Jeff Tobin and his wife, Cathy, left two successful careers and their NYC home of 25 years to move to Tucson in 2002.  Prior to moving, the decision to launch their own business was made.  After reviewing a wide variety of potential business opportunities, the Tobins noticed several things about the Tucson area.  First, the housing boom was in full swing and appeared to have no end in sight.  Second, the aspect of desert living that affected everyone was the sun.  Third, interior window coverings are a necessity, not a luxury, as the new housing developments with homes built in very close proximity to one another, illustrated a great need to address privacy issues.  Given this seemingly large opportunity, combined with Jeff’s experience in architecture and Cathy’s experience in art, design, and historic preservation, Arch Design Window Treatments was launched in January of 2003.  

After reviewing the retail marketplace, the Tobins determined the shop-at-home model would best fit their style and meet the needs of their target customers.  Several factors led to this decision, including lighting and the practicality of trying to color match window treatments to the client’s existing furniture, flooring, etc., in their homes.  They also noted that only a few local providers of window coverings were actually licensed contractors.  Hence the decision was made to also obtain a contractors license, enabling them to further differentiate themselves from other competitors.

The next major decisions involved marketing and positioning and this is where several misjudgments occurred in their business.  The Tobins had a very strong confidence in their ability to provide a wide range of quality products and deliver exceptional customer service.  They felt this would really position them well against local big-box stores that offered employees and clerks to consult on window treatment offerings.  

From a marketing and promotions perspective, given the housing boom and seemingly over abundance of new business opportunity, the Tobins took a shotgun approach to reach a broad target market.  Jeff joined referral-based business development organizations and Cathy used her experience in art/advertising to create ads and flyers. They tried several mediums, including TV, newspaper ads, yellow pages and other approaches, and while these generated some leads, they began fell far short of expectations.  The Tobins soon realized that a key mistake had been made in trying this broad brush approach.  Additionally, they underestimated how commoditized window treatments had become and how price-sensitive the prospective customers were that they had attracted.  Combine these factors with the big downturn in the housing market, and the recipe for growing the business suddenly became very cloudy.

What the Tobins experienced in launching their business presents many valuable lessons for any business owner.  First, overconfidence and lack of flexibility can lead to “missing the mark” when it comes to your customers.  The Tobins felt their business plan and years of experience would yield great dividends of business in a thriving market that seemed ripe with opportunity.  What they neglected to do was really identify the appropriate target market that would best compliment their unique strengths, background and experience.  It’s easy to get overzealous and think you can conquer the entire marketplace when, in reality, it’s not probable nor is it ideal for your particular business.  Many business owners feel the shotgun approach to marketing has a greater probability of delivering more business because this approach reaches more people.  Not so.  The more you clearly you define your strengths, your unique value offering and get really specific about your target market, the more success you’ll have in generating new business.  

The Tobins also realized that there was a lot they didn’t know about their industry and the local market place and ultimately this stunted their growth.  Thankfully, the hard lessons learned above have been the genesis for finding their “true” target market.  This also led to the Tobins finding a network called Exciting Windows that has connected them with dozens of other shop-at-home window treatment companies around the country, through which they gain access to industry knowledge, best practice sharing, mentoring, classes and industry resources.  This fits perfectly with what the Tobins felt was missing in their business and has helped them gain access to a national network to leverage buying power and expertise.

Back to Articles