Executive Summary Page

When assessing Minnie Lane the beginning information in this packet will consist of research.
Information will be given about company and community background, target market, expansion,
competition, core problems of the business and the opportunity for the company to resolve these
issues.
Planning ways to resolve these problems are in the next portion of this book. The
companys goal is clearly stated and specific objectives, or results, will lead towards this goal.
Describing how each key public will help reach the goals and objective are stated next. Strategies
and tactics will explain what measures should be taken to have a successful business. The
calendar will state when these strategies and tactics should be implemented.
The last portion of this book is the evaluation. This will explain the specific measures
used to determine the success of Minnie Lane. This will consist of the end assessment of Minnie
Lane.

1. Background:
Minnie Lane is a locally owned and operated store which sells antiques, local vendor crafts,
jewelry, collectibles, as well as geode rocks and marbles. The owner is Melody Blair and the
store is run by Blairher and her two daughters. Melody has an experience in business operation
from her previous endeavors. The storefront is on a prime location on the square of downtown
Maryville. The store hours of the storefront are from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday-Friday
and 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. CIt is closed on Sundays. During the day Ms. Blair
works at a sign shop adjacent to Minnie Lane. After she is done at her day job she goes over to
work at Minnie Lane until 6 p.m. at night. After that is completed she continues her sewing
business late into the evening. Though she does sew, she says she doesnt want to advertise it.
When she gets home she says she takes photographs of her products. On the weekends, when she
isnt working she is scouting garage sales for new products. In addition to operating the print
shop, Minnie Lane and the sewing business, Blair her and her husband do community service by
working with disabled individuals in the store where they building and assembleputting together
birdhouse kits.
Melody not only sells her own products but she allows 23 vendors to display their
products in her store. Melody sells their products and gives a certain percentage to them while
keeping the rest goes to her. She has expressed that the vendors make more money than her. She
said she only has enough money to pay store expenses and is unable to pay her
daughters/employees that run the shop during the daytime.
Upon entering her shop, she has old items and furniture on display along with jewelry and
handmade items. Her store is arranged by how the items fit together. Theres an antique rocking
chair and school desk with a handmade Amish quilt on top of the chair. There are knitted
stocking caps and boot warmers in old wicker baskets. Vintage suitcases are arranged beautifully
on top of an old desk. When you enter the store, that vintage style is immediately
apparentdisplayed.
She says that she attracts middle aged and older women to her store and that they make up
most of her clientele. She occasionally has a few college students come to purchase geode rocks
and little kids will sometimes make a purchase of their own.
The town of Maryville is a Midwestern college town in the state of Missouri. The estimated
population for the city, in the 2014 Census, was 12,018. This population fluctuates because it is a
college town and students are moving in and out of the area all the time. The customer base that
Minnie Lane attracts is middle age to older women that comprisescontributes to about 20% of
the population. Based on Northwest Missouri States enrollment statistics for Fall of 2015, there
are around 6,593 college students. Economically the city of Maryville is a low income area. The
per capita earnings for the city are $15,471. Women, who are the dominant customer base for
Minnie Lane, average $28,480 while the non-family households, where most college students
would fall under, are at $23,655. Out of the population of women, ages 20 to 74, 73 percent are
employed and for men, ages 20-74, 73.1 percent are employed.
Melody has advertised through newspapers and radio. Her best form of advertisement has
come from an Albany, Missouri based paper called The New Shopper which covershas a large
target area encompassingfrom Northwest Missouri and Southern Iowa. It covers US Highway 71
to Us Highway 69 and from Highway 2 in Iowa to Highway 6 in Missouri. Some of the
advertiserments present in the New Shopper are forom Albany, Cameron, Winston, King City,

Gentry, and Bedford, Iowa. The counties it covers specifically in Missouri are Gentry County,
Buchanan County, and DeKalb County.
The customer base that comes from The New Shopper consists of women. The female
population over the age of 18 for Gentry County is 2,642. The female population over 18 for
DeKalb County is 3,272 and the female population over 18 in Buchanan County is 34,413. The
average income for full-time working females, over the age of 18, in Buchanan County is
$30,657. The average earnings for females, over the age of 18, in DeKalb County is $34,317.
The average income for a full time, female worker in Gentry County, over the age of 18, is
$29,286.
From what can be seen from the demographic information that was pulled from
factfinder.census.gov is that the customer base for Minnie Lane has low income. If one were to
look at Nodaway County and the counties touched by The New Shopper, the audience that she
attracts is mostly middle aged women that are also low income. This will limit the amount they
can spend on products outside of basic necessities.
Minnie Lane also isnt the only store around that offers antiques, locally made items, and
collectibles. Within Maryville the competition includes The Nesting Place, Maryville Florist,
Bittersweet Floral and Gifts and Five Mile Corner Antique Mall. These establishments offer
antique furniture, dining ware, collectibles and handmade crafts. The Nesting Place is a larger
business where they host flea markets and take customer requests for specific items. The
Maryville Florist and Bittersweet Floral and Gifts also bring locally made foods to their customer
base. The Rusty Chandelier is competition in St. Joseph and Ivy Cottage Gift Shop is in
Savannah. Both places offer similar products that are sold in Minnie Lane Additionally, the Ivy
Cottage offers craft and yoga classes.
Blairs business goal are to operate a successful business. Expansion is something that
she is considering for the future, but today she needs to focus on is becomingbeing profitable.
She wants to attract more college students, she would like to offer a quiet place for them to eat
food and look at her products, work with big events and get into craft shows. In the back room of
her store she wants to have Wine and Canvas events and others that are similar. The problem that
poses with this is that her back room is very crowded and messy.
There is pain within the region which is caused by the low income. The pain of the region
ties into the pain of the customer which falls into them having little spending money, as well as
the store having a small selection of products. These issues work into the pain of the staff
because they are not getting paid because the store isnt selling enough product. The pain of the
manager involves not having a large clientele which again affects the payment of the employees
and as goes into the pain of an unprofitable business. The region, customers, employees,
manager and business are all intertwined and affect each other. Solving these problems will
improve the overall situation of the business. Happy customers equals more product purchase
and larger customer base. Larger consumer base means more income for the business and
employees which than make the manager happy.

2. Situation Analysis
Minnie Lane is a three month old business on the square of Maryville, Missouri that
concentrates on vintage, antique and collectables. There are two ways owner, Melody Blair,
acquires products. The first is through her own personal collection throughout her life and the
second, is through local vendors offering productsoperating through her store. Currently, the
vendors get a larger percentage of profit than Blair. There are multiple vendors who contribute
antiques from their personal collections. The stores current situation is not where Blair would
like it to be. She is bringing in enough money to pay her vendors and her bills, but not enough to
pay her two employees.
Some of the challenges that are atcontributing to Minnie Lanes financial instability are
being in a low income area, numerous competitors and a small customer base. The city of
Maryville has an average , economically, is low income. The per capita earnings ofor the city are
$15,471 and this factor makes its difficult for people to spend money on items that are not
necessities when you dont earn much. Melody says that most of her customer base is women,
mainly middle- aged. The customers typically come in on their lunch break to look around. Her
goal is to increase her customer base to millennials and to do this she needs to take full
advantage of social media marketing. A problem with Blairs marketing plan that she is currently
marketing through the wrong media and doing it in the wrong way. This gives her an opportunity
to take full advantage of free marketing tools to attain clients. Minnie Lanes biggest threats are
five other antique stores that are within a 50 mile radius. These stores have been operating longer
than Minnie Lane has been and have built up their clientele. Finding a way to separate the
business in a unique way will draw customers into the store. Though these are some of the
challenges that face Blair, she does have a passion for this business and wants it to succeed. She
spends time catering to her clients and thinking about the good of the store. Another positive
aspect to Minnie Lane is that the customer service is very good. Blair and her family are always
friendly, happy and will help any client that is in need of their services.
3. Core Problem/Opportunity:
a. The core problem is that Minnie Lane is not making enough money and if this
problem is not resolved then the business will cease to exist.
4. Goal:
a. To make enough money to satisfy the needs of the owner, the business and its
employees.
5. Objectives:
a. Increase client base
b. Increase use of social networking
c. Bring in a diverse product

6. Key Publics:
a. Out of town market/Northwest parents:
i. Demographic and psychographic profile
ii. Motivation of self-interests
iii. There is a small percentage of this client base that is purchasing her
products. Gaining more of these types clients are vital to the business
because they have a large income that can afford these products.
iv. This public will help accomplish a large income for Minnie Lane.
b. College students:
i. Ages 18 to 25, Average Income of $23,655
ii. Decorating and gifts
iii. Currently, there is a very slim amount of college students that shop at
Minnie Lane. If students see products there are interested in they will buy
them.
iv. This public will bring in a larger Maryville crowd and increase overall
profit.
c. Maryville women:
i. Ages 20 to 74. Average Income of $28,480
ii. Decorating and owning something of personal value
iii. The larger customer base for the business
iv. Bringing in more money to the business through purchasing of products
7. Strategy:
a. Middle-aged women, Northwest parents and Northwest alumni, in Nodaway and
surrounding counties. Our main target focuses on middle-aged women because
they will have the most disposable income and interest to buy non-essential items.
Incorporating Northwest memorabilia into the product line will bring in the
Northwest parents and alumni base.
8. Tactics:
The tactics we created were designed off our objectives for Minnie Lane. The tactics we lay out
in this section for Minnie Lane fall in line with Silver Anvil Award winning candidates for their
strategies and tactic implementations in public relations. The Public Relations Society of
America sponsors the international, Silver Anvil award contest.is who created and laid out the
categories for the award.

Special Events:

Art classes:
o One tactic to increase traffic in the store is are small events for the public; f. For
example, having a wine and crafts night. This will attractbring in people inof ther
main target audience. They will have time to socialize with each other, as well as
get to know the owner, Melody Blair, more. ABy ttractingbringing in her
customers in a small groups will also allow them to be potential buyers, as they
look through the store they can find itemsstuff they like. This could work well for
promotion to, asif it goes well, they will tell their friends, and word of mouth
canwill begin to take over. A good Ssilver Aanvil example is, Showcasing the
Charlotte Region to Drive Economic Development. This was created during the
heart of an economic down times. Charlotte, North CarolinaThey created a
national and international media relations campaign to boost development. This
relates to Minnie Lane in the fact the store is struggling. Sales are not going well
for the store, so having the wine and crafts night could lead to an increase in the
stores economic situation.

Craft shows:
o Craft shows are events where vendors from the area, and sometimes from around
the country, come together to display and sell their products. This can be another
way to promote the store and sell items. Much like the use of social media, it is
another way to showcase product to people outside of the Maryville area.

First Fridays:
o Bring in local artists, musicians, and businesses for the First Friday events. These
individuals and businesses will collaborate with Minnie Lane to put on a
community event full of fun, food, and shopping. If it becomes popular, it can
become a staple in the community much like Trivia Night at the Pub.
o This event will be a Silver Anvil of community relations that aims to improve the
relations between Minnie Lane and the public as well as Minnie Lane and the
other local businesses. For example, Minnesota Pork took home a Silver Anvil
Award for their initiatives to reach out to their consumers and build confidence in
their business. They used farm tours and educational booth events to engage in
their community and build relationships.

Marketing:

Social Media:
o Social media is a great way to establish reputation and show your brand to an
audience. Companies, celebrities, and organizations all use forms of social media

to enhance, promote or improve their reputation to the public, either proactively

or in response to an issue or event.
o After the housing recession struck, the company Marvin Windows and Doors had
a small budget and wanted to keep its employees and bring in new clients. It
utilized social media to advertise and rebuild its reputation at a low cost. Minnie
Lane can do this too.
o Types of Social Media that can be used:
LIVE Facebook for special events
Twitter
Instagram
Throwback Thursdays
Link to website for products
Make fast forwards videos when redoing the display in the store
Other videos

Brochures: (WILL CREATE A SAMPLE)

o There is interest in attracting customers from outside Maryville, Missouri. The
idea is to put brochures in the local hotels and establishments so that visitors
know about it and can come visit. Generally, when people are visiting, they like to
check out the local area and shop. Brochures can be found in areas of interest to
attract people.

Store Website: (WILL CREATE A SAMPLE)

o Needs to have a home page
o Weekly updates of adding new products
Needs a wider variety of products (only has 21 items as of 10/12/16)
o Needs professional looking pictures!!
o The about page is on the home page
o Make the website mobile friendly (see if its already)

Word of mouth:
o You dont want to talk up your competitors because this could lead to losing
clients. If there are other stores in the area which sell crafts and antiques, you
want to differentiate the store from them.

Etsy Page:
o Another method of selling products online and increasing reputation for the
business.

Subscription List (via email):

o Ask each customer for their email when they check out in store and online. The
list can then be used to create newsletters and updates to bring these customers

back in. Store websites like Zulily.com and Marley Lilly.com use this method to
advertise new products and give store updates.
o Monthly newsletter/flyer showing new products

Store Requirements:

Keep the back room clean:

o The backroom currently is too small to host classes. Reorganizing and even
moving the sewing station from the back room could allow more room to host a
class. Right now, the sewing is separate from the store and it was made clear that
no new customers would be added to this. You can remove the sewing area and
baby area out of the back, reorganize, and make room for more class space to
house tables, easels, and craft supplies.
o Have the baby in a separate area:
There areis a lot of fragile items within the store and having a small child
around might not be a good idea. Having a child around might also put off
customers. Within the backroom there is an area for the child which could
also be used to make room for the classes. It might be best to keep the
child out of the front of store areand arrange for childcare.

Add music:
o Many stores have music that plays throughout the store. This can be a way to add
to the already warm and comforting atmosphere that makes Minnie Lane what it
is. Customers might enjoy the music as well.

Phone:
o All of the businesses in Maryville have store phones you can reach them at. The
other competitors within the area also have store phones where they can be
contacted. It is recommended that this business has a store phone. Its a fast and
easy way for a customer to receive answers and get help.

QuickBooks:
o QuickBooks is a way to keep track of funds, sales, payroll information, and much
more. There are three options with different prices which you can find on the
Intuit QuickBooks site.
The Options are the following...

Simple Start:
Customize and send invoices
Track income and expenses
Create and manage estimates
Sync bank accounts and apps
Essentials:

Plus:

Customize and send invoices

Track income and expenses
Create and manage estimates
Sync bank accounts and apps
Manage and pay bills
Instant sales and profit reports
Customize and send invoices
Track income and expenses
Create and manage estimates
Sync bank accounts and apps
Manage and pay bills
Instant sales and profit reports
Track inventory
Prepare and print 1099s

Post storeDoor hours:

o A simple design can be put up on the door showing the store hours. All the other
businesses in Maryville have this, including the stores competitors. Its an easy
way for those walking around town to know if the store is open.
Feedback box:
o Anonymous feedback box that will be located in store and on the website
Just to attain basic data directly from customers
If it is not being completed then create an incentive
10 percent off
Example: Subway. If you fill out this survey you get a free cookie

9. Calendar
*If needed, update social media and website multiple times a week. They must be updated a
minimum of once a week. Email and messages via Facebook should be checked and responded
to daily.*
December:
1st- **Begin collecting emails for email subscriptions**
2nd- Change Window display
3rd- Update Website
5th- Post all new items in store on social media
7th-Advertise for Christmas special (Week of Dec. 19th-23rd)
o This can be a sale, Christmas related items, Christmas party.
9th- Spotlight, pick a unique item to display on social media, tell its history.

10th- Update Website

12th- Post all new items in store on social media
14th- Paint and shop- bring in people to paint canvases and have them shop around.
o After hours, allows for a personal shopping experience
15th-Change window display
16th- Spotlight
Update Website
19th- Post all new items in store on social media
21st- **Have a store phone by this time**
24th- Update Website
26th- Post all new items in store on social media
29th- Change window display
31st- New Years Special
o Update Website
January:
2nd- Update Social Media
3rd- **Have brochures ready to be handed out**
5th-Change window display
6th- **Have hours on door by now/New decal**
o Spotlight
7th-Update Website
9th-Update Social Media
12th- #TBT (Find a very unique item, post about it, when it was made, and what it is)
13th- First Friday
14th- Update Website
16th- Update Social Media
17th- Art Class
19th-Change window display
20th- Spotlight
21st- Update Website
23rd-Update Social Media
26th- #TBT
28th- Update Website
30th- Update Social Media
February
2nd-#TBT
3rd-First Friday
4th-Update Website
6th- **Have one more add in local business ad by this time**
o Update Social Media
9th- Change window display (incorporate Valentines day)

8th- **Launch Etsy Page**

10th- Spotlight
11th-Update Website
13th-Update Social Media
14th-Valentines Day special
o Wine and Shop Night
17th- Art Class
18th-Update Website
20th- Update Social Media
23rd- Change window display
24th- Spotlight
25th- Update Website
27th-Update Social Media

March
3rd-First Friday
4th- Update Website
6th- Update Social Media
7th- **Begin Utilizing QuickBooks**
9th-Change window display (St. Patrick's Day theme)
11th- Update Website
13th- Update Social Media
15th-Craft Show
16th- #TBT
18th- Update Website
20th- Update Social Media
21st- Art Night
23rd- Change window display
24th- Spotlight
25th- Update Website
27th- Update Social Media
30th- #TBT
April
1st- Update Website
3rd- Update Social Media
6th- Change window display
7th- First Friday
8th- Update Website
10th- Update Social Media
11th- Wine and Shop night

May

13th #TBT
14th- Spotlight
15th- Update Website
17th- Update Social Media
19th- Craft Show
20th- Change window display (Something using the geodes, Saturday is Earth day)
21st- Spotlight -- Geodes
22nd- Update Website
o Earth day Special
24th- Update Social Media
25th- Art night
27th- #TBT
29th- Update Website
1st- Update Social Media
2nd- **Begin finding more vendors for the store**
4th- Change Window Display
5th- First Friday
o Spotlight
6th-Update Website
8th- Update Social Media
9th- Wine and Shop
11th- #TBT
o Mothers Day Special
12th- Mothers Day Special
13th- Update Website
o Mother's Day Special
15th- Update Social Media
17th- **Begin pricing for expanding the store**
o This is not to purchase and expand immediately, this is to have a rough estimate
to save up to.
18th- Change window display
20th- Craft Show
o Update Website
22nd- Update Social Media
25th- #TBT
26th- Spotlight
27th- Update Website
29th- Update Social Media

10. Budget: $0 Dollars

a. The budget can be obtained from the unnecessary forms of advertisement and by bringing
in a large client base via free marketing tools.
b. QuickBooks Pricing:
i.
Simple Start: $15/per month
ii.
Essential: $30/per month
iii.
Plus: $40/per month
11. Evaluation:
a. ObRetain feedback regularly
b. Talk to Melody one month after all or the majority of tactics are implemented to see if
they are bringing
c. Make sure Melody is collecting customer data to see what target market she is bringing in
after online site and new marketing tools are implemented
d. Comment box online and in the front of store where customers are able anonymous
feedback directly from clients will be a huge tool to attain feedback