CityCraft Modern Fabric Boutique and Sewing Lounge
Callie Works-Leary
Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business
Callie Works-Leary specialized in entrepreneurship at SMU Cox because she knew she wanted to start her own business. But the right idea didn't hit her until nine months after graduating in 2008, when she took up a new, "chic" pastime: sewing. "I discovered not a single store in Dallas was carrying designer fabrics or presenting sewing as a stylish hobby," she says.
After months researching market potential, Works-Leary used the lessons she learned in her two-semester Starting A Business course at Cox to develop a business plan for CityCraft Modern Fabric Boutique, a designer fabric store that also hosts sewing classes and sewing-circle parties. "It's the only fabric store you actually want to hang out in," she says.
The B-school course required students to write a complete business plan in various stages. Each stage was reviewed and graded by the professor and peers, and an outside management professional evaluated the final stage. Works-Leary says writing a mock business plan in school forced her to "ask the hard questions and do an insane amount of research."
Instead of seeking investors, she secured a line of credit that helped her open her first store in October 2009 and pay salaries for five employees. Works-Leary projects a profit of $45,000 this year.
Now, barely a year into her business, Works-Leary is ready to expand. CityCraft launched an e-commerce division last month and is planning to expand to another city with similar demographics to Dallas. -- Sommer Saadi, posted Oct. 18, 2010
