1) Why is Roxanne Quimby successful?
2) Life style vs. High potential Venture. Your opinion on this?
3) Location issues. Main vs. North Carolina. Please list advantages and disadvantages
4) Stay in North Carolina, Go back to Maine? Sell the company? What are the consequences of each decision
Answers
1) Roxanne Quimby is successful, because she has no need for security; she has learned how to survive on her own. She had learned how to live at the bottom, with no money, no running water, and no electricity. She was able to take risks because she had no security issues; she had seen the worst and knew she could handle it.
2) Life style vs. high potential venture, in the Case of Burt’s Bee’s I think that this is more of a life style than a high potential venture. In order for this to be a high potential venture the products created could not be hand crafted, this would create low volumes, and highly skilled workers. This is a lifestyle it was successful as that because these products were not sophisticated or sleek, they were basic. They are not a manufacturing company; they were welfare moms, who sculpted candles out of bees wax.
3) Maine was far from central metropolitan areas, which made shipping costs very expensive, there was a lack of skilled workers in Maine, and the cost of payroll taxes was very expensive. The advantages of Maine were, that the products were handmade and down-home basic products, which if they moved the company North Carolina they would shift away from handmade and into high volumes skin-care products. The disadvantages of North Carolina are the company would lose its handmade products, and make all completely different products; there would be numerous amounts of highly skilled workers to employ so employment costs are higher. By moving to North Carolina Burt’s Bees would be an entirely new company, they