We recently connected with Wendy Marcisofsky and have shared our conversation below.
Wendy, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Being raised in a small New England town in Vermont, I was surrounded by a family who worked hard for a wage. When we wanted something “extra”, we worked extra, saved and sometimes eventually got that “thing” we wanted. Observing from a young age, parents, grandparents and aunties and uncles (who all lived on the same street) go to work every day so that bills could be paid and some niceties could be afforded became something I understood.
From about the fourth grade, I sold holiday cards; earning either a “prize” or $1.00 a box. With my Dad, we bought holiday wreathes and decorated them and sold them door to door. In the fall, I picked drops (apples that fall to the ground) for $.25 a bushel and even was a “chambermaid” ….now called a housekeeping attendant for a motel in my town.
I always “had a job” of some sort after that from babysitting to cleaning to waiting tables and after school, found a great office job that launched my clerical career that lasted for some years.
As an adult, this “work for what you want” ethic has never changed and I have had some variety of career paths but mostly, me and my spouse have owned our own businesses which is probably the hardest I have ever worked for the least wage…but for the most part, we love it.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
From a very early age, people read me stories and as I became able to independently read, I continued to do so and have never stopped. Even when traveling as a child and older, I take the book I am reading as well as a “spare” just in case I complete what I am already in the middle of.
After we were left some money from my parents’ estate, we had enough to start our very own store. We had looked at some that were available locally and even out of the area but they didn’t work out so this “building from the concrete floor up” was just the way we went!!
We always have a lot going on at Copper Cat Books. We started with “just books” but soon complemented that with book accessories and then inexpensive jewelry and gift items.
We were approached early on by authors to host book signings which we hold nearly every weekend. We also host book clubs and pet adoption events as well as an occasional indoor musical event for our guests.
One unique aspect of our business is that we have our own warehouse about 10 miles away with over 60,000 books inventoried and searchable. Customers are able to contact us to request book pulls. Additionally, we are established with all major publishers so we are able to get in new releases on the day of release. Wishing for a book you read as a child? We have a “wishlist” and will search literally world-wide to find your book and we don’t charge for the service, just the book.
What sets us apart? We all actually love books and the staff we have is SO engaged in helping guests find something they will be excited to read. With a warm and welcoming environment, customers are invited to find a cozy nook (we have many) to settle in and read a few pages of a book they may be on the fence about to help with their decision.
Happy customers who get value for their money spent who tell family and friends what a great find “Copper Cat Books” is is our goal and we are in our eighth year trying to make that happen each and every day.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Many years ago, I was offered to do a brief public speaking event; about 7 1/2 minutes and I was frankly terrified. I took my watch and placed it on the podium so I could carefully count down those 7 1/2 minutes and then….I realized, I wasn’t being asked to speak about something I didn’t know; I was asked to share knowledge about a topic I was considered somewhat of an expert on and I psyched myself out of the terror and did the presentation.
A couple of years after this initial event of public speaking, I was approached by a company who was actually a vendor of mine and asked me to assist in a software migration. I was very nervous but again, realized I was being asked because this company felt I was qualified to do so. This began a career as a software trainer that lasted over 12 years and I got to travel to so many places including Bermuda, Hawaii, Malaysia…over 170 sites where my confidence in training and public speaking due to the different sizes of companies I worked with became effortless and comfortable.
As far as areas of knowledge that I feel are most impactful; it wasn’t geometry, chemistry or physics; it was accounting, business math, typing and in college, higher level accounting, basic computing. I would tell anybody that wants to get into business….learn about business from accounting, managing inventory, receivables …..all of it and when you think you know enough, learn some more!!
Remember, Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance and sometimes, we think we are well prepared when in fact, we are overconfident of our skill levels. Apprentice someplace if you are able to do so and ask questions. Meet with retired people who worked the industry you are interested in; appreciate their experience value and apply it where you may .
All that said, “take the plunge” into your own business if that is your wont and have a written business plan so you remember to “measure twice and cut once”. Success isn’t a given; it is through sweat equity, proper planning and implementation and continued effort. Know when to “pivot” and try something new for your enterprise; sometimes, the first time out isn’t the most successful.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
As a small business in this economy, simply staying afloat is a challenge. We have encountered a slow down in revenue regardless of trying lots of new avenues to bring new guests to our store. So, sadly, money and not having enough is the biggest challenge right now. Between the cost of goods going up through normal increases to cost of goods increasing due to government policy and increased costs of importing, finally to people in general hanging on to their hard earned wage a little tighter, we have to stay nimble and be creative all the time.
We have expanded our social media foot print to not only Facebook and Tiktok but Instagram and Youtube where we post interviews done with local authors as well as some “fun” walkthrough tours of the store. We have seen some uptick from these efforts but it is sometimes perplexing to see how flat one promotion falls and how successful another is.
So, we stay on the merry-go-round and continue to reach the brass ring through inventive and imaginative ways to make us look inviting, contemporary and fun!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.coppercatbooks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coppercatbooksnv/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coppercatbooks
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CopperCatBooks
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@coppercatbooks
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
