In the early days of establishing my business, I was known as the 'Ironing Board Cover Lady'.
And definitely as 'The Guerrilla From The Bush' as I come to grips with the intricacies of adapting to rural life after a lifetime as a city girl living in New York City, Washington DC and Sydney Australia.
I'm now in the best position ever. My small business has a big heart and loves helping others.
Simple Solutions For Difficult Problems showcases my Joint Venture Program, The Money Tree.
Because the most rewarding way for me to run my business is to help others. And to work with business men and women who appreciate and value loyalty.
And that's what The Money Tree does. Helps add much needed funds to coffers.
Life has a habit of repeating itself.
Taking into account luck, good and bad fortune, serendipity, changing circumstances, the influence of people I meet, the community in which I live, there's a constant throughout my life.
I simply love helping other people.
I was the eleven year old school girl who excelled at being a School Safety Patrol Officer, guiding a band of younger children to school.
Making sure they crossed streets safely, didn't start fights with each other and arrived at school the way their parents expected.
Safely and intact.
I happily ran errands for an elderly neighbour and loved the cups of hot chocolate we shared together when I delivered her groceries to her.
And yes. I've done my share of helping senior citizens up and down stairs, to cross streets and carry their shopping for them if I thought they needed help.
Add to that mothers with prams struggling with stairs, and getting into and out of trains and buses.
And lost children. I suffer too when I see those big wide eyes longing to be helped to find their mum and dad.
Even my pets are rescues.
My desire to help others is my strongest emotional pull. A freight train at full speed couldn't stand in my way of offering a helping hand.
Helping others is not only a recurring theme in my life, it's a natural extension of who I am. That's why I find it the most rewarding way to run my business.
And this is how all the pieces in the jigsaw puzzle of my life fit together for me.
My signature product, The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, was designed in 1994 by my partner, Victor Pleshev, an architect, to help his mother, Margarita, recover from a stroke.
It was never meant to be a business. Just a gift to Margarita. A helping hand.
But 250,000 customers worldwide makes this is a significant business.
Albeit an accidental business.
To stay true to my helping hand focus, I knew exactly what type of men and women I would choose to sew for me. And what kind of company to form a long term sewing partnership with.
It's very rewarding to have my products made to perfection while giving back to the community at the same time.
Which is why all my products are made with love and care in rural Australia by men and women who have a disability.
They put their heart and soul into everything they do.
And it shows.
And I know that you love being part of this community that gives back every time you make a purchase.
This same philosophy applies to how I acquire a new customer.
There's no such thing as a free customer. Every one comes at a cost. Advertising is a cost. Wholesaling to retailers is a cost.
But I can decide whose pocket I put money into when a new customer arrives on my doorstep.
I choose not to put it into the hands of retailers who care more about making maximum profits, than they care about me.
Or you.
As often as I can, I do choose to funnel it back into the pockets of organisations who give something back to the community.
As well as those small boutique businesses who form personal relationships with their customers and who want to offer them additional choices without having to invest in additional stock.
Forming strategic alliances with non-profit organisations and small businesses who care enough to give back to their community and/or offer something extra special to their treasured customers.
So far, my product range has raised in excess of $1 Million for worthy causes.
With your help, I'm working towards $2 Million.
If you've been directed here because you've followed a link from the website of a participant in The Money Tree . . . Welcome! and rest assured you're in the right place.
If you're here because you did a Google search and landed on my website and would love to purchase any of these products independent of forming a strategic alliance, Welcome! and please stay to browse or shop to your heart's content.
