Self-employment

Company is stacking up sales of its see-through shoe boxes

A really neat business

Great businesses are built by challenging the status quo. Just like entrepreneur Josh Kerbel, you've simply got to think outside the box. "I was looking for a solution to an everyday problem," he says.

ROGER PIERCE
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Josh Kerbel says neat freaks and shoe fanatics are buying his clear plastic shoe boxes.

Kerbel owns a company called Shoe Stor (www.shoe-stor.com), which designs, manufactures and markets clear storage boxes for shoes, boots, handbags and purses. He says the name of his business is a play on the words "shoe store" and "shoe storage."

"Neat freaks"


"We target a number of markets, including people who love their shoe collections, self-confessed neat freaks and people into cubes," Kerbel says.

Promoted as a clear shoe storage solution, Kerbel says his product boasts a number of customer benefits. "The boxes save time because you don't have to rummage through your closet to find something," he says.

Kerbel anticipates a lot of business from space-squeezed condo dwellers. "These boxes save space because they're stackable."


He sells his product on the Internet from as little as $39.95 for 10 boxes. Kerbel claims that's a small price to pay to protect expensive footwear. "People spend hundreds of dollars on their shoes," he says. "Unlike cardboard boxes, which can soak up moisture, our plastic boxes are ventilated and mould resistant."

Shoe Stor has been up and running for about 12 months. Although Kerbel has run other businesses, he says he's learned a lot from this one.

"The sales function is the most important part of a new business. Everything else is just fluff," he says. "Don't bury your head in bookkeeping or administrative work. Cash is king, so you've got to focus on sales and marketing."

True to his word, Kerbel lets suppliers and other members of his team handle routine functions. "While outsourcing tends to increase day-to-day operating costs, for my company it meant limited capital investment and lower payroll expenses," he says.



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