#ThisIsYourTribe Meet Melissa Blackburn and Danielle Rim
July 31, 2019
2019 Member of the Year- Merry Korn
August 20, 2019
My name is Michele Uber and I am an active member in my second year of NAWBO. I love meeting and learning the journeys of the women in the group. Connecting with these women has been my biggest source of daily inspiration.
Tell us about your business.
QuickStitch Plus helps businesses and associations provide the best apparel and promotional merchandise for their staff, members and clients. We provide professional consultation for marketing, HR, and sales teams to help them ignite curiosity, build engagement and create loyalty.
QuickStitch Plus was founded in 1997 as a contract embroidery and custom apparel business, but has evolved to focus on the apparel and promotional needs of businesses that staff fifty to fifty-thousand people and associations that have at least one-hundred active members.
Our business has been built on a foundation of trust, quality and relationships with the goal of Bringing Logos to LIFE!
Relationships matter to us. It’s what makes coming to work every day enjoyable. Since we have worked closely with many of our clients for decades, we have met their families, attended their kid’s high school and college graduation parties, celebrated birthdays and grandbabies as well as helped them look like SUPERSTARS in their roles at work.
Some of the ways we help our clients bring their logos to LIFE:
● Strategy Development and Concept Planning–We consult with Distribution Center Managers, HR Managers, Marketing and Sales Teams to identify the best apparel and products that fit their strategy, budget, brand standards and sustainability efforts.
● Design–We are focused on adhering to our clients’ brand standards and consider all possibilities when producing ideas for their needs.
● Global product sourcing and procurement–We have access to thousands of vendors and millions of products, but work only with the ones that align with both, our goals and the goals of our clients.
● Production (in-house embroidery, screen printing, art and digitizing)–We understand our clients’ deadlines and have the ability to meet even the tightest deadlines. Since apparel is decorated in-house, we can guide our clients to the best options for whatever type of apparel they choose.
● Tracking and Delivery–We keep a close watch on all stages of the production cycle to ensure deadlines are met and costs are kept under control.
What inspired you to get into your business?
Scott and I worked for a small custom apparel and card/gift retail shop on High Street across from THE Ohio State University and when the opportunity came up to purchase it, we jumped in with both feet. We were still in our twenties at the time and had NO IDEA what we were doing.
We were inspired by the thought of being in charge of our own paths–no matter how twisty.
During the first 4 years of our life together, we got engaged, built a house, had two children and purchased embroidery equipment that would become the jumping-off point for my current business, QuickStitch Plus. Whew! When I look back at it all, I think it might have been a lot easier if I had joined NAWBO earlier. 🙂
What are your three best practices or best tips that every NAWBO member needs to hear?
1.- Get involved. Whether it is in NAWBO, your local chamber or a trade association. Don’t just pay your dues and expect things to happen for you.
2.- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You do not need to be on your journey alone. No one is going to take your ideas so share them so we can help you realize your dream.
3.- At the minimum–join a roundtable for closer connections or try a committee (or two). No one will fault you if it doesn’t work out.
What does your future look like?
My future looks amazing because I have met so many people over the last two years who understand what the entrepreneurial journey feels like and genuinely want to help. How lucky is that?
What do you do in your free time?
What free time? Right? 😉
In my free time I enjoy trying new recipes and coming up with ways to make them easier and healthier. I love libraries, lakes, family, friends and nature. Apple Valley is one of my favorite happy places because we have made so many family memories there.
What is your company website?
In the last five years, what new belief, behavior or habit has most improved your life?
Get out and meet people in person. I am a big fan of LinkedIn but I believe it is a more useful tool if I can meet some of my connections in person–not as a sales tool, but to get to know them and see if I can help to connect them to what they need in life and business.
Getting involved with NAWBO and Conway Center for Family Business to learn about business, leadership and community.
What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or recent memory)?
- Comfortable shoes.
- Dinner out with my husband.
- NAWBO lunches.
- Herbs for my garden.
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What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift, and why? Or what are books that have greatly influenced your life?
There are too many to mention and so many that I’ve forgotten about. Lol
I enjoy reading (and listening to) books and articles related to life, business and the pursuit of happiness.
