Lori Ann Jones: Broke to Stoked! Building a Profitable Window Treatment Business, the Lean Way

Episode 169 of Window Treatments for Profit

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169: Lori Ann Jones: Broke to Stoked! Building a Profitable Window Treatment Business, the Lean Way

Today With Lori Ann Jones:

Welcome to Window Treatments for Profit. Today I am joined by Lori Ann Jones, co-owner of Drapery Nation, a custom window treatments company. Lori and her husband Kenny were almost bankrupt when they started their business. Twelve years later, they are running an extremely successful and profitable business, with an advertising/marketing budget of $0, and she is here to share how.

Pick It Apart

[5:45] Lori starts off the conversation with how Drapery Nation is so successful with zero budget for marketing.

[21:22] Lori talks about what she does differently with client and vendor payment procedures.

[28:55] Why Drapery Nation sticks to working solely with interior designers.

[41:00] Lori and Kenny welcome their daughter and son-in-law to the business and how they help them scale it.

LuAnn Nigara and Lori Ann Jones’ Ah-Ha Moments

“We have to be the type of people that serve our customers like no other business can. If you want to be known as the best, you have to do everything you can to actually be the best.” – Lori Ann Jones

“People can tell when you are just trying to sell them something and make a buck, verses when you truly do want to help them.” – Lori Ann Jones

More About Lori Ann Jones:

Lori Ann co-owns and operates Drapery Nation, a custom window treatments company, with Kenny, her husband of nearly 28 years. They opened for business in Bowling Green KY in 2011, after Lori Ann had been both a stay-at-home mom and a blind rehabilitation specialist, and Kenny had been in the insurance business. Kenny’s mother owned a window treatments business in Illinois for forty years, and was a huge source of inspiration for Lori Ann. A series of events had led Lori Ann and Kenny into a state of financial hardship, but Lori Ann had a firm belief that they could make a living together and enjoy freedom to spend time with their three children. They built their business by treating people right, being creative and unconventional, working hard, and keeping their expenses low and their faith high. They have a true Cinderella story, as Drapery Nation went from being unknown to now having the best reputation for providing the highest quality custom window treatments and service in south central Kentucky. Lori Ann and Kenny recently hired their oldest daughter and her new husband to work alongside them full-time, and are excited that the family business will continue hopefully long after they are gone.