Megan Duckett’s path in life emerged when her part-time passion and her natural talent converged. “I love the fact that I’ve been able to build a business around what I not only enjoy and am good at but something that I feel very passionate about.”
After that, it was simple mathematics. “It was 1997, I was filling out my tax return, and my husband said to me: ‘What on earth are you thinking? You made more money sewing on the kitchen table than you did at your 40-hour-a-week commuter job.’”
That was the moment of truth. “I gave notice, took the leap of faith and invested $2,000 in a small office and a sewing machine.”
Superstar Backing
Today Sew What? Inc. creates drapes and backdrops for major events, theatrical productions and top rock ‘n’ roll tours, including superstars like Green Day, Beyonce and Sting. For Rod Stewart’s 2008 world tour, Sew What? turned custom-printed Stewart family tartan into a 180-foot cylindrical drapery to enclose his massive circular stage. For Lady Gaga’s European tour, Sew What? created a mixed-media cityscape backdrop with sparkling lights, smoke stacks with real smoke and illuminated billboards.
Technology Makes it Happen
None of this would be possible without the progressive use of technology, including an innovative customer relationship-management application.
“Four years ago, our application was just a spreadsheet with about 20 boxes. Now it calculates yardage and purchasing requirements. And it allows me to print out sewing instructions. It’s wonderful because it allowed me to standardize pricing.”
Challenge: Technology wasn’t always so rewarding. In the early years, Megan’s approach wasn’t completely organized.
“We discovered early on that buying a bunch of different brands and cobbling them together — that wasn’t the way to go. It was so frustrating. A printer would break down and we’d be picking through boxes. Where’d we buy the printer from? Where’s the receipt for it?”
Solution: A Single Technology Source
Now Megan works with Dell and has single point of contact for her technology needs. “It doesn’t matter what our situation is or what technology we need. Vince, our account representative with Dell, is always our first call. He’s completely capable of guiding us from a hardware standpoint.”
For example, Sew What? recently added a third server. “We put a call in to Vince. He guided us to the server that would suit our needs and work with the technology we have. We installed on a Friday and by Monday morning we were up and running, all networked, all seamless.”
Business Mobility, Remote Access
Challenge: For Megan, travel to various venues is a big part of the Sew What? business. Fast, reliable access to her customer relationship software on the road is essential. But it’s not always convenient. “I may visit a client on set, for example. There’s no office there, no equipment.”
Solution: Dell Latitude Laptops
This range of business laptops is designed for optimum mobility and connectivity. “You’ll see me with my Latitude just about everywhere I go. I can prepare quotations and show my clients in real time what the numbers are — where the job’s at.”
Challenge: As a small business that relies on technology, Sew What? is caught in the middle. It can’t afford downtime, but it also can’t afford full-time IT staff. “The concert stops for nobody. I need to be able to access data at any given moment on any day, so it’s very important that we don’t have any downtime.”
Dell has taken the uncertainty out of this equation. “We know that, with Dell, if there’s ever a problem, it will be resolved very, very quickly. And knowing that there’s rarely a problem makes my day so much easier. As a business owner it means I can take a vacation.”
When asked how she made it so far, Megan says it’s been a lot like navigating over unfamiliar terrain. “You have to use your own internal GPS. Like you enter a destination and it tells you how to get somewhere, over hill and dale. Sometimes we may have to go roundabout. And you have to embrace all the challenges and changes and the hiccups along the way.”