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Making Hay while the sun shines
Entrepreneur Yvonne Hay carves out her niche in the furniture business
BY INGRID BROWN Observer staff reporter
Thursday, June 29, 2006
YVONNE Hay doesn't look it, but she can repair a sofa and assemble office furniture in two-twos. When the 39-year-old entrepreneur started her own office furniture business with just $35,000, she had to do everything herself, including repairs.
Her motto has always been "If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well" and this gave her a strong work ethic, which took her from being a receptionist at an office furniture company to becoming the owner of Healthy Offices, Home and Lifestyle, which specialises in ergonomic furniture.
A determination to excel and lift herself and her family above the poverty line led this feisty woman to not only dream but to seize the opportunity to start her own business in 1997. "I started at an office furniture company as the receptionist, then moved up to secretary and by the time I resigned I was actually the manager of the company," Hay explained when Thursday Life caught up with her at 8 Shortwood Road in Kingston, her new location which was exquisitely decorated by Shirley Stanglmier.
Taking note of her dedication and commitment, her former boss taught her everything about office furniture in the seven years she worked with him. When the time came, she was ready to use that knowledge for her own company.
She believes that her motto, inspired by God, has helped her to carve a niche in the marketplace.
"I believe you sow seeds into the kingdom of God and God rewards you, so I committed $10,000 to my church and I say, 'Lord, You now tell me if $25,000 can start a business' and sure enough it did," Hay said with a confident laugh.
Armed with her experience at the office furniture company and an innate talent for sales and marketing, Hay single-handedly launched out into what could be considered a man's world. Her aim was to provide clients with not only a superbly finished desk and chair, or re-upholstered furniture, but a healthy environment overall.
"I wanted to make sure that the chairs would be just right for the persons using them, so they wouldn't have back problems and that the desks were made a certain way," she said. "And that the chairs would be properly cleaned so there was no build-up of dust."
Within the first nine months, she started reaping the fruits of her labour, with sales amounting to just under $1million. "It was just me alone. I did sales, purchasing,
I managed, I did deliveries and even repairs," she recalled.
The company imported most of their office furniture, but they also built certain bespoke pieces, for example, for serving tea or for
filing purposes.
Before long, the company began to grow. The majority of business came from repeat customers and referrals. "Because we did offices, persons would see the quality of our work and call to say, 'Do you do sofas, do you re-upholster them or clean them? Do you re-spray wooden furniture? And we would say yes," she recalled. With so many requests and inquiries, Hay thought: Why not healthy homes as well?
She prayed about the matter, and decided to take the plunge and expand. "We knew that office was not the only place that needs to be healthy and so we started cleaning and repairing home furniture as well," she said.
As the business grew, Hay placed an ad in the Yellow Pages, and the name of the business proved a major draw. "The name captured a lot of people, some of whom would call out of curiosity, wanting to know what we do," she explained.
What they could not manufacture, they would source until they were able to purchase their own machinery and equipment. If a client needs a special piece of home furniture, they build it according to their specifications.
Having worked in quality control at the Freezone, Hay says she is always concerned about satisfying her clients - even at great inconvenience to herself.
"If a job was done and the client was dissatisfied, I would take it back and whatever the cost, I would repair it or correct it," she pointed out. "Sometimes I would lose, but I would do it just to maintain that excellence because I believe that the company represents the Kingdom of God and that is excellence."
Hay's mind is constantly working overtime to find more innovative ways of reaching her clients. Her latest venture is to promote healthy lifestyles. She now operates a nutritional club out of the office. It's a welcoming environment where health-conscious people can pop in for a Herbal Life shake and tea. "There is so much sickness and diseases around and as people are becoming more health-conscious, we figured that there must be something that we could do."
While the nutrition club concept is not unique, having originated in Mexico, Hay said hers is the first to operate out of an office setting.
"You come to the club where you are served a shake and a tea, which is really a meal replacement. So if you want to have breakfast, lunch or dinner you can come and be served."
For Hay, the sky is the limit. She and her husband are planning to establish a health complex. "When someone thinks office furniture it will be Healthy Offices. When you think 'bed in a bag' or any household articles, it will be Healthy Homes. And when you think of health food and supplements or you want a gym for a good workout, it will be Healthy Lifestyle," she said.
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Making Hay while the sun shines
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