Interview with Cathy Eads – Sr. Supervisor and Educational Consultant Usborne Books & More
Photo of Cathy Eads with Ruth Smith
Tell us about your business.
I provide educational children’s books for infants through high school age, through a variety of markets including in home book looks, school and library services, reading incentives, book fairs and online.
Please tell us what being a business owner means to you and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?
When I first started a business as an Usborne Consultant, I was a young mother who wanted a way to contribute to my family’s income with a business that would allow me to work primarily from home. As I have grown my business, I’ve come to find that Usborne Books and More has provided me with significant earning potential, and also great skills in marketing, accounting, management, public speaking, and interpersonal skills as well as lifelong friendships. These are all perks I didn’t know I would gain in the beginning.
To me being a business owner means being the captain of your own ship. You work hard, make wise decisions, lead your crew by example and you’re on your way to success. While you must accept responsibility for your mis-steps (the storms along the way), you also get to really celebrate the milestones and successes because you are personally invested in reaching those goals.
What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?
I would have to say my two Directors Ruth Smith and Nancy Ann Wartman have been my greatest influences in this business. They have both been a source of wisdom and unlimited knowledge as I’ve worked with them over the years. They also are the greatest examples of how keeping a positive attitude can help you maintain an open eye for opportunity, regardless of the current circumstances. If I ever encounter a problem I’m unsure how to tackle, they are the people I call first. They are also great moms! I value their opinions and appreciate their support, and friendship.
What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?
I think my greatest professional accomplisment is to just never quit. That may seem rather simple, but when it comes down to brass tacks, every business owner has to keep working, keep learning how to get better, keep problem solving creatively and keeping looking for new opportunities to continue to achieve success. You just never give up.
What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?
You can never fail, unless you quit. That quote comes from Jan Ruhe and it resonates with me to this day. No one can fire me, but me.
Learn from mistakes, apologize, work on not making the same mistakes twice, and move on to the next opportunity.
What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years?
When you are a small business owner, the buck stops with you. The business is often identified with you as an individual. Your professional image becomes that of your company. You want to provide the best image possible and then back that up with stellar service, to keep your customers happy and allow them to speak well of you when they get the opportunity. People do business with people they like.
Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you succeed?
Wow – there are so many great resources out there. The most recent resource that I have read and still go back to again and again, is Jack Canfield’s Success Principles. This book can do wonders for helping you focus on specific goals that will take your business and personal life to the next level.
For those in network marketing. I highly recommend Jan Ruhe’s MLM Nuts and Bolts and Go Diamond! I also like the DSA’s Build it Big and Build it Bigger.
What is Number One Business Goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?
I plan to help my team promote 5 Supervisors before the end of 2009. This will allow those same 5 members of my team to earn an 11% pay increase while helping us reach even more kids with great Usborne Books!
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Always believe in yourself and your dreams. No one can ever take that faith in yourself and your future from you without your permission. Remember – you determine what success is for you, whether it’s starting your own practice, or working as an independent contractor, or starting a small home based business. Don’t measure your success using someone else’s yard stick. If you meet your personal goals, then you have achieved success.
How can our readers find you online?
www.FindTheDuck.com is my buiness website and on facebook you can look me up under – Cathy Roberts Eads
