SME Neva Newby of Magnolia Lofte Quilting and Design speaks to her experience as an expert in her field, and as an entrepreneur. If you are not familiar with long arm quilting, please take a look at this demonstration video by Karen McTavish (a beloved SME in the industry, and friend) on a bit more about the process and the equipment. Magnolia Lofte’s Long arm utilizes a computerized system that directs the long arm (see images below). This video shows the manual process. Both techniques are highly respected in the industry. Both the manual and computer driven graphics can be performed on the long arm machine that Magnolia Lofte Quilting and Design uses (See images below for a bit more on the equipment and products from Magnolia Lofte.)

What part of long arm quilting inspires you the most?
I love the variety of colors and fabrics. It’s always amazing to see different people take the same pattern and, because of their choice of fabric, achieve totally different results.

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Peggy & Jon C. Fischrupp

377 Ridge Lane

Murphy, NC 28906

828-835-9676

Fischrupp@yahoo.com

 

1. How did you start your entrepreneurial ventures?

BUSINESS BACKGROUND

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin I went to work for Advance Construction Co. in Hinsdale, Illinois.  I had previously worked for that Company during my summers at college.  After a year experience I was chosen by the President to start a separate division for them, later called Advance Valve Installations.  After another two years, an engineering friend of mine, and me, were going to start a competing business.  Instead we formed a three way partnership. Several years later I sold my interest in that business and moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to start a similar business with additional interests.  After that relationship failed I started another similar business with four other partners.  My brother-in-law and I later bought out the partnership.  Several years later we sold the business to a Public Company in Kansas who wanted to get into our type of business.  Once they purchased our Company my wife and I continued to be the operating management team for the next twenty years until we retired.

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Montero’s Restaurant, Elizabeth City, NC

Montero’s is a family owned and operated restaurant located in Elizabeth City, NC. I have known the Montero’s since 2002. My first encounter with him was as “the Muffin Man.” He would come to the bank with a basket of fresh-baked goods every two weeks offering not only delicious baked goods but kindness and community. I chose to interview Andy because of my Reflections book assignment, The Four Stages of Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Startups that Win by Steve Blanks.  The stages are Customer Discovery, Customer Validation, Customer Creation and Company Building.

Stage 1-Customer Discovery starts with locating customers that buy into your solution for their problem. And I need to say here that sometimes consumers don’t know they have a problem until they are given an answer. It’s time to hit the streets and identify your repeat buyers. That does not just consist of surveying the land to see it there is an interest, but “Instead [being] out in the field listening, discovering how [the] customers worked and what their key problems were.” How often is the product shopped instead of shopping the problem and learning consumer behaviors? (Blank, 2013, pg. 28) Montero’s came to mind. I first remember him as the Muffin Man delivering baked goods to businesses door-to-door.  So the story begins…

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