Q 1. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: Top Choice Counters is located in Guelph, Ontario. We are a husband-and-wife team, with 2 young children, working hard for our family’s future. Our location is a quartz countertop fabrication shop, with a beautiful showroom in the front for customers to choose their colors. We personally take care of our customers through each step of the process- I (Kirstin) work with them to select their color and provides them with a quote. Joel goes to their home to take measurements, then he cuts, polishes, and fabricates their project by hand and personally installs their finished product.
Q 2. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: Joel Bushell has 17 years of experience working with quartz and granite. He has worked at multiple different fabrication shops throughout his career, learning new skills at each location. Joel is an expert in every step of the process- from measuring & templating, to cutting the quartz slabs by hand, perfectly polishing, and of course installing. Working with stone is not a common skill and Joel has spent the last 17 years perfecting each step.
Kirstin Bushell is highly trained in sales, customer service and sales management. She spends her time working with customers, ensuring all their needs are met and they get exactly what they envisioned for their kitchen or bathroom. She is currently in the process of building a sales team that is excited to work with customers and help them find their dream countertops.
Q 3. What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: We have been saving up and planning for our own countertop shop since the day we met. We have always known we wanted to have our own business and to contribute to Guelph’s incredible community. With Joel’s quartz expertise and my customer service background, we knew that we would make a perfect team. We know what is lacking for customers when it comes to shopping for new countertops, and it is our goal to fill in those gaps and provide a better experience from start to finish.
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: 1. If you believe you have the skills and knowledge to start your own business, you are right. Just go for it, no matter what your friends and family think. You’ll regret it if you don’t try.
2. Make sure you have a solid plan for every detail of your business.
3. Get a good bookkeeper and accountant from the beginning. Don’t wait.
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Organization, Determination, Accountability
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: 14 hours + per day and loving every minute of it
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: Joel’s rare talent working with stone and my love of networking
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: I go to as many networking events as I can and of course Social Media – Facebook and Instagram have been very beneficial for us
Q 9. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: We worked very hard for many years, saving up to start this business. Our start up costs were not small – we purchased specialized tools, a forklift, etc. Not to mention our overhead with a large shop, work truck and materials. We knew the risk was huge, but we also saw the potential and we went for it. As scary as it is, we are 100% confident in our abilities and we owe it to our kids to give it our best every day. We have funded everything ourselves, through hard work and making sacrifices to save up every penny.
Q 10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Keep your eye on the goal. Figure out where you want your business to go and stick to it. Try not to get distracted and go in too many different directions. Trust the process, be patient but also stay hungry.
Q 11. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: We plan to grow into a larger location in Guelph as well as open a 2nd location in another city nearby so we can cover a larger service area. Our main goal is to give our team a place they can be excited to come to work, make them feel empowered every day. It is extremely important to us to make a positive impact on our community and to be recognized as a company that gives back and makes a difference.
Q 12. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: AFYA Skin and Body Clinic, Thirteen Design Studio, and Heavy Duty Homes
We love how these businesses stand out and have fun doing what they do best
Q 13. How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Something we are still learning, but based on previous experience working for other companies, we know how important it is to take care of your people. A successful business is entirely dependent on having good people who care.
Q 14. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: Depends on the idea. Sometimes it’s a day, sometimes we never give up.
Q 15. What motivates you?
Ans: Showing our kids what we are capable of and providing them with a stable life and a promising future
Q 16. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: Laying in bed at night making notes in my phone when I can’t sleep
Q 17. How do you define success?
Ans: Seeing happy customers and working with other successful business owners in our area lets us know we are doing things right
Q 18. How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: Respond quickly, address concerns immediately, listen to customer’s needs, always do the right thing. Treat customers like family, always.
Q 19. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: Working together as husband and wife is a really cool experience. We eat, sleep, and breathe this business and we’re more excited about it every day.
Q 20. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: Getting our showroom ready for customers to come in was exciting. We worked extremely hard on making it perfect so our customers would feel welcome and see Joel’s skills right away.
Q 21. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: Entrepreneurs are risk takers! Even though it was scary, they ignored the doubt and did it anyways!
Q 22. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Empowering
Company Detail:
Company : Top Choice Counters
Address : 69 Regal Road, Unit 4
City : Guelph
State : Ontario
Zip : N1K 1B6
Country : Canada
Phone : (519) 574-9772
Email : info@topchoicecounters.ca