July
10, 2006
Section: BUSINESS
Edition: FINAL
EDITION
Page: C03
Column:CORNER
OFFICE
Teresa
Downham and her husband, Joe, shocked their New Jersey
friends when they quit their jobs at Campbell's Soup Co. to
move back to Indiana. Their friends would tease them
about moving back, so Teresa wanted to prove that "there is
more than corn in Indiana." She began visiting local
grocery stores and gift shops. She would read labels and buy
Indiana-made products to mail to her friends in New
Jersey. She included notes about the companies with each
product.
After the response she
received from her friends, Downham and her husband thought
they had a good business concept. A few years later, Downham
quit her job as an accountant and started Everything
Indiana, a gift basket company that features
Indiana-made products. The baskets sell for $30 to $110
and feature items such as Uncle Henry's candy turtles, Crazy
Charlie's Salsa and Red Gold Tomatoes.
Question: What was your biggest
obstacle in starting a business?
Answer: Because I'm an
accountant, the accounting end of it was easy. My husband
has a varied background with purchasing and information
systems, so that was fairly easy as well. The biggest
problem for us has been marketing and advertising -- finding
the best avenues to get our name out.
I joined the Fishers Chamber of
Commerce to get some exposure and get a foot in the door. I
have also taken classes and joined Business Networking
International. A lot of it is trial and error. You see what
works. Try something for a while, and if it doesn't work,
change it.
Q: What inspired you to do
this?
A: I wanted to stay home with
my kids. They were starting school, and I wanted to be there
when they left and came home and be able to be involved in
school activities. This allowed me to set my own hours. I
can assemble baskets at night if I want. I thought as my
kids got older that I wouldn't need that kind of schedule.
It also gives them insight on a home business.
Q: How did you determine what
companies to use?
A: We spent about nine months
researching companies. First, we did a lot of road trips. We
would go to small gift shops, and I would read labels. I
would look for items that were made in Indiana, buy
one item and contact that company. We also did a lot of
Internet searches and talked to a lot of friends and family.
We look for things that most people can't pick up at grocery
stores. Now we learn about a lot of products by word of
mouth.
Q: What is the most unique
product you've seen from Indiana?
A: We carry Jazz CDs by Jack
Gilfoy. He was the drummer for Henry Mancini. His CD
features a lot of old jazz tunes from Indiana. We
also have Crazy Charlie's Salsa and Zachary Confections
Bridge Mix. We also have chocolates from Ghyslain
Chocolatier that are in unique shapes. For instance, one may
look like a strawberry, but it's all chocolate.
Q: Who are your customers?
A: Most people order them as a
gift during the holidays -- Thanksgiving, Christmas are most
popular. Father's Day is popular. We also get orders for
birthdays and for business clients. We have done weddings,
baby showers, bar mitzvahs, etc. I think people like to give
unique gifts.
Q: What's the most common
request?
A: The snack basket in the
large size is the most popular item.
Q: How many baskets do you make
in a week?
A: It depends on the week.
There are some weeks where I do four or five, and some weeks
I'll get calls or Internet orders for 20 baskets.
Teresa Downham
Title: Owner of Everything Indiana.
Age: 39.
Personal: Husband Joe, three children.
Education: Accounting and finance degree from Defiance
College, Ohio; CPA license.
Employment: Campbell's Soup Co. and Specialty Systems, an
environmental contractor.
Hobbies: Reading, gardening.
Favorite Indiana
product: I like the turtles from Uncle Henry's Candies in
Cicero (www.unclehenryscandies.com) and Dipsticks Gourmet
Pretzels in Fort Wayne (www.dipstickspretzels.homestead.com).
With whom she'd like to have
dinner: Donald Trump. "I think he would be very interesting.
He would have a lot of views and comments."
Best advice: "It's not the job
you do or the occupation you have. It's how well you do your
job and the pride you take in your job." From her parents,
Tom and Marydel Gratz.
Contact:
www.everythingindiana.com.
Copyright
(c) The Indianapolis Star. All rights reserved. Reproduced
with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
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