As many of you already know, I am one of the new owners of Schneider’s Gourmet World as of July 2014. And what a ride it has been. I went from a stay-at-home mom to a business owner/operator in a matter of months. My life felt like it was turned upside down. Why? I knew how to manage my home. I knew how to manage my kids. I even knew how to manage my money. I knew how to make meals. I knew how to make a house a home. What I didn’t know was how to effectively run a company that had been in business for almost 25 years. Little did I know, I was in for a huge learning curve that would change my life forever.
Sure, my husband and I had run our own little business for over 15 years and we did well. I managed the accounts with microsoft office which was more than what I needed to keep things in good order. However, I knew I was going to need to purchase an accounting program. So that is exactly what I did. I was excited yet nervous about the adventure. It almost felt like I was back in school, except that this was real life. Mistakes weren’t just marks deducted… mistakes cost. Little did I know that the accounting program that I purchased was faulty, which had huge implications to the business. And I mean huge. 3 weeks before I was to submit my first year end, I find out that after over 1000 invoices and many, many purchases, I would have to start all over again! This was absolutely devastating. Thus began the long days and evenings of re-entering all the data from day one. By the grace of God, and my wonderful family, we were able to accomplish the daunting task with a new accounting program. What should have taken months for me to learn, I learned in a matter of a few weeks. A crash course for sure.
When my husband and I bought the company, one of our goals for the company was to improve its online presence. That brings me to what this article is all about: a new website. Back in 1990, the world was just being introduced to the idea of websites and online shopping. Schneider’s Gourmet World thought it would be a great idea to create a website where customers could order online and have it delivered right to their door. There were of course those in business who thought that was a huge mistake and that this new craze would definitely fade. Well, I don’t have to tell you that they were very wrong and in fact the opposite actually happened.
On our old website, it was a major deal to make any small change to the website as the list for codes was extremely long and detailed. Adding a picture or video was next to impossible for fear of crashing. Thus began the process of finding a website developer. And as a result of those searches came this website. My goal was to make it more user friendly and therefore easier to navigate. I wanted to have video and pictures so I could share more of our great products with you. I also wanted a way to communicate with you the answers to questions that I get asked regularly. I am very excited about our instructional videos on Youtube that I trust will help you with common scenarios with our Theatre II Snack Makers. And of course, I am excited about my blog. It gives me an opportunity to interact with you on a more personal level, as well as an opportunity for you to give me your feedback. Until next time, happy snacking!
I received your first email today. Congratulations and best wishes for success. I did not know that the company had changed ownership. I, too, started with SGW in the early 1990s by hosting home parties. It was a great snack and portable, as the popcorn popper worked very well when we would go camping. There was nothing like sharing popcorn & Kaktus snacks with family and friends around the campfire. For a time, the product was available at one of my community’s drug stores until that business moved away. In 2004 I became an SGW representative and, until 2011, I had a few home parties but mostly participated in the local trade shows & fairs when I could. When I decided that it was too much for me with working at a demanding full time job, I had a few loyal customers who were disappointed, but were very happy that they could continue to order their favorite SGW products online.
Unfortunately I do not get to use as much as I once did as my children are all grown-up and a couple have moved away from home. Schneider’s Gourmet World has provided me with excellent customer service over the years, and it is good to hear that you are trying to do even better with your videos and blog.