08/13/2002
Jackie Cauch's business philosophy is really quite simple: Find a need, then fill it. Cauch's company, The Right Angle, is a thriving custom frame shop and art gallery that got its start when she couldn't find anyone in town who could frame things quickly."When I moved to Paducah, I had no plans to do anything other than stay home with the children. I had a lot of framing needs, and I couldn't understand why these little projects took so long to complete. And I thought, hmmm, that's what I'm going to pursue."
The result of that epiphany -- Paducah's The Right Angle Inc. -- is able to deliver most any custom project within just 24 hours, and that kind of timeliness has fueled the company's longevity: The Right Angle is approaching its 20th year.
But Cauch wasn't always a framer. "My first business was preschool, because I had been teaching school and had a 4-year-old child and there were these really long waiting lists for schools. So I opened one. My second business was called Kinder Wall Design, and it started when people around the neighborhood noticed the murals I'd painted on my children's walls. I began painting them for other people, and one day I just happened to walk into a hospital in Minnesota and noticed they had this big blank wall in the waiting area. I told them if they'd put my business cards out, I'd paint them a mural for free. It took off from there. Really, that business was just something I fell into."
With three successful (and very diverse) ventures under her belt, Cauch knows all too well the challenges small businesses face. "It just seems like the government is always saying small business is the backbone of the country. And it doesn't exactly happen that way, because many times the burden that's put on our little businesses is astronomical. For instance, it costs us so much to hire an employee -- so much more than the employee ever realizes -- and it just makes me wonder, can't they make it a little easier for us?"
For her part, Cauch does what she can to make it a little easier for her fellow entrepreneurs. "I've been mentoring a woman who's about to enter her second year of business," she says, "trying to help her avoid the pitfalls I learned the hard way. Of course, those are the lessons you really learn." The biggest lesson Cauch has learned throughout her career? "You just look around and see what the needs are, and if you've got the wherewithal, you just go for it."
Quick Facts:
Name: Jackie Cauch
Business: The Right Angle, Inc.
Location: Paducah, Ky.
Founded: 1984
Number of employees: 2 full-time, 2 part-time
What is your your business known for?
Our quick turnaround time. Oh, and our custom memory boxes, shadow boxes and heirloom pieces.
Do your family members work with you?
Unfortunately, no one lives in Paducah anymore. My oldest son started working with me when he was 13, and I'd pick him up from middle school every day and bring him over to the shop. He worked until he graduated from high school and then put himself through college working at a frame shop there. Not too many kids can walk into a business at 18 and already have five or six years of experience.
What motivates you in business?
I used to keep this little photograph of a pack of wolves on my desk, and I'd think of myself out there in the snow, with everything trying to get me. And I said, I'm not going to let this get me. I'm going to hang in there. It sounds silly, sure, but you can't let down your guard. Sometimes I look back at times and think, how did we manage to make it?
Why did you join NFIB?
I think the organization does a lot for small business. I'm not a real political person, and I like the idea that they just do this for me. That's important to me. I've been a member off and on for the past 18 years, and I say 'off and on' because there were times over the years when luxury businesses like mine suffered, and I had to do everything I could to hang on. There were times I had to say, 'I can't afford membership this year.' But when I can, I do it, because I know how important it is.
So you're not a grassroots activist?
Oh, no. I got all of that out of my system in the '60s. I do what I do really well, and I trust NFIB to do what they do really well.
What do you like about being a small business owner?
I like living on the edge, I guess. I must thrive on stress. I talked to a group of kids at the high school on career day and asked them why they thought they wanted their own business. Some of them said because you don't have to punch a time clock or report to anybody, and I gave them a long list of people I'm responsible to. I think it takes a real special person to hang in there for the long haul.
