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Successful entrepreneurs live extraordinary lives. Karen Hollet of Yellowknife, has owned Arctic Wild Harvest for the past two years. Originally from Newfoundland, she moved to the Northwest Territories in 1987 and has called the North home for most of the past 15 years. Throughout that time, she has been employed in both the public and private sector, but seems to have found her niche as an entrepreneur. "Northern Entrepreneur" caught up with her and spoke to her about the business.
NE: Tell us a bit more about your business. What is it you sell? Who are your customers?
KH: Well, to start, there are two main parts to my business. First, I make a number of wild herb and berry food products mainly for sale locally. Products include herbal teas, gourmet chocolate such as bars and bark, things like that. Secondly, I operate an Internet-based gift shop specializing in arctic gifts sourced from around the circumpolar world, from places like Alaska, Yukon, Nunavut, Labrador and Russia. It includes a number of NWT products. Products Ive sold include art, crafts, and foods, to name a few. I currently ship between 100 and 200 orders weekly, which is very likely the most Internet sales of any NWT business. Thirdly, I also do a little wholesaling to some local gift shops but this is a fairly minor part of the business.
NE: How did you discover this business? What were some of the motivations behind the decision to go ahead with it?
KH: It grew out of a hobby. I liked eating wild foods. So I started making teas and preserves, and the rest is history. The business really took off when I first started selling on the Internet and realized there was good demand for gift items connected with the Arctic.
I like business. Ive been in business before, and am still a part owner of some Little Caesar Pizza franchises in Nova Scotia that I co-managed for a few years in the late 1990's, and working for myself. So when I realized there was an opportunity to make some money doing something I like, I headed down that path.
NE: Tell us about some of your successes.
KH: Well, some of the things Im most proud of include developing several products that have good appeal. That feels great. I have plans for many new products in the years ahead. As well, Im pretty proud of the Internet sales Ive developed. 100 to 200 orders per week and steadily growing. In one day last December, I shipped over 100 orders. That was my single biggest day yet. I expect to surpass that this Christmas season.
NE: What challenges have you face and how did you overcome them?
KH: Selling on the Internet was a big learning curve for me. There are lots of online marketing things that dont work and a few that do work for a business like mine. It took quite a while to find out what works well. And, of course, I still learn new things every week. I also didnt have a lot of money to pour into online marketing so it was a slow and steady effort to get to where I am today.
NE: When you look into the crystal ball, what does the future hold for a business such as yours? What industry trends are you going to take advantage of?
KH: I see steady Internet sales growth for many years. Unlike a business like the Pizza franchises that I operated in the past, you do not have a geographically limited market. As a result, there is no reason that sales cant continue to grow indefinitely. Further, more and more people are projected to use the Internet and buy online in the future. So this increases the pool of potential customers out there. Online payment systems are improving all the time, which make it easier and safer for people to buy online. These sorts of things should support increased sales growth in the future.
NE: What words of wisdom can you offer new entrepreneurs? What words of advice would you offer someone just starting out?
KH: Well, I would say to them that if they were going into a very small business like mine, to do something you like. That way, the tons of hours that you will have to put into the business in the beginning years wont seem like work. Secondly, I would tell them to be prepared for some lean times in the beginning. Your profit almost never is as high as you initially project, so be prepared for this.
NE: Finally, people will want to know how to get hold of you. Do you have a web site currently?
KH: Yes. My main web site is www.ArcticHarvest.com People can find the site by searching for various relevant search terms on a number of search engines. I employ a number of other marketing techniques as well, such as listings in directories, and affiliate marketing, to name a few. Quite frankly, as my customer base has grown, word of mouth from satisfied customers seem to be one of the biggest sales drivers at present.
NE: Thank you for your time.
KH: Thank you for the opportunity to talk to your readers.
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