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Quimby Case Study

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Entrepreneurship is all about taking risks. It is about believing in yourself, pursuing ideas with complete focus and commitment. Also, as discussed during our class lectures, having a robust market along with being able to create value are among the key characteristics required to pursue an entrepreneurial idea. Similarly, Quimby spotted an opportunity, and went on to pursue it with determination and focus. Although, success was rapid for her, she realized that eventually she would require help to sustain her flourishing business. Moreover, Quimby’s foundation for success was built on her self-belief along with her solo approach in terms of not being answerable to anyone. However, as the business began to grow she found herself in a dilemma. The question facing her was that whether she should stay in the small Northern Maine or expand her business to greater heights by moving to somewhere else. In the following paragraphs, we will analyze Quimby’s situation in detail and suggest solutions for this complex situation.
To begin, we believe that Quimby should remain in North Carolina because financially it’s the best decision for her company. The location of the company in a small town in Northern Maine, which creates high costs for the company. The town is not near any metropolitan areas, which makes shipping products and receiving materials very difficult. The shipping costs for the products are very high and creates more costs than necessary. Another problem with Maine is that the state has very high payroll taxes. It would be very inefficient to reestablish operations in Maine because of the high shipping costs and high payroll taxes. By moving to North Carolina, it would create many advantages for Quimby in these areas. Quimby stated that North Carolina was well centrally placed and that a large percentage of the country’s population lived within a 12-hour drive of North Carolina. This location would create a large distribution channel for the company and would also lower the shipping costs. The company would also have more tax savings due to the fact that North Carolina has lower payroll taxes than Maine. Therefore, moving to North Carolina would be the best opportunity for Quimby to improve the financial state of her company.
Furthermore, Quimby would have many great things going for her in North Carolina. To begin, the state of North Carolina is trying to bring new business to the state so getting regulations and things going for the business should be easily done since they were so highly recruited by the state. Quimby’s first objective in North Carolina would be hiring workers. The article states that people in North Carolina are skilled unlike the people in Maine so this is already a plus for the move. More educated workers means new and more ideas for the business, which could in return turn into more revenue. Another main point would be that Quimby would have a highly experienced employee working for her as the marketing manager. This new manager has worked for several matured company within the industry of cosmetics like: Lancôme, Vogue and Victoria’s Secret’s. With the business beginning a new venture it will be very important to get a good name, reputation and products out to the world. With a seasoned marketing manager within cosmetics this can only support the business. The expertise that this new manager would bring would also be a great help, because with her working for other large cosmetics brands she would know what strategies work and which angle to take in the marketplace. In addition to the educated employees and an experienced marketing manager Quimby would have the option to hire an ex-Revlon plant engineer to establish and operate the manufacturing facility. This would be another asset to her team, having someone that knows how to operate a large manufacturing facility.
In conclusion, staying in North Carolina is the best option for Quimby and Burt’s Bees from a business standpoint. A lot of her doubts about North Carolina were probably coming from a very personal attachment she had with Maine but financially, North Carolina had better opportunities for Burt’s Bees to grow. Shipping costs would go down, payroll taxes would be lower, workers would be more skilled, and two professionals that have expertise in the industry would be able to help better manage Burt’s Bees and make decisions to expand the business. The pros of staying in North Carolina outweigh the pros of leaving and going back to Maine. As a business woman, Quimby needed to make the best decision for the growth of her Company and Burt’s Bees would not be able to flourish in Maine as much as it could in North Carolina.

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