Helping Others Celebrate Success
With each new hotel, restaurant, bank and business that goes
up Golden Openings snips another ceremonial, red ribbon.
Over the past four years, owner Kimberly Baeth has left her
company’s golden mark around the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. The
company has planned, organized and decorated over 200 Grand Openings since the
company began in 1997. Working with the client, the company handles everything
from invitations, food, decorations and attractions to bulk mailings,
celebrities, press releases and rental items. "With mailing labels of every
business and resident in the Twin Cities, it’s hard not to have a good turn
out at our events," says Baeth.
As a member of 12 chambers of commerce, including TwinWest,
Baeth has countless business contacts all over Minnesota. The idea for Golden
Openings came when Baeth, then Membership Services Director at North Hennepin
Chamber of Commerce, received endless calls asking for the ceremonial scissors,
ribbon and several other items for grand openings. She suggested creating such a
service to the chamber board, but members rejected the idea for lack of
resources. Baeth drew out a pattern asked her father to make the big scissors
that really cut and started her business.
"I had two clients before I left the chamber," says
Baeth.
Baeth is the perfect example of an entrepreneur who carved out
a niche and ran with it. Although grand openings make up a majority of their
jobs, they also plan groundbreakings, business anniversaries, retirement
parties, trade shows and other special events. Her energy, enthusiasm and
creativity have earned her constant praise and referrals from clients. The
business does no formal advertising - its work says it all. "People notice
our special touch," says Baeth, Golden Openings' only full-time employee.
One intern and up to 20 part-time employees - most working on an as-needed basis
- help with events.
"I thrive on getting businesses out of the starting gate.
Frequently, I find that business owners don’t have the time to organize their
grand openings. I love seeing their excitement when the event comes
together."
That enthusiasm will soon spread to other states. Baeth is in
the process of franchising Golden Openings, with interested people in Colorado,
Iowa and Georgia. "The need for grand opening help is everywhere,"
said Baeth. "It will happen; it's just a matter of time."
With a husband and two children under age 3, Baeth's family
life is just as busy, but she still finds time to volunteer in chamber and
community activities, train & run in marathons, and keep up the family &
business scrapbook. She credits some of her success to her computer consultant
husband, who in his spare time handles Golden Openings' technical, accounting
& Web site needs.
“It takes a lot of persistence [to get the right people there],” Baeth
said. “But the business owner shouldn’t have to deal with it. They should be
treated like a celebrity, not a host.”
And with each event Baeth organizes, the experience she accumulates could be
an appealing factor to other new businesses, said Greg Schneider from the Small
Business Development Center at the University of St. Thomas. “It could be very
helpful for start-up businesses to gain from the experience Golden Openings has
had with events they have done for other businesses, “Schneider said.
Baeth predicts Golden Openings’ revenues to be around $100,000 this year,
but she is not exactly sure-her husband, Kevin does most of the company’s
accounting in his free time. Baeth said she would like to see the company
continue to expand in the next five years, possibly into two other states, such
as Iowa. But, she added, she will need her family time. “I’m not into
working around the clock.”
