Small Business Connect highlights regional entrepreneurs and small business owners who have been recognized by area
Chamber of Commerce organizations and/or the State of North Dakota for their achievements. This week’s post contains excerpts from our conversation with Boyd Wright, owner of Wright Made Products. Wright Made, founded in 1984, specializes in items created from small-scale wood turning on a lathe. Products available include kaleidoscopes (mini to full size), executive desk accessories, cutlery, back scratchers, key rings, and more.
Based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Wright Made Products has recently received three Home-Based Business Champion of the Year Winner awards from the Small Business Administration (SBA) in the following categories: State of North Dakota, Region VIII, and National. This is the first time a North Dakotan/North Dakota business has won a national SBA award.
Small Business Connect (SBC): What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Boyd Wright (BW): At the time, I wasn’t fully satisfied with my career as an attorney, and I wanted to try something new. I started crafting and selling wooden board games and sold them at local craft fairs. When electronic games became more prevalent in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the demand for board games such as mine went through the floor. To accommodate the change in the market, I added other products such as hand-crafted kaleidoscopes and executive desk accessories to my inventory.
SBC: What have been your biggest challenges?
BW: One of the biggest challenges has been learning all of the myriad details of running a home-based business. Since I had no previous experience, I had to learn as I went along. When more than one trial-and-error doesn’t work out, one tries a different approach! As an entrepreneur, you need to learn from your mistakes, be willing to try new approaches, and learn from anybody that you can. A lot of people shared a lot of lessons with me, and I’m very thankful for their help.
SBC: What is the most rewarding part of entrepreneurship for you?
BW: For me, it’s control over my own activities. I work far longer hours than I did in previous careers, but it’s my schedule, and it can be adapted for other life activities as needed.
SBC: How has the economy impacted your business?
BW: The past several years have been a real challenge. When times are tough, people get along without gifts or with fewer gifts. So, it’s a real challenge, when working in the gift industry, to find innovative marketing practices to increase sales while holding costs down. Related to innovative marketing practices, I started marketing Wright Made online about 10 years ago. While my initial forays on eBay and Amazon weren’t sustainable, they opened the door to the online presence Wright Made has today. In a challenging economy, entrepreneurs need exposure every place they can get it. It’s an investment of time on a daily basis to keep up with my website and social media marketing, but it’s worth it, and it’s starting to make a difference.
SBC: What are your top three tips for people dreaming of starting their own business?
BW: My top three tips are:
- Be prepared for hard work and long hours with no safety net.
- Be open-minded and realistic about what you are doing; if it isn’t working, change it.
- Learn from anyone and everyone you can; there’s lots of talent and ideas out there, and most people are willing to teach/help you.
