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SUCCESS STORIES
Toe River Embroidery
7380 Highway 19 E
Spruce Pine, NC 28777(828) 766-6030
www.toeriverembroidery.com/
Neil Ruesch — owner of Toe River Embroidery in Spruce Pine —
had always wanted his own business in the mountains of North Carolina.
In 1990, while working for a manufacturer of pipe organs, Neil delivered
and installed an organ to a church in Morganton and fell in love with
the mountains. He was determined to return and start his own business.
In 1996 he moved to Charlotte and purchased a business that specialized
in cleaning up construction sites. He then sold that business and moved
to Asheville in 2000, hoping to purchase another business. But Neil decided
to start his own business, and that was the beginning of Toe River Embroidery
in September of 2001.
Looking to sound out his ideas, Neil came to SCORE in mid 2002 and met with Ron Schmid. This consultation led to the development of a marketing plan complete with action items and due dates. Toe River Embroidery’s primary business sectors include tourist destination gift shops that often have a theme for an attraction, fire departments, school athletic programs, zoos, small businesses, and construction and contracting companies desiring quality shirts with embroidered logos.
Neil’s first major investment was an expensive 12 head embroidery machine. He created the embroidery designs on his computer then input the designs into the machine. Neil now plans to upgrade this seven-year-old machine to a more modern ersion with independently controlled heads. Within the past year and a half, Neil has expanded his business, adding two sales representatives in Charlotte and Spruce Pine to cover western North Carolina. These two individuals brought skill sets and insights into the selling arena that have resulted in orders for more upscale embroidered products — such as jackets, hooded sweatshirts, blouses, and golf shirts — and increased business more than twofold over the past year.
Neil has just purchased a high-end garment printer and plans to add printed products in addition to embroidery to satisfy a market for slightly less expensive printed garments. With this addition, Neil expects business to double again over the next year.
In November of 2003, Neil returned to SCORE and worked with Bob Bond
who helped him expand his marketing plan and improve his presentation
and selling skills. He continues as Bob’s client until the present
time. Ultimately this marketing plan was refined and expanded into a Business
Plan that Neil updates several times a year.Neil says that over the past
six years, SCORE counselors have provided him with numerous opportunities
to share his ideas and receive constructive comments in return. He indicates
how important it is to develop, utilize and continually update a business
plan, even if the plan is only for his own use.
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