45 Years of Success

We've been looking after all your printing and
stationery needs since 1944 ...

... the tradition continues.

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(SS) printing Itd.

121 East First St.,
North Van

988-1817

We're your support system
because we support you.

N ¢ Crates for industry and art

eh ¢ Ferx services and
photocopying

* Mailbox rentals

© Post Office parcel drop

* Moving box rental

° Foam-in-place packing

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188 Marine Drive, North Vancouver
<across trom Plaza International)
CALL 988-2883

FAX 988-2882

‘DON’T DO IT ALL YOURSELF”
Budding entrepreneur

tells secret of success

FOUR YEARS ago Josie Loehrich
bought a dozen pairs of sunglasses
on a trip to the States. She sold
them ail at $4 a piece to friends in
Vancouver.

By ELIZABETH COLLINGS
News Xeporter

From that humble start
Loehrich, 3i, and partner Terry
Zweng built Sun-Gold Enterprises
Ltd., 2 home-based business gross-
ing sales of $200,000 last year.

Loehrich’s experience with
Sun-Gold makes an _ interesting
case study for the growing uumber
of North Shore residents consider-
ins the home-based business reute.

“Don’t try to do it all yourself,””
Loetrich says to people setting up
shop at home.

“I literally thought I could do
ail the things myself, but it cost a
lot in terms of energy. I wasn’t de-
ing the things I was good at. I'd
spend hours on the books and
they’d still be wrong,’’? Loehrich
says, laughing.

After tearing her hair out over
the books, Loehrich hired a book-
keeper, an accountant and a
lawyer to do the job for her.

Susan Bell, director of North
Shore Enterprise Development
Centre, says it’s a common pitfall
for small business owners to try to
operate all aspects of the business
singlehandedly.

“It’s hard when you’re all by
yourself, Nobody tells you, ‘It’s
OK to make mistakes,’’’ says Bell,
who recently ran a seminar called
You Don’t Have to Be Perfect, to
get this message across.

Loehrich said another key factor
for small businesses is to use the

Applied Training), a federally
funded program which provides 12
months training for business
owners.

TAKE OFF

FOR THE REST
OF THE DAY.

resources available.

“Pm not afraid to ask for help
if I need it. I think that’s one thing
a small business person has to do:
If they’ve got a problem, learn to
reach out,’’ says Loehrich, herself
an expert on ferreting out pro-
grams which assist small
businesses.

“1 utilize a lot of government
programs. There's a lot of help out
there — and money.’”’

At the moment, Loehrich is in-
volved in restructuring Sun-Gold
Enterprises because Zweng is leav-
ing the Susiness due to serious ill-
ness.

Loehrich says she is especially
looking to C.A.T. 90 for the mien-
tor segment of the program.

“When you're operating a
home-based business, you’re
isolated in a lot of different ways,
especially for a woman. I’m look-
ing for ways to meet someone to
advise me Instead of learning by
mistakes, ( [ want to) to catch
them and redirect them,”’ Loehrich
says.

Another program Loehrich has
taken advantage of is the YMCA
Youth Enterprise Centre, an in-
cubator centre which provides
young entrepreneurs with office

NEWS photo Neil Lucente

JOSIE LOEHRICH, owner of Sungold Promotions, shows off some of
her merchandise at her North Shore home office.

outlet at Lonsdale Quay, the
business has grown to be B.C.’s
fifth largest sungiasses retailer. In
addition, Loehrich and Zweng
have captured some substantial
contracts providing custom-
designed sportswear to major
events such as the World Police
and Fire Games, Playland, Van-
couver Sea Festival, aud the Ab-
botsford Air Show.

Loehrich says Sun-Gold lias
reached a point where she must
move it out of the home into the
office.

This may mean giving up the
flexible hours and the comfort of
the home but there are some
aspects of office life Loehrich is
looking forward to.

“I’m very much a social animal.
I like to be able to come in, have a

facilities to help launch a business.

To help her with this, Loehrich
Since Sun-Goid’s first retail

has started C.A.T. 90 (Customized coffee and say hello.’’

We're proud to support Small
Business Week and invite West
Vancouver businesses to work with us
in creating and maintaining a
prosperous business environment.

If youre finding work a little out of control, maybe
it's time you got behind the controls of a new
BMW One short drive should convince you
that there's more to life than warking. So if you
want to really take off, call us and arrange for a
test drive today.

CONGRATULATIONS TO
ROBERTA HJORTHOY
KELLY TEMPORARY SERVICES
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
FOR OCTOBER 1989
Thank you and we wish you
continued success.

“The strong voice for business
in West Vancouver.”
KELLY 2”
Services
THE WEST VYANCOUVER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The Kelly Girl"People -The First and The Best™
SUITE 2 - 659 CLYDE AVENUE, WEST VANCOUVER
926-6614

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North Vancouver
980-1202