Monica Swidler knows the challenges women face in starting up a new business.
The Carlisle woman wanted to be her own boss since she was a little girl growing up in Santiago, Chile.
Never afraid to express an idea, she used to get in trouble with her supervisors who either took the credit for a good suggestion or asked her to be quiet so as not to be upstaged.
Swidler learned that to be a success in business, a person has to enjoy the challenge of trying to sell something to somebody. “You must like to talk and listen to people.”
Applying the simple principle of buy it for less, sell it for a little more, Swidler started selling jewelry to friends, neighbors and co-workers in Chile before moving to the United States about 15 years ago.
For about a year, she sold merchandise out of her home before opening Magnolia Jewelry store at 728 N. Hanover St. about three years ago. Now Swidler wants to open the door for other women to walk in.
“I have a passion for helping people make their dreams come true,” Swidler says.
Plans are under way to rent out floor space in her building to women who run a business out of their home, but want a more visible location to sell merchandise.
Three tenants have signed up so far for what Swidler calls a small business incubator for women helping women. She anticipates her tenants moving in around mid-September - just in time to take advantage of the holiday shopping season.
Tenants have the flexibility to customize their space which can be set apart by a divider or cubicle wall, Swidler said. She added they would benefit from shared advertising space on the sign out front along with an opportunity to network with other women.
“It's empowering,” Swidler says. “They could use a friend and a place to help them get started.”
Eventually, she hopes to sign five to seven tenants. The one condition Swidler places on tenants is not to have two vendors compete under the same roof offering the same type of merchandise.
Debbie String is owner of the Leaf of Eve clothing boutique and gift shop in Enola. She plans to open a second location at the small business incubator to move her product line closer to her Carlisle-area clients.
String thinks it is a good opportunity for her to offer advice to other women working to start a business. Sharing space in the same building will draw more customers to all the tenants.
Swidler wants to have a play area set aside for children while parents shop. There are also plans to bring in two instructors who can teach customers how to make their own jewelry using high-end beads of precious metals and gemstones.
Swidler is going to expand her product line to include jewelry designers from her native continent of South America. Her goal is to support them while offering her customers more of a variety of upscale merchandise.
“It's a big jump for me - a step above in quality,” Swidler says. “It's all about support. The more you give, the more you get but you do not give to get something in exchange.”
Swidler meet recently with representatives from the Project SHARE food bank in Carlisle and advocates for victims of domestic violence to discuss how to help struggling women rent a booth at the incubator for minimal rent.
Project SHARE executive director Elaine Livas said, conceptually, it is a great idea and she applauds Swidler's efforts. “She is obviously a woman of vision and a woman with a heart for other women who are struggling.
“We have yet to figure how Project SHARE is going to fit in with this,” Livas said. “We do have some women who have a talent and can put it to work, but most of them face obstacles before they can get to that point.”
Livas suggested Swidler taking some women “under her wing” in her effort to help them get started in business.
Source: cumberlink
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