Interview with Kat Chitow, co-owner of The Wine Dive in Mooresville, North Carolina which opened in July 2010. Tracy Brener, student in the Masters of Entrepreneurship Program at Western Carolina University conducted the interview on April 29, 2011.
SCOPE Architectural Consulting
Video Interview with Steven Engelhardt of SCOPE Architectural Consulting
On Becoming an Entrepreneur; A Discussion with Laura Macek of Sewing Arts Studio
By Tracy Brener
3/18/2011
How do you start your own business? Well some people just fall into it, like Laura Macek, owner of Sewing Arts Studio, located Pineville, North Carolina. Her business was in operation from July 2005 to July 2008.
Laura and her husband had an opportunity come their way that they just couldn’t pass up. The couple was approached about becoming a dealer (kind of like franchise) for a Japanese company that manufactured and sold a line of home sergers and sewing machines. Looking for an “escape from corporate America”, the couple decided to open their doors as Sewing Arts Studio. The two felt the business would be a vehicle that would get them out of the boardroom and into Main Street. Laura’s over 20 years in the accounting industry complemented her husband’s career in the Marketing field, providing a great foundation for starting their own business.
The following interview in two parts is with Mr. Donald B. Pardue, Jr., the owner and founder of Pardue & Company, Incorporated. PCI is primarily a commercial real estate appraising firm, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Over time Mr. Pardue has diversified his company to also include residential real estate appraising, real estate brokerage and expert witness testimonial services. Certainly a key to his success has been adapting his business and the services he provides to an ever changing economy. He founded the company in the early 1980’s and continues to thrive in spite of the current economic conditions and continual changes in regulatory practices. I sat down with Mr. Pardue to find out why he started his own company, how he has stayed successful in uncertain economic times, what challenges he has faced as a sole proprietor and what his greatest rewards have been in being an entrepreneur.
