Found a Niche and Filling It

By Carolyn Dunn
For the Economic Development Corporation of Manitowoc County

There are usually two ways to start a business: 1) Know what you do really well and make a business out of it, or 2) Look around your community, see what niche you can fill and fill it. Although Barb Baeckman definitely has a knack for the craft she supports through her business, it was really the second approach to entrepreneurship—filling a niche—that led her to open Lakeshore Scrapbooking in Manitowoc.

After losing her job two years ago, Baeckman, a firm believer in the creed ‘everything happens for a reason,’ took the setback as an opportunity to launch her own business.

“I started scrapbooking five years ago with my daughter and would often go out of town for products,” she says. “When I opened my own store, I thought, ‘We don’t have a scrapbook store in Manitowoc.’”

Baeckman carved out her own scrapbooking niche, but knew she couldn’t compete with the larger retail outlets in town. Her approach: take it to the next level and provide higher quality and unique products.

Today, Baeckman offers out-of-the-ordinary classes and products. One of her most unique items is scrapbook paper embossed with local high school emblems. Parents looking to capture high school memories for their children can add a special touch with custom paper depicting area high schools including Lincoln, Roncalli, and Lutheran.

It was after she’d been open a few months that Baeckman searched out a support network for her new business. What she found was the EDCMC’s E-Seed Entrepreneurs’ Course. In the class, Baeckman listened closely to the advice of business experts but also tapped into the experiences of her classmates.

“It was helpful to be able to put things out to the group because everyone has different ideas and paths,” says Baeckman.

One of the key pieces of business advice Baeckman took from the class was the idea of creating a advisory board for her business -- Lakeshore Scrapbooking Advisory Board.

“The people on the Board don’t have a monetary investment in the store,” she says, “but they offer their opinions. It’s good to have other opinions when I’m making major decisions.”

Baeckman says her Board has helped her expand on her scrapbooking class offerings which now include Scrapbook Design University training classes. SDU classes range from basic to next level training on specific techniques like punching, patterns, and embellishment. The store also opens its doors on Friday and Saturday nights for open scrapbooking and holds monthly Kids Club events for young scrapbookers.

Baeckman says she values her E-Seed class experience and is grateful that she still meets with EDCMC and SCORE—Counselors to America’s Small Business.

“We always go through what I’ve done and what the Board discussed at its last meeting,” says Baeckman. “I talk with them about any problems or concerns and learn so much in those meetings.”

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