Many entrepreneurs get their start following in the footsteps of their parents. For Toronto entrepreneur Catherine Graham, the apple could not have fallen further from the tree. “I was raised in a very corporate family so I didn’t have any [entrepreneurial] role models, and it was not something that was taught in school at the time,” said Graham in interview. After obtaining her MBA, Graham joined eBay Canada as employee number four, and worked in management consulting before joining the startup space as Managing Director of promotional products company RIGHTSLEEVE, and Co-Founder and President of commonsku.
Commonsku is a customer relationship management, order management and social collaboration tool for the promotional products industry. The company formed out of the experience Graham had building RIGHTSLEEVE with her husband, Mark Graham. “Commonsku is a philosophy – it’s a completely different way of doing business. We had been running RIGHTSLEEVE in this open and transparent way for 5 years before we decided that this approach was an interesting business opportunity unto itself. We feel passionately about making work fun and creating an interface that is more in keeping with what people are used to in the consumer world.”
Graham believes two of the biggest challenges in the promotions industry are competition, and the perception that promotional items are just throw-away gifts. “There are a lot of companies out there that still view promotional products this way and therefore shop only on price. We have built a business around educating clients about the power of how promotional products can create an emotional connection between the brand and the consumer. The challenge is finding companies that understand this and are willing to give us creative license to produce merchandise their customers will love.” Graham learned numerous lessons from building the community around RIGHTSLEEVE, and had to shift gears when building commonsku. “Running a software company was completely different than running a sales and marketing company; getting up that learning curve meant reaching out to others who had already been there. The other lesson was the importance of bringing design in-house when it’s core to your product.”
The decision to build a software suite catered to the promotions industry has paid off for Graham, and she believes the enthusiasm from their community is the biggest milestone for her. “We are starting with commonsku in a very traditional industry and there was always the fear that it wasn’t ready for a totally different way of doing business. Seeing the reaction and excitement when we revealed it was a huge milestone.“
Before her work at RIGHTSLEEVE and commonsku, Graham was a management consultant for A.T. Kearney, and worked with Fortune 100 companies on merger integrations, marketing strategy and operational efficiencies. She describes the work as challenging and interesting, but believed that the lifestyle was not conductive to the kind of parent she wanted to be. “I stumbled into the startup world by joining my partner in crime at RIGHTSLEEVE to help grow it and we then started commonsku together. With three kids under the age of eight, I need the flexibility and the ability to leave at 5:30 every day to pick them up and have dinner together.”
Graham believes the most important aspect of a business is people, and she encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to focus heavily on developing their teams. “Take the time to build a great team and develop your people. If this is not something that you are good at, hire somebody else to do it. If you can’t afford that then find yourself and amazing mentor or coach who can help you.” RIGHTSLEEVE has a history of giving back to the community, including merchandise sponsorships for local charities, and staff volunteer days at non-profit summer camps. Graham encourages start-ups to find opportunities to give back that excite staff, and encourage them to participate. “It is a great way to drive employee engagement when you find something people can rally around. If you can’t afford to sponsor, give your time – it can be equally as valuable.”
Graham currently divides her time between RIGHTSLEEVE and commonsku, and believes that touching base with both teams daily is the key to staying on top. “I have brief, standing meetings with both teams separately each morning which is instrumental in ensuring everyone is on task for the day.” With RIGHTSLEEVE entering its twelfth year, and commonsku expanding its community daily, Graham is excited about the future of both companies. “We’re at an incredibly exciting time in both businesses with each poised for major growth so the next few years are going to be a fun adventure.”
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