Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
If you'd love to take some time to be at one with nature butyou just can't squeeze a stop-and-smell-the-roses experienceinto your hectic schedule, give Troy Hemingway a call. The30-year-old BIZ Experiences will cater a soup-to-nuts campingexpedition for you and your friends. All you have to do is showup.
"From personal experience, I know camping can sometimes bea nightmare, and some people say there's no way they would evergo camping, but this way, they will," says Hemingway, whoseSan Diego company, Camping Pros, hosts small and large groups atcampgrounds throughout Southern California.
Roughing it has never been so easy. Hemingway and his part-timeteam of five provide all the camping equipment, which they set upand take down for clients. They also prepare three meals a day, doall the cleanup, and arrange games and activities. Clientsdon't even have to bring pillows or marshmallows: Camping Prosstocks all the extras.
A veteran camper, Hemingway got the idea while working for acompany that catered corporate picnics and special events. "Itook the skills I learned there and combined them with myhobby," he explains.
Five years ago, Hemingway used $10,000 of his own money to buytents, sleeping bags and other camping essentials, such as lanternsand flashlights. While continuing to work at his full-time job, hebegan arranging camping trips for friends. Now he hosts weekend andlonger stays for corporate groups, family reunions, birthdays andspecial retreats for about $89 per night, per person. "Ourbiggest challenge is tailoring each camp-out to differentgroups' tastes and personalities," he says.
Although he's a member of the San Diego Convention andVisitors Bureau and sometimes participates in local trade shows,Hemingway believes his best marketing device is his site (http://www.campingpros.com).
Hemingway still works 15 hours a week for FedEx and should gross$30,000 from Camping Pros this year. His next steps includecatering camp-outs for families too busy to plan their own trips,and extending the geographic range of the campsites he uses.
Suits Her
An eye for fashion, a knack for closing sales and a strong backhave helped 29-year-old Urvi Mehta parlay a $15,000 investment fromher father into a $750,000-a-year business in just two years. Busyprofessional women in New York City who don't have the time orinclination to schlep through department stores searching for powersuits count on Mehta's company, Suitable Suits, to help themcreate an upscale look at discount prices.
Mehta and her two sales associates carefully interview clientsabout their tastes and sizes, then check the inventory of suits andaccessories they've purchased directly from vendors. When aclient calls, Mehta selects several outfits from her stock andcarries them in a garment bag directly to the client's home oroffice for inspection. (That's where the strong back comesin.)
The professional wardrobe service is free to her 500clients--executives at companies like AT&T and CBS. Operatingfrom her New York City office, Mehta profits by marking up thesuits she sells--but because overhead is so low, she can afford tosell the suits for 20 to 40 percent less than a department orspecialty store would charge.
Thanks to experience won from years working in fashion retailingand design, Mehta makes a sale almost every time. To meet expenses,she must sell 12 to 15 suits per month, but she usually sells farmore--between 100 and 120. "I have an eye for what women lookfor," she says. "I know New Yorkers' tastes and colorpreferences."
A native of India, Mehta finds the success of Suitable Suitsdoubly sweet because her previous business, a clothing line with anIndian twist she designed, failed. "It wasundercapitalized," she admits. "But that [experience]made me realize that what people really need is personalservice." Getting personal has proved so profitable for Mehtathat someday, she hopes to expand Suitable Suits to othercities.
Contact Source
Suitable Suits, (212) 382-1767
