Interview by Peter Hulm
Several years ago, the Canadian province of British Columbia
(B.C.) took the unusual step of supporting a private sector effort
to enable home-based gifts and handicraft businesses to present
themselves to potential global buyers at a special wholesale
traders' show. The idea was the innovative contribution of Barbara
Mowat from Abbotsford, B.C. For 15 years she taught human relations
before setting up what became a family business with her two
daughters and son. She called the company Impact Communications,
and apart from specializing in management training and consulting,
it also publishes Home Business Report - a magazine that links up
workers from home. As Mrs Mowat put it, "Transfer the skills you
have accumulated to something you really want to do."
The result of her efforts was the first Uniquely B.C. Creative
Arts Show in 1989, which was an overwhelming success. Mrs Mowat
worked in association with Canada's largest wholesale gift-show
producer, and their efforts led to similar events in other major
Canadian cities. Since then there have been 47 shows, giving over
5,000 small businesses the chance to launch their gifts and
household items on the international market. Perhaps the most
original idea behind the Uniquely Shows was to bring in a panel of
merchandising specialists from major retailers and companies in the
target area to give candid and informed assessments of what the
products needed in order to become "exportable" from their local
home.
Mrs Mowat's efforts won her the 1993 Canadian Woman Entrepreneur
of the Year Award for Impact on the Economy. Her company now puts
together the Uniquely Canada Show. In 1998, she and one of her
daughters opened a gift shop in the small resort village of Sun
Peaks, B.C. The venture led to the idea of an online retail store
to get Uniquely Canada products out to the world.
Finally, as part of her mission to help small businesses grow,
Mrs Mowat helped the fast-developing former Yugoslav republic of
Slovenia present its products and services at an international
trade show in Los Angeles, United States, in 2001. Following that
event, she attended ITC's Executive Forum in September 2001 to
outline the lessons from the experience.
Q In Canada, do most of the small businesses
you help want to sell to the United States? Doesn't that limit the
aid you can give to developing or transition countries?
A One of the first things that we have to
realize when we go into a new country - whether it's in Asia,
Slovenia, Puerto Rico or wherever - is that we can't assume that we
know everything about their region. So it's very important for us,
when we put together our merchandise specialist team, that we ask
the developing country first to define which market they are trying
to target. We ask: "Are you trying to expand your exports into
North America, and even more specifically Canada or the United
States, and then where in those countries? To South America? To
Europe? To the Asian market?"
Once we determine that - and in the case of Slovenia, 87% of the
small producers indicated that they wanted to target the United
States market first and then to possibly look at Canada - our goal
is to bring together the best merchandise specialists that will
give the country feedback on the product development they
require.
Q How does that work out?
A What that meant in the case of Slovenia was
that I invited along our generalists: buyers from Canada as well as
some top buyers from the United States. Then in order to be
sensitive to the culture we brought in an anthropologist, the owner
of a gallery who was good at indicating why certain people might
want certain colours, certain weavings or certain ways in which a
product was developed. It is important for us - a matter of respect
- that when we give the small producers feedback, that we are very
cognizant of the local/regional needs. When our team comes over, we
are also going to bear in mind that some products are going to be
developed for the domestic market.
Q Who else apart from the
anthropologist/gallery owner was on your panel in Slovenia?
A We had a top retail buyer from Canada who
does a beautiful catalogue and retail gift shows. We had someone
from the Ontario Craft Council, and someone who does a lot of
buying in Yorkville, Ontario. We were fortunate to get the
vice-president of Robert Redford's Sundance Catalogue and Stores as
a United States buyer. Together then, as a team of United States,
Canadian and Slovenian buyers, we took each product and provided
constructive and specific recommendations (these are always phrased
positively) on what the producer could do to attract a buyer in the
United States.
Q What sort of changes were suggested?
A When we have a product that is very
traditional in scope or design, labelling is very important for
marketing, but we also suggested that little hang-tags should tell
the story of the product. People don't want to know just that
something is made in Slovenia because the question then for a
potential buyer is: where is Slovenia? We think it is important to
mention the specific village, say where it is and who makes it.
Buyers in the United States and Canada are interested in the human
interest element of the product - what lies behind it. That comes
almost first in our purchasing considerations, next to the product,
of course.
Q And other suggestions?
A For someone who was producing porcelain, we
wanted to make sure that they were taking a look at magazines that
were trendy, to show them the right colours, designs, etc. We
wanted producers to understand that saleable colours may change
quickly in today's market, that they need to be aware of this in
their planning for trade shows that may be eight months away.
Wholesale buyers used to have products on their shelves for two
years. It's now eight to 12 months. I always caution people about
going for big orders from big retailers, because if you spend a lot
of time building your production around their demands, you end up
losing the higher-value specialist orders.
Q You have said this is true not just for
producers in developing or transition countries, but also for those
selling within North America...
A Yes, I want to emphasize that when we are
doing our regional judging in Canada, it's also very important for
us to understand where the product is going to be ultimately sold.
A product that appeals to a Torontonian is not necessarily going to
appeal to someone in Alberta. You might have more success with folk
art and jewellery in Toronto because of the influence of New York
buyers who come to Toronto. In Alberta, you are going to be selling
to a prairie market - a lot of ranching theme products, beautiful
art work with wheat (we had a wonderful artist who produced blown
wheat glass). That doesn't appeal to someone on the west coast who
will be struck more by scenes of whales and mountains.
In Slovenia we suggested to producers they have to be careful
about the products that they are pitching to the Los
Angeles/California market, which they might not realize is
different from the east coast/Massachusetts market in the products
that would have most potential.
Q So you work with completely different panels
to assess the export potential for each area?
A Every time you go into a new area you have to
work with merchandise specialists for that region. You need
generalists because some things are true of all products: design so
that it does not fall apart; originality; creativity; the function
of the design; people who ask: can it be made better, can it be
made with different materials? In Slovenia one of the products with
export potential was made from plastic. We thought it had a better
chance if it was made from natural materials. But we never say to
producers that they must follow our suggestions. We only say: here
are some options to consider if you want to target your specified
market. Ultimately it is their choice.
Barbara Mowat is president of Impact Communications Ltd.,
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Background on the initiatives
can be found at http://www.uniquelycanada.com.
E-mail: Barbara.Mowat@ImpactCommunicationsLtd.com