Play it again!

By Suzanne Martin

Debra St. Charles, an NASE Member for six years, founded her business on a love of the past. But she takes a decidedly modern approach to ensure the successful future of her company.

As owner of St. Charles Piano Restorations in Ellicott City, Md., Debra rebuilds and restores player pianos, nickelodeons and other rare keyboard instruments. Her company has thrived since it began in 1983, and today in her shop, it's not unusual to find more than two dozen instruments at different stages of restoration. Alongside those musical relics, however, are contemporary conveniences for managing a small business in the 1990s. During the past several years, Debra invested in a toll-free 800 number for customers and upgraded her business book keeping system from pencil and paper to a computer hard drive. Last year, she added a new service for customers installing computer mechanisms that give pianos the ability to replay music.

Unlike the rolls of paper that reproduce music on old player pianos, the new technology uses floppy disks. The computer mechanism not only stores music, but can also produce symphony effects, as well as record a player and play back the performance. "I saw a trend toward retrofitting pianos with the new computer mechanisms," Debra explains. "I went to school for six weeks to learn how to install the mechanisms. It seemed like a natural extension of my business since I was already working on player pianos. Now the new technology has turned into a big part of my business."

Offering the computer technology was one of the best decisions she's made for her company, Debra says. It began paying off immediately in new business and catapulted her into the computer age. Debra readily concedes that until last year, she suffered from computer illiteracy. Now the technology helps her run day-to-day operations. "I'm really surprised at how much I've put a computer to use in my business. The computer and the Internet are incredible business tools."

Today, Debra keeps all of her business information and records stored on a computer. She also goes online to communicate via e-mail with customers, suppliers and other business owners in her field. She says she regularly uses the Internet as a research and marketing tool.

But like many NASE Members, Debra still does much of her market ing the old fashioned way by word of mouth. She says referrals account for almost 50 percent of her business, with most customers coming from Maryland and surrounding states. Advertising supplements referrals. Four years ago, she invested in a toll-free 800 number as a convenience for her customers. "It's turned out to be very valuable. It encourages customers to call me during business hours even if they're at work. A lot of my suppliers use it now, and some people call just to ask questions. I'm not always making money from the 800 number, but I'm establishing a reputation as being helpful, and that's important."

Maintaining quality customer service tops Debra's list of business priorities. Yet she admits she hasn't always met that goal. Five years ago, she moved her business into a 2,000-square-foot shop in an old textile mill. The move generated new business, says Debra, but she wasn't prepared to handle the additional work. "All of a sudden, I got swamped with business. I made errors in judgment about how much work I could do and so I made promises that I couldn't keep.

"Expanding a business can be a boon and a bane at the same time. I think business owners can be prepared for expansion and not make the same mistakes I made. You have to look at how you're going to handle all the new work. Can you run the business and still do the actual work? Are you going to hire new employees? Can you afford to train new employees? Can you use independent contractors?"

Debra still searches for answers to some of those questions. She currently has two full-time employees and one part-time apprentice, who's being trained to take over business functions such as billing and contracts. The apprentice even took a course through the Small Business Administration's SCORE program to learn about business taxes. The apprentice works for no pay in return for Debra teaching her the ropes of the piano restoration business. So far, the arrangement has benefited both women, and Debra expects to hire the apprentice full time after she completes about seven months with the company.

Using independent contractors hasn't proven as effective. The unclear IRS rules about independent contractor and employee status make her nervous about hiring independent contractors, Debra says, echoing the voices of other NASE Members. And she's found other obstacles as well. "It's been hard for me to find independent contractors who care about the customers as much as I do."

Debra's customers range from collectors to private owners, many of whom treasure pianos that have been passed down through generations of their families. Debra says that working with her customers and bringing the rare musical instruments back to life still give her a thrill after 14 years in business.

"My favorite thing is still to restore the old reproducing grand pianos. Those old player pianos recreate the music exactly as it was recorded. The player grands of the 1920s and 1930s had incredible artists creating the recording rolls, artists like Gershwin and Rachmaninoff.

"And I really enjoy my customers. I may work with them on a restora tion project for several years. When it's done, I've seen people literally jump up and down they were so excited. And I've seen their eyes well up with tears. That's a great feeling to see them so happy."

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St. Charles Piano Restorations

Owner: Debra St. Charles, 44 Sole proprietor, NASE Member for six years

Favorite NASE Benefits:
Health insurance, Car rental discounts

Years in business: 14

How started: "I borrowed $500, bought a pickup truck and off I went. I used my dining room as a space to rebuild and restore pianos."

Advice about growing a business: "Create your own opportunities. You can't hang a shingle on the door and then sit back and wait. I've made a profit every year. I've never lost a penny on this business. But you have to be willing to hustle and knock on doors."