Dick Baines knows a lot about decorative glass, but he needed a business plan to turn his artistic know-how into a financial opportunity.
Baines and his four employees at Rainbow Artistic Glass build custom decorative windows for homes, businesses and places of worship. He also creates custom glass tiles, teaches classes and sells supplies for artistic glass projects.
Rainbow Artistic Glass was Baines' first foray into business ownership when he bought it in 1991. He moved it from Benson to its current location near 120th Street and West Center Road in 1994.
Baines has continued to expand the operation's goods and services in order to keep up with current trends, he said. For example, he added an area several years ago for glass fusing and “slumping.” This process involves stacking small pieces of pre-cut glass on top of one another to form a decoration, then melting them together in a kiln. A kiln is an oven used to heat, or fire, the glass.
The process can be used to produce decorative items such as plates and coasters.
Glass fusing is popular, Baines said, and he opens the business to groups of high school students, Girl Scouts and family members who want to create their own projects. Customers choose the shape and size of the base piece of glass and then select accent pieces to add. Store employees fire the finished design in the kiln.
Becoming a distributor for glass fusing and slumping supplies would be a natural expansion for his business, Baines said. He said he already has experience as a distributor for some glass-cutting tools and chemicals.
But several manufacturers he contacted said he needed an updated business plan in order to be considered as a distributor.
Baines said he hadn't updated his business plan since he purchased Rainbow Artistic Glass 18 years ago, so he contacted The World-Herald for assistance from its Small-Business Makeover panel of experts.
Barbara Foster, lead business development specialist for the Nebraska district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, said becoming a wholesaler would be a good option for Baines. The initial investment would be low because the products are available from manufacturers in smaller quantities, she said.
It's important to act quickly, while glass fusing and slumping is popular, she said.
His best target market would be art teachers and ceramic shops, Baines said. He could teach them how to do the glass fusing, then they could hold classes to teach others in the area how to do it.
Foster said Baines could provide materials for the classes and, once he established a market and a customer base, could sell other products at wholesale prices to them.
The business plan should include such things as “market analysis, strategy and implementation and a financial plan to make the manufacturer feel comfortable in doing business with him,” Foster said.
She suggested he contact SCORE — also known as “Counselors to America's Small Businesses” — to obtain a sample business plan. A consultant at the Nebraska Business Development Center, near 132nd Street and West Center Road, could assist with market research.
Both resources are free of charge.
Foster also said Baines should update information about his classes on his Web site. If Rainbow Artistic Glass becomes a distributor, the site also should include order forms and price lists.
“Wholesalers that can offer value-added services, such as teaching buyers of products how to do glass fusing so that they, in turn, can teach others, should be of interest to buyers and set him apart from his competition,” Foster said.
“Moving into the wholesaling arena for this business could be a creative way for this business to expand sales without a large investment.”
Contact the writer:
444-1085, stefanie.monge@owh.com
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