When you walk into PB Buttermilks Consignment you can’t help but notice the design and style of the shop. Located down the street from Duke University, on the popular 9th street, PB Buttermilks gains a lot of foot traffic. April, owner and operator of this cute shop chats with me about start up challenges, lessons learned and the future plans of the shop that are right around the corner. After several conversations face to face and through email (I even went in on a Sunday and worked in the shop with her) I was able to comprise all the information gained from those meetings into this interview, enjoy!
What is your background in? Did you leave your career to start your business?
I am an attorney with a background in commercial litigation, and still practicing.
How do you balance the two?
It is hard being the only one, I do have an employee who comes in from time to time, but being that it is a shop I am usually the one that will be here.
What motivated you to start your own business? Did this brew out of a passion? Were you just tired of a previous job?
A little bit of both! I have long been interested in consumer financial issues, small businesses, and entrepreneurship–these all seem like many sides of one economic development coin, which is a subject I find especially interesting. I had an intense curiosity about the experience of running a small business and thought it would be prudent to gain a full understanding of that process in order to speak knowledgeably about it. I also have an inherited entrepreneurial streak, so the thrill of building up my own business was appealing. On top of all of that, I yearned to connect with the community in a positive way and had long harbored a desire to participate in the fashion/retail industry, which I think lends itself to more creative freedom than other industries I had worked in. At some point, I realized that the time was now, and if I was going to ever do any of the dreams I was keeping on the back burner, then I had better get started.
What tips would you give someone starting a business?
Plan, plan, plan!! And reign in your expectations, no superstar took off overnight. And make sure you have enough of a financial cushion to give yourself an adequate starting ramp. Again, no superstar took off overnight.
Has your business broke even yet?
Yes, we have reached the break-even point.
What is the best part about being an entrepreneur and what is the worst?
Best – this may seem narcissistic, but it’s immensely gratifying to have your creation appreciated by the public. This is especially true in my case, since I painstakingly crafted every nook and cranny of the business, in a literal and metaphorical sense, and I am crazy-dedicated to a DIY mentality. So I love interacting with people who like the store, appreciate the layout, etc. Worst – the time/energy drain. There is no diffusion of responsibility here, unlike when you are a mere employee for a large enterprise! Try as I might, there is only so much responsibility I can expect to be diffused out to others. And even if I do dole out some responsibilities, I’m still always keeping tabs on them. So, my mind is eternally churning over things related to my business.
If you could do it over again, what would you do differently?
Not much, but I do wish I had been able to separate my passion for the project from the business-side of the project from the beginning. It has taken me a long time to see my business as an entity separate and distinct from my personal identity.
Where do you see your company in the next 5 years?
Under new management, physically larger, more employees, more locally made goods, and functioning as a go-to spot in the community with a vibrant storefront. Fingers crossed :)
April also mentioned some things that have changed in her business since she first started. When she first was thinking of the concept she first started out at the flea market just like me, but realized that a storefront was the absolute best fit for her business so decided to put her energy towards that. Originally April bought her clothes outright, before she turned to consignments. She explained how it was a better business move and how it was an easier way to keep inventory in the shop and hasn’t looked back since. So glad I was able to meet and talk to this amazing lady!
