From Corporate Executive to Entrepreneur

Building Blocks Art Supplies and Gallery

“I was literally burnt out of the whole corporate life and it got to the point where it was almost like a depression,” explains entrepreneur Paul Gervais. Gervais started Building Blocks Art Supplies and Gallery in Connecticut and says that he finally has “peace of mind,” a feeling not familiar to him during his twenty year career with IBM.

Gervais’s wife, Sherry, a finance expert with IBM, had known for quite a while that her husband was not happy in his current situation and had the entrepreneurial bug. “I had talked with Sherry about doing something on my own…she is a numbers person and very corporate minded so the whole idea was pretty foreign to her,” explains Gervais. After much discussion about how they would makes ends meet with only one IBM salary and two children, Gervais recalls, “It was scary, but Sherry was on board… the big finance women, said, ‘we’ll just sell the house and move in with mom’,” explains Gervais.

Gervais continued to work for IBM while he set the entrepreneurial wheels in motion (a smart move). His desire? To open an art supply store. “I’ve always been into art; I love architecture,” says Gervais. “I spoke with artists I knew in town about my whole idea,” he explains. Testing his idea by speaking with professionals in the industry enabled Gervais to build a successful business model and inventory base. What did he learn from them? “There is a fine line between a true art supply store and a craft store and true artists don’t go to craft stores,” explains Gervais. He knew he needed to appeal to the professional artist while also attracting the aspiring younger sect. “I wanted to carry true art supplies as well as some children’s items,” says Gervais.

In April of 2007, after Gervais had clearly defined his business goals and had his wife’s blessings, he resigned from IBM and began the search for suitable space to house his dream business. It didn’t take Gervais long to find a nice store among quaint antique shops along a well traveled road in Ridgefield, Connecticut. He signed the lease; Building Blocks Art Supplies and Gallery would have a home. Shortly thereafter, the Gervais family put their home on the market; it sold quickly and by June, Sherry’s mom had a family of four living under her roof.

The work was just beginning. The summer of 07’ would find Gervais and his wife Sherry and two children settling into a new home while designing and structuring Building Blocks. The shelves were quickly stocked with fine art supplies for both adults and children. With a large open area in the rear of the store, Gervais decided to create an inviting area to serve as his gallery. He knew many local artists and planned on inviting them to display their work. Gervais also wanted to utilize the gallery space for art instruction for both adults and children.

In early September, Gervais held two opening ceremonies, one for his art store and a second for the gallery that would adorn the back of the shop. His dreams of beginning a business came true. Open 7 days a week, Gervais worked harder than ever, offering art classes, and holding routine gallery showings. Like most entrepreneurs, Gervais quickly learned an important lesson; his primary business began coming from an area he did not expect. “The biggest surprise for me has been the gallery, it’s just been wild,” proclaims Gervais. Presently, his gallery is booked through February of next year with artists eager to display and sell their work. While Gervais welcomes them without charge, he does receive a portion of each sale.

And how about is art shop? Gervais is supplying a local university with art supplies for those students in the Masters program. When local art instructors send their students to Building Blocks to purchase supplies, they receive 10% off merchandise. Gervais has also generated revenue by allowing instuctors to conduct classes in the gallery and retaining a portion of the per-student fee. His daily adult art classes and afterschool classes for the younger sect are popular. Diversifying his revenue will not only increase his profits, but make his business less susceptible to changes in his industry and customer base.

Any new business is not without its challenges; Gervais says his biggest one right now is “Getting out of the store and leaving someone else in charge and being able to strike the balance”. Giving up some control is a common challenge among entrepreneurs, especially those without partners. “It’s still just me at the end of the day, trying to figure out what works best” admits Gervais.

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You’re Hired!

Lori Seibert was in the Information Technology staffing industry for over 20 years.  As an account executive, she called on Fortune 100 corporate clients in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.  She would find out what type of employee they needed, identify a candidate, present them to the client, set up the interview and ultimately place them either as a consultant or a full-time employee. During that process, Lori reviewed and re-wrote countless resumes and prepared each of her candidates for their interviews.

In 2008 Seibert’s daughter graduated from college. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, so Seibert leapt into action,  Utilizing her expertise in the career placement industry, Seibert helped her put together a polished resume and a professional cover letter.  Together they went on the internet and looked for positions that her daughter was interested in.  Seibert’s daughter signed up on a job board and ultimately received two interview requests. Seibert prepared her thoroughly for each of her interviews. “She got the job she wanted and is thriving” explains Seibert.

This experience gave Seibert the idea that if she could guide her daughter through the process, she could use her knowledge to help other young graduates.  “In this economy with a very tight job market, young people can use all the help they can get” says Seibert.  So her company, “Get Your Career Started”, was born. She gave up her “day job” and embarked on her dream to teach college graduates the skills they need to get a job.

You can reach her at Lori@getyourcareerstarted.com.

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Elevation Studio Spinning and Personal Training

Old Mill Rd, Georgetown, Ct

Michelle Maturo ~ Owner

And then, a tremendous “wake up call” occurred which gave Maturo the push she need to take control of her life. She left her residence in NYC with her two dogs in tow and was “running late” as she headed to Connecticut to train clients.  “I figured that I’d get my Starbucks, because it always makes me feel better” explains Maturo.   She pulled into the parking spot in front of Starbucks and reached behind her to grab her wallet all the while keeping her foot on the brake.  When she opened the door and began exiting the car she panicked because it moved forward.  In an effort to stop the car, she got back in and quickly slammed on the accelerator instead of the brake.  ”The front of my Ford Explorer was inside of Starbucks” Maturo exclaims.  While she understands that not all entrepreneurs need a wake up call as eye opening as this, she does believe that there needs to be a driving force motivating you to take your dreams and make them real.  ”That’s was what I needed to take charge” recalls Maturo. And take charge she did.

The words she wrote in her journal in 2001 tantalized her.  “I made a mental commitment to achieve those goals” she says.  That’s what she did next.  Maturo moved out of the city to be close to her family in her hometown of Bethel, Connecticut. She continued her employment at the gym but began to build up her own client base by selling in-home personal training sessions as well as outdoor running and cycling clinics. According to Maturo, “Once you make a commitment, seek the resources to achieve your goals; don’t be afraid”.  By identifying her goals and believing she could achieve them, Maturo began paving her way to success, personal fulfillment and happiness.  “It’s important to know exactly what you want to do and how you want to do it; if you don’t doubt yourself you’ll push through all of the obstacles” she explains.

In 2006 Maturo left her job at the gym and marketed herself as a full time cycle coach and personal trainer.  She believes that “finding a specialty or niche in the business is a key ingredient to success”.  Cycling and strength training define her, ”This is how people know me, I had resources in the industry” she states.  Maturo advises an aspiring entrepreneur to ask themselves “What am I good at?  What are people attracted to when they’re with me?” She “branded” herself in the market of cycling, running and personal training.  It worked.

Maturo was not is a hurry to acquire space which was a smart move financially and professionally.  Maturo’s bike was essentially her office. ”There would be days when I’d be on my bike, one client after another, phone stuck in the back of my jersey…that got me through until I got my space” she explains.   Maturo chose to call her business Elevation Studio because she wanted to ”elevate clients to a whole new level of fitness”. To market herself, she went to local bike shops and outdoor sports stores and dropped off fliers soliciting clients who were in need of outdoor training in the areas of cycling and running.  ”I’m the brand and I had to market me” she says.”  Maturo met with a talented graphic designer who created a logo for her.  That logo, a sketch of a girl on a bike riding up hill with her ponytail hanging out of her helmet is Maturo and is painted on a wall in her spin studio.  Maturo had a following and a name, all before she had to pay rent, hire employees, purchase exercise equipment and deal with details associated with office space.

In 2007, a little over a year after she established a reputation in the fitness industry, she found space suitable to her needs and wallet.  Today, Maturo’s life is literally “spinning in control”.  Elevation Studio in Georgetown, Connecticut is a thriving fitness business that offers clients personal training, private indoor/outdoor cycle and run training, nutrition counseling and event training.  Maturo was destined to succeed because invested time and energy creating a committed client base and thus attracted a dedicated following.  She also played her cards right by not taking a huge financial risk.  ”You’ve got to do it small, so it’s manageable and you have control” explains Maturo.  To remain in control of her finances, Maturo hooked up by finding a fellow fitness enthusiast who was also looking for space to start her own Pilate’s studio.  By putting some walls up and having her sublet space, Maturo had less overhead and more room for positive cash flow.

“I’m surprised at how quickly things took off” declares Maturo who started out solo and taught seven spin classes weekly.  Now she has more than ten employees who are paid as independent contractors (another smart move).  Her cycling classes (aka spinning classes) feature music that invigorates every part of the body and brings endorphins to a whole new level.  Classes are packed with enthusiastic participants who leave with sweat pouring off them and wanting more.  The remaining hours of Maturo’s day are spent training individual clients in strength and fitness.  If, by chance, Maturo does have a moment to spare you can find her cycling outdoors with clients or friends and always looking for a steep hill to climb.  “I just love hills…I’m like a Billy Goat” she admits.  After all, her business name is Elevation and her mantra is:  “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”.  Maturo looks back upon her past struggles and shrugs “In those years of mess, I found my resilience…what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.

In case you were wondering, the Starbuck’s crash had more than one happy result.  No one was hurt, and a customer who witnessed the crash bought Maturo what she came for, a grande mocha, no whipped cream.