PFFC - March 2009 - (Page 156) EXPERIENCE SPEAKS uHow do you grow a business in a bad economy? Find different markets and expand your capabilities. WebCut is looking at adding clean room lamination to our current clean room slitting operations. Invest where it makes sense. uHow do you handle a difficult customer? Listen. Find out what the customer needs are, then deliver. If you can’t meet their requirements, make suggestions. Sometimes providing an alternative source to get the job done brings business back your way in the future. You don’t from learn from talking; you listening. learn anything uDaniel Weber uPresident/Owner of WebCut Converting Inc. uManagement style | Avoid micromanaging to allow for creativity uHobbies | Golfing, hiking, and bow hunting uWhat is the key to retaining good employees? Everyone wants to contribute and make a difference. It is amazing what your employees can do once you trust them and let go. Additionally, identify tangible things about work ethics and reward your employees appropriately for their efforts. uWhat do you know now that you wish you had known when you started? The amount of time and money it takes to start a business. I developed a pretty sound business plan and thought it would take one to two years before we turned profitable. Well, it was year three before I could take a salary. However, I wouldn’t change this for anything. I’m thankful that my family had the confiidence and patience to make this work. uWhat are the key qualities to becoming a successful leader? Have a good vision, understand the steps required to achieve your vision, then understand your shortcomings and hire the appropriate employees to fill those voids. uWhat advice would you give to someone just starting out? Write a good business plan; understand both the market and the finance required to make your business a success. Have confidence in your plan and work the plan. uHow did you get into the converting business? After leaving Tapemark as operational manager, I conducted a market analysis and found a need for a local contract slitter. My business plan focused on label stock. I anticipated it would be a cornerstone. However, it became apparent early on that industrial, digital printing, and medical markets are where we would grow. uWhat do you least enjoy uWhat is the biggest threat to our industry right now? We are living in a flat world; the globalization of the economy and shipping product off shore has a large effect on our industry. Businesses need to find ways to keep product development and new technologies in the US. uWho is your personal hero? My father (who was married at 19 with $17.30 in the bank) became a very successful businessman. He taught me the importance of confidence, focus, and balance. uWhat is your biggest mistake, and how did you fix it? Purchasing a piece of equipment for a product that never developed. I fell in love with the product and didn’t conduct due diligence of the business. After three years, we found some business to run on the machine. about your job? Doing the administrative tasks. Securing the best medical and insurance plan for your employees is always a challenge. As an owner, decisions surrounding your employees’ annual benefits become difficult because you are always seeking what is most affordable for the company without being a financial strain to your employees. About WebCut Converting Inc. u1279 Trapp Rd., Eagan, MN 55121 | 651-994-7084 uwww.webcutconverting.com uFounded 1999, 1 plant, 22 employees uSpecialty | Contract slitting, pressure-sensitive lamination, and sheeting What’s your management style? Share your perspective. Write to yolanda.simonsis@penton.com. 156 | MARCH 2009 WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM http://www.webcutconverting.com http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM
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