reward then was not only that the crowd would sit and listen. But I got a big honorary naming ceremony afterwards. And I couldn't believe it. I'm like: Whoa! >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Tell them your name. >>MELISSA CLARK: My Native American given name is Yabaewash Dawia (phonetic), which means good words woman. >>CARY GRIFFIN: That's super. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: She got that -- it was a conference on her business, also. So it was a two prong. One day we did the business and explained how we did everything. And then the next day was the -- on fetal alcohol syndrome. >>CARY GRIFFIN: So you've been teaching people in Montana and now in California, as well. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Yes. And then remember, Lissie, not this last summer but the summer before we were down in San Diego. >>MELISSA CLARK: Oh, yeah. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Let's see, the National Indian Health Services Conference. >>MELISSA CLARK: Uh-huh. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: And it was just people from all over, all over the United States. And other countries were there. >>CARY GRIFFIN: That's great. Well, over the years to get back to the dog biscuit business a little bit, you've developed some stores that you sell out of. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Oh, yes. >>MELISSA CLARK: Uh-huh. >>CARY GRIFFIN: And those have been pretty good mostly local kinds of stores and then you sell on the Internet? >>MELISSA CLARK: Uh-huh. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: And we have some -- we most recently were selling out of Underdog, Incorporated, in Chicago. But now that store has been sold. So we're waiting right now to hear what's happening. And then Perryville Pet Hospital in Rockford, Illinois. And then we have a steady customer in Lorraine, Ohio. And then we have another steady customer in Memphis, Tennessee, that we just -- just like every month we get the order. >>CARY GRIFFIN: That's great; that's great. And you've built a new kitchen down in the basement. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Yes. >>MELISSA CLARK: Yes, we have. >>CARY GRIFFIN: You just haven't quite moved in because of ongoing sort of health concerns. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Just couldn't. Couldn't do it. And so -- but it's there. And it will be used. >>CARY GRIFFIN: You've got a convection oven. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: It's beautiful. >>MELISSA CLARK: Definitely. >>CARY GRIFFIN: It's a beautiful kitchen. It's a beautiful setup. So some time in the next couple of months I'm guessing you'll be getting that going. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: We're hoping. >>MELISSA CLARK: We're hoping to be getting it going. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Super. Well, that's part of some of the issues people have about: I have to keep growing my business. I can't just sit down. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Right. >>CARY GRIFFIN: The other thing you've done is started a franchise. >>MELISSA CLARK: Yes; yes. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Yes. >>MELISSA CLARK: Yes, I've done this with a -- >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Young lady. >>MELISSA CLARK: Young lady over in -- >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Baker. >>MELISSA CLARK: Baker, Montana. And it's been a success with her. It's absolutely a success. She wakes up every morning excited to do the business. So it's something that she looks forward to. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: How did we help them? Did they come over? >>MELISSA CLARK: Yeah, they came over here. And we showed them the whole process. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Lissie taught them. It was delightful. She taught them. I didn't do a thing. She just sat there and taught them how to package. And I didn't have to do anything. And then we did a baking so they would know exactly how to do it. And then we started them out with the proper -- the cutters and everything. And then we had a contract agreement with them that they would not change anything in our products. >>MELISSA CLARK: Uh-huh. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Because people that have -- are buying from us expect our -- the quality. And so we have to be very -- we have to be real careful. Because we have got to keep the quality. Because that's why we're in some of the shops that we're in. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Now, this young lady that you've helped and that has started this franchise, now her mother is a major part of this, right? That's her primary support. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Yes. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Just as, Johnelle, you've been a major support for Lissie. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Yes. >>CARY GRIFFIN: There have been criticisms sometimes leveled that family businesses sometimes are too dominated by maybe Mom or Dad. What do you think about that? >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Oh, I would have to disagree. I think -- I think everybody should work together. But the point I would make: Who knows their child or their lady, young lady, better than the parent? Who knows what their gifts are? And the other point that cannot be left out is the parent will always be there. What I have observed myself is that in other instances where there's been a business and there's been a very wonderful support person but pretty soon that person is not there anymore. And you know what? I can tell you right now of a very nice going business that isn't in existence anymore simply because the person that was involved got a different job. And I'm not going anywhere. >>CARY GRIFFIN: So family may very well be more committed than some of us professionals. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Oh, just common sense. It's just -- because of the desire of the parent to want their child to really develop a business. And one thing I do want to get on camera is sometimes people in certain professions think that this business is a hobby or something that's just going to -- you know it's just going to pass some time. Well, I'm sorry; folks, this is a developed business. And what we're doing -- everything we're doing is laying the foundation. And that's why perhaps we made a mistake with the publicity or the advertising in the paper since we did not get - - did not get a good response or an adequate response to account for the cost. We're laying a foundation. We're getting our name out. Because although we didn't get the orders like we had hoped -- >>MELISSA CLARK: Uh-huh. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: -- we got name recognition. And that will -- that serves us well. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Well, Lissie any parting words of advice that you would give to other people running their businesses? >>MELISSA CLARK: I would say definitely stick with your support person. Don't let other people discourage you from running your business in the way you want to run it. And I would say as an individual that has a business, let your support person guide you in this. It takes two people to run a business. And it makes it stronger if both of you work together on it. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Well, thank you both. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: We have fun. >>MELISSA CLARK: Yeah, we do. We have lots of fun. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: I guess that's the other thing. >>CARY GRIFFIN: That's the best advice I suppose. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Oh, I think the fun that we've had when we had -- well, remember when we first did the beets, we had beet juice all over everything. >>MELISSA CLARK: Yeah. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: And the other day when we were doing the dry mix and I spilled the soybeans. >>MELISSA CLARK: And they went everywhere. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: But it's fun. >>MELISSA CLARK: It's fun. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: And I just -- I can't say enough good for -- and the other point is it's a win-win situation. >>MELISSA CLARK: Win-win situation. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: Because when I retire -- I retired from my other job. And hey, it's a wonderful thing for me to have something that means so much to me to do. So hey, it's -- it's good all the way around. Highly recommended. And the other thing I think -- Lissie, because Lissie has been able to succeed at this, oh, she wants to go to college. >>MELISSA CLARK: Yep. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: And she's working now -- tell them what you're -- >>MELISSA CLARK: I would like -- actually my dream in my mind is I would like to go to college and be an interpreter for my deaf community. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Super. >>JOHNELLE HOWANACH: And she's working on -- >>MELISSA CLARK: I'm working on my sign language all the time. And I'm going to start sign language classes in September. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Well, that's great. Well, thank you both for letting me come back and visit for a short time. >>MELISSA CLARK: Not a problem. We enjoy the visit. >>CARY GRIFFIN: Thanks. ***