A picture might be worth a thousand words but the picture frame that holds it will only enhance that message.
For every picture that you hang on your wall or set on a table, there is a frame to hold it. The right frame will only flatter the picture and the home it is in. Don’t believe me? Ask the Picture Frame Guys. They live and breathe frames. On their website there is a picture frame for any taste and they’re reasonably priced. They also offer prompt shipping, getting orders sent out in 1-2 business days.
Tell us a little more about your picture frames.
We sell an entire frame package, including matting, mounting board and glazing. Customers simply insert their artwork into the frame we ship them. In addition, our frames sell for 70% less than those found in retail stores and are built with detailed craftsmen quality.
All of our frames ship in 1-2 business days. We achieve these high turnaround times by carrying inventory to ensure that it is available when customer’s place orders and we have the right equipment and technology to build product efficiently. Specifically, there are parts of the picture frame building process that can be performed very quickly, while others need to be performed with meticulous care and attention in order to insure a perfect finish.
What was the inspiration for the Picture Frame Guys?
First, picture frames are generally quite expensive and we were convinced that we could build better quality product at a lower cost than our competition.
Second, the demographic make-up of the country is changing. People under 25 have really always known and used the Internet in their adult lives. Those below 50 are using the Internet in both their professional and personal everyday lives and are very comfortable making online purchases. So in many ways, this is a market that was just not present until now.
To be sure, ordering a frame online is somewhat more complex than a typical E-commerce storefront because so many options need to be selected. However, our market research strongly supports the fact that those comfortable with the convenience of online shopping are up for the task.
How many frames/styles do you offer?
We currently offer just fewer than 150 wood and metal frame options. The selection ranges from a basic flat rail to a sophisticated diploma frame. Nielson, the leader in metal frame molding, makes all of our metal frames. Our Nielson frames are offered in many styles and literally hundreds of colors.
What separates you from the competition?
We place a very large focus emphasis on customer service and customer satisfaction. This all begins with our team members. We realize that if our employees are not happy, then our customers will not be happy. So we do everything we can to keep employees happy, while putting the customer at the top of all business decisions.
We keep employees happy by considering such things as flexible hours, child day care, free gym membership, continued education, flexible choice of health care options and regular communicating the company’s progress and objectives.
Specifically, regular communication is a key component of good employee moral and we believe it builds trust in the long-term. You could say we listen to the customers via the employees.
What process do you implement that allows you to have such a high turnover rate from order to shipping?
We streamline everything. Even the smallest process does not escape scrutiny. From how the order is entered into the system to how the work flows on the shop floor to how suppliers package material for easy use. In addition, we also operate some process on 2 shifts if necessary. This buys us time to get a head start.
The goal is to continue to speed up each process and to focus on making things more efficient everyday. We find that as we reduce processing time this lowers cost and improves quality. We are also always looking at the latest technology available in the picture framing industry to find ways to improve.
A lot has changed in frame making technology in the past 10 years and sometimes this technology can be utilized with great advantage. But we also are careful not to use it when it is not appropriate. That is to say, at certain points it is the person not the machine that will make a difference. Our goal is to always maintain the highest quality standards for our customers and us.
Has your business changed/grown over the last year?
Well the economy has definitely scared us. It has been truly unprecedented. First we saw the risk with corporate customers having said all that as a company we are presently surprised with our 2009 results. This year we expect growth in all segments in our business. Of course Christmas is a big deal and that will tell us a lot.
What goals do you hope to achieve in the next year?
First and foremost we would like to keep our customers happy. Eventually the economy will turn around and we believe that those companies that can retain and perhaps even attract new customers in this recession will benefit. We hope to build our customer base, and prove that our lower price and faster more efficient service and product will be a success. We will also be expanding our product offerings and adding additional services to better support the needs of the customer.
What has been the hardest part of running your business?
The hardest part of running any business in my experience is focusing on what is the most important to ensuring success. It seems there are always so many things to do, so many problems to solve that and countless challenges and bumps in the road. It is impossible to solve every problem every day. Instead, a more realistic objective is to solve the important ones.
What have you learned from it?
You start to focus on what’s important. You learn this from getting it wrong most of the time and through experience you learn what’s important. Don’t get excited about things, that is one supplier issue does not mean that all suppliers are difficult or trouble.
Any advice you would like to offer to those that might be interested in starting a business of their own?
Do you homework, understand the market, complete the business plan. Ask yourself why it won’t work, entrepreneurs are optimistic by nature, especially at the beginning stages of the business development. You want to be pessimistic. Do not over complicate the business plan, but focus on the key drivers of the new business. It does not have to be a fancy power point presentation, but you have to cover everything.
Find a good accountant who can guide you through the non-core aspects of your business formation and planning. You do not necessarily need to choose the biggest accounting firm, but instead seek out the one that best that fits your business needs. A good accountant will guide you in many of the key financial aspects of creating your new business.