#Lightspeed vt annual revenue full

If I could help an entrepreneur, the help that I would give would be to not give up. It was just knocking on a lot of doors and trying to convince people.

Nobody believed that anyone was going to want to train online versus in person. For three or four years, I was just out knocking on doors, getting behind on my bills, and sacrificing any kind of financial stability for entrepreneurship. It took about three to four years to figure out that I wanted to get into software. Then we’ll get to the SaaS business in a minute.īrad Lea: I just kept going. How, then, did you do that business of delivering your own course? Tell us a little bit of the nuances of building that business first. You said you started the company by actually delivering your own course in the beginning. I’d like to understand how you built the company step by step. Her “make it fun, but get it done” attitude has given Susan an expert edge in marketing, in practical, proven customer service practices, solid common sense employee management, super-efficient operations, and an understanding of the entrepreneurial spirit.Sramana Mitra: Let’s go to the beginning of where you started the business.

This yo-yo adventure forced Susan and her business partner Bob to boil down 35 years of hard-earned experience into a fun, but no-nonsense, only-if-it-works outlook on business. This minimized the out-of-stock position most retailers across the country were experiencing and allowed them to sell over two million dollars worth of yo-yos in just over 6 months! She maintained outstanding flow of merchandise to their “Yo-Yo Universe” kiosks during the volatile yo-yo craze. In her more than two decades of business experience Susan has effectively managed groups of over 150 employees, used her expert analytical skills to purchase inventory for both large and small stores, and has brought a keen sense of organization to her fast-growing training company.Īs the Director of Merchandising at the Mackinaw Kite Co., Susan was instrumental in helping create a nationwide yo-yo boom. Susan quickly discovered that the problems of operating a multibillion-dollar company and the problems of the entrepreneur are not that much different! She has worked as a senior executive for retailing giants like Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and Lord and Taylor, has been on the leadership team of a small retail business, and now sees business through the eyes of an entrepreneur and business owner. Susan Negen has a knockout one-two punch of sophisticated “big business” skills and street-smart small business experience. This “make it fun, but get it done” attitude has given Bob an expert edge not only in marketing but also in practical, proven customer service practices, solid common-sense employee management, super efficient operations, and focusing the entrepreneurial spirit. His yo-yo adventure forced Bob to boil down 20 years of hard-earned experience about life as an entrepreneur into a fun, but no-nonsense, only-if-it-works outlook on business. While building the national craze, his company opened “Yo-Yo Universe” kiosks in over a dozen malls, hired and trained over 150 employees using his unique training system, and sold over $2 million worth of yo-yos.

#Lightspeed vt annual revenue full

At one time his company employed eight full time yo-yo professionals performing in schools, malls, nationally broadcast parades, professional sporting events, and other large entertainment venues. His favorite, the Great Lakes Sport Kite Championships, grew into one of the largest, most prestigious kite events in the world.īob was also instrumental in helping create a nationwide yo-yo boom. In 1998 the company was named “Retailer of the Year” by the Kite Trade Association.Ī natural marketer, Bob constantly created very successful promotions. In those 20 years he grew his company from $17,000 to over $3 million in annual sales. In 20 years he helped change the public’s perception of the kite from a child’s toy to an “eco-friendly” hobby for families and people of all ages. Bob Negen Retail Expert, Author, Public Speakerīob Negen discovered his entrepreneurial spirit at the young age of 23 and opened one of the world’s first kite stores.