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December 20, 2004

Image maker | A chat with Shannon Thompson, founder of Stellar Image in Spruce Head.

By Dorothy Ogrodowczyk
Founded: June 2004
Revenues, 2004: $28,000
Projected revenues, 2005: $60,000
Address: PO Box 414, Spruce Head
Phone: 593-9317
Web: www.stellarimage.net

Describe what your company does.
The business has two sides: services and products. On the services side, I offer a range of design, marketing and communications services for individuals, businesses and nonprofits, including graphic design, layout, writing, editing, photography and consultation. My clients are diverse, from individuals who need help writing a résumé to businesses who need help with communications and public relations services.

On the products side, I produce and sell a line of photo greeting cards and coasters [featuring] my original photography.

How many employees do you have?
One ˆ— me.

When did you get the idea?
Prior to starting the company, I worked as executive director at Youthlinks in Rockland, which offers service-learning programs for teenagers. It was the communications part of the job that I came to be most passionate about.

What was the biggest challenge going from idea to reality?
It's been a steep learning curve. As with any new business, there are a lot of details to attend to such as dealing with a different tax structure, learning new methods of bookkeeping, setting up forms for projects and establishing competitive pricing structures. It's also been a challenge to balance the service side and the product side, to prioritize tasks and to take time off.

How did you finance the launch of your business, and what did it cost?
My startup costs were approximately $20,000, which came from bank financing. The vast majority of that was to print the cards.

What have you achieved since then?
I have a diverse client base, and people are buying my cards and coasters. I have short-term, project-based work, and ongoing clients as well.

What's your competition like?
My competition on the services side is small, local graphic designers, writers, public relations and marketing folks and ad agencies. I've been doing this type of work for a long time, but I didn't go to design school. I'm self-taught. I've worked for nonprofits and in retail, and overseas, so I offer a breadth and depth of experience that's valuable to my clients. For example, my experience in organizational development and fundraising informs my approach to communications strategy. I have an ability to distill information and capture the messages that truly express the spirit, core values and mission of an organization in a way that's appealing to the people it's reaching.

How do you market your business?
Most of it has been word of mouth. I sent a letter out to all my contacts describing my services, and I belong to the Rockland-Thomaston Area Chamber of Commerce. For the cards, I do cold calls to get them into local shops, but there's more I want to do. For example, I haven't touched the Portland market.

What are your plans for growth?
My plans for growth include more retail outlets for the cards and coasters. On the services side, I'd like more ongoing clients.

Describe a mistake you made in your business and what you learned from it.
If I were to do it over again, I wouldn't launch both the services and product segments simultaneously. It's been like launching two businesses. It's worked out, but it's been a lot of work, prioritization and time management.

If you were given $500,000 toward your business, what would you do with it?
I would pay off my debt, expand my office and produce and market the cards and coasters on a broader scale. I would create a storage facility [for the cards and coasters] and hire people to manage that side of the business.

I read recently that Santa Claus was traditionally portrayed wearing black or green until a 1931 Coca-Cola advertisement dressed him in red. What color would you like to see him in?
I don't know, it might be nice to go back to the old green or black. But I'm just stuck on, wow, to change the look of an icon ˆ— that's really good marketing!


New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to dorothyo@mainebiz.biz.

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