From grooming (animals and people) to grinding coffee
Area businesswomen answer entrepreneurial call
The boxer
Leaman Container
Janan Leaman calls herself a professional boxer, and her assertive personality and strong defense of her east Fort Worth neighborhood lead one to believe she might be a good one.
But she deals in boxes, as in the corrugated cardboard type, and much more.
This energetic sales manager and secretary/treasurer for the company, founded in 1974 by her father-in-law Don Leaman, admits that “it might be a little harder for a woman to become a force in this ‘male-dominated’ industry, but my being a woman has not really hindered me. I am assertive and advocate for good things for the company, my employees and the people of east Fort Worth.”
“Leaman Container, a corrugated sheet plant that converts sheets into custom-boxes, has one of the lowest employee-turnover rates of any company I have ever been involved with,” said Leaman. “I think this is due to Don Leaman’s integrity, our encouraging employees to get involved in their local community, and a concerted effort to get the female employees to pull together to make things better for themselves.”
She has worked at Leaman Container intermittently since 1997 because she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. But in 2003, Leaman Container was in serious need of a sales manager, “and I answered the call.”
“I think that in my two years in this position that I have made some good changes that have benefited the company. But one of my major visions is to become more of a mentor to women who want to advance in business and other aspects of life,” she said.
Leaman Container
5701 E. Rosedale St.
Fort Worth, 76112
817-429-2660
www.leamancontainer.com
The barista
Eurotazza Coffeehouse
Sample the brews in the coffeehouses of Europe if you so desire, but you can get the equivalent at Eurotazza Coffeehouse on Camp Bowie Boulevard in Fort Worth, according to Keira Moody.
Eurotazza founder and owner Moody had for many years been intrigued with the European coffee culture and its traditions. In her 12th year at Crescent Real Estate Equities Co., where she was vice president of investor relations and corporate communications, Moody decided to determine if her love for European coffee traditions could be converted to a business in Fort Worth.
In 2005, she attended a weeklong barista school in Portland, Ore. She was hooked and returned to the Metroplex to develop a financial model and plan for a European-style coffeehouse.
The result: Eurotazza, which, she says, means “cup of Europe.”
“Eurotazza opened in March 2006, and since then we have received numerous accolades,” Moody said.
In addition to coffees done in the European style, which, according to Moody, eliminates the “burned aftertaste” of coffees offered at well-known major coffeehouses nearby, “Eurotazza treats customers to pastries, lunch and desserts made fresh daily by Fort Worth’s Bistro Louise. We offer a movie night and live music two nights of the week,” Moody added.
She notes that women anticipating going into business for themselves should “keep a careful eye on their vision” and perhaps put together a board of directors, professionals in the market they can trust and turn to for ideas and expertise. She also advises having trustworthy people available whose expertise is in financial management.
Eurotazza Coffeehouse
6323 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste. 125
Fort Worth, 76116
817-737-EURO (3876)
www.eurotazza.com
The trendsetter
Moda Salon, Spa and Wellness Center
Moda Salon, Spa and Wellness Center offers a well-stocked “cafeteria” of services and products to help people feel better and look better. The interior of the salon even resembles an art gallery, with owner Cami Martin’s paintings adorning the walls.
And thatÂ’s a major part of MartinÂ’s vision for Moda.
“This is what I envision for a salon,” said Martin, who opened Moda seven years ago on Camp Bowie. “I spent many years as a hair-stylist working for other people. I saw that a salon could be much more and help people leave with much more than they expected.”
Moda does that. The salon offers a smorgasbord of services to cater to just about anyone’s needs. It offers makeup; skin-care treatments; hair-cutting, styling and coloring; yoga, including prenatal “Mamaste” classes (the only prenatal yoga classes in Fort Worth, according to Martin); body-bronzing; massage, including full-body, chair, pregnancy massage, and a long list of specialized massage therapy; manicures, pedicures and more.
“Working for myself is what I really wanted to do and have really enjoyed,” Martin said. “My 30 years of experience in service to people have helped enable me to attain my vision. It’s all been so positive for me, and I’ve encountered very few problems big enough to cause me concern.”
Moda, according to Martin, offers “totally natural” treatments devoid of harmful chemicals and sprays. “We even have a ‘green team’ concentrating on ways of doing things and using products that conserve, that are not wasteful, and that do not harm the environment,” she said.
Moda Salon, Spa and Wellness Center
6318 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth, 76116
817-732-3733
www.modasalonandspa.com
The restaurateur
Scampi’s Mediterranean Café
“When vendors called on us at Scampi’s, sometimes they would only want to deal with my dad,” says Ann Diakas-Shaw, owner of Scampi’s Mediterranean Café on West Magnolia Avenue. “It was nothing personal. Some just thought a woman was not as adept at making business decisions as a man.”
Diakas-Shaw, however, does make decisions and runs not only a successful restaurant but a rapidly expanding catering and banquet business.
“Financing has not been a problem,” she added. “I’ve gotten great support from the money people and people of the community.”
She bought what was ScampiÂ’s Italian Deli in 1995, and, because her family is Greek, changed the name and menu to reflect a broader range of Mediterranean-style food.
“We serve everything from spaghetti and lasagna, the house specialty, to moussaka, an eggplant, beef and potatoes creation. We have Greek salads and antipasto and Caesar salads, to name only a few,” explained Diakas-Shaw. “And, my mom’s walnut cake and her dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) are to die for. No one messes with her desserts, and my dad oversees the kitchen.”
Two blocks down Magnolia is the banquet facility, The Marquis, also managed by Diakas-Shaw. Opened in 2003 on the second floor of an old but renovated bank building, The Marquis hosts weddings, private parties and charity events of all sizes, according to Diakas-Shaw.
“We have really gotten into weddings, and they are so fulfilling for us, even if emotional. And our catering business for events here and at remote sites has really taken off. It now comprises probably 65 percent of our business,” she said.
Scampi’s Mediterranean Café
1057 W. Magnolia Ave.
Fort Worth, 76104
817-927-1887
www.scampiscafe.com
The franchisees
Aussie Pet Mobile of Greater Fort Worth
What makes a former assistant prosecuting attorney in New Jersey start a mobile pet-grooming business in Fort Worth?
The answer is at least partially about a love of animals and a desire for a secure place to raise a family.
Aimee Slade, owner of Aussie Pet Mobile of Greater Fort Worth, has a passionate love for animals. She and her husband were living in the New York City area on Sept. 11, 2001, and decided that there must be a safer place to raise a family. Hence, they settled in Fort Worth.
“My husband and I love it here. Life is slower, more family-friendly, and here, as everywhere else, people love their pets and are willing to spend money to take care of them,” Slade said. “So, it seems we found the perfect opportunity to own a business that gives us flexibility and does a lot of good for our animal friends.”
The business, as its name suggests, goes to pet owners’ homes to bathe and groom dogs and cats. The company has three groomers—well-trained former veterinary technicians who have expertise in handling animals and a deep caring for them—and according to Slade, “we are looking for other well-qualified people to join our team.”
She noted that Americans this year will spend an estimated $38 billion on their pets, and that 63 percent of U.S. households own at least one pet.
Aussie Pet Mobile is a franchise, and SladeÂ’s operation, opened in 2005, is consistently ranked between 16th and 20th in sales among the 76 franchises in the United States.
Aussie Pet Mobile of Greater Fort Worth
4116 Tamworth Road
Fort Worth, 76116
817-558-7663
AimeeSlade@aol. com
FaceLogic Spa
Kally Walton, while a television journalist in Waco, began getting facials at FaceLogic Spa and using the companyÂ’s products.
She became convinced of the productsÂ’ quality and was impressed by the affordability of treatments. Wanting a change from television reporting, she decided to get into the business.
“FaceLogic seemed a perfect match for my passion for excellent facial skin care and my entrepreneural spirit,” Walton said. “I opened the spa August 26 in The Village at Camp Bowie, and I am enthused by the rapid growth in our clientele base.”
Walton said the spa, which does only facial care, has male as well as female clients.
“We have perhaps eight or 10 men who have started coming for treatments, although the spa’s primary target is people 36-64 years of age, we serve teenagers to people in their 80s. Some have never had a facial, and some are regulars.
“Our aestheticians, four at this point, are licensed and regulated by the state of Texas and they undergo two weeks of extensive training in the FaceLogic method before practicing,” she added.
FaceLogic offers standard facial treatments, upgrades to include peel and masques, waxing (eyebrow, lip, chin, other facial waxing), and makeup application and lessons.
Walton said starting her own business has allowed her flexibility in managing her lifestyle.
“Women experience demands for their time and energy that are significantly different from men, and owning your own business, I think, is the way to meet demands as housewife, homemaker and income-earner.”
FaceLogic
6333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste. 256
Fort Worth, 76116
817-731-0500
facelogic.fortworth@gmail.com
Contact Armistead at bizpress@bizpress.net
