OPERATIONS MANAGER
HYDROSTAR HYDROPONICS & ORGANICS
Corona, CAÂ
September 2006 - December 2007
Hydrostar Hydroponics & Organics was a small hydroponic gardening supply store located in Corona California. The store was owned by a friend of mine from high school (Victor Manriquez). When Victor began the process of opening the store, and I was initially involved as a business consultant. However, just before the store opened I came on as the full time Operations Manager for the store.
GETTING STARTED
The owner of Hydrostar was very knowledgeable in the products we offered, but had very little retail management experience. Therefore, it was my responsibility to help develop operational procedures, as well as store policies, marketing strategies, and inventory control systems. I set up wholesale accounts with our vendors, and managed the shipping and receiving for the store. In addition to all of the back office duties, I also handled customer service and cashier duties. I worked hard to lay a solid foundation for the store, and to create an enjoyable shopping experience for our customers.
Hydrostar store Interior with products
Hydrostar store interior with cash wrap
Interior of the store first location
Hydrostar store Interior with products
OPENING THE STORE
Our limited capitol, and small location, presented us with many obstacles to overcome in order to build awareness and grow our customer base. I relied on my strong customer service abilities to maximize each customer that entered our store, and I worked to create strong relationship with our vendors in order to get the best possible pricing for the products we offered. Lean operations, and efficient spending was critical for the success and sustainability of the store. My versatility and ingenuity were great assets to the store, and we were on a good trajectory for future success.
MARKETING & GRAPHIC DESIGN
With a small marketing budget, we had to find outlets that would maximize the bang for our advertising dollars. Finding cost effective way to bring customers into the store was a real challenge, and took some research to determine the best methods and outlets. We started by placing print ads in the Yellow Pages, and in a local weekly pop-culture magazine call the Inland Empire Weekly. We put together a full campaign for the IE weekly, and it was my duty to create eye-catching ads that would draw customers into the store. Below are a few of the ads I designed for our print ad campaign.
YELLOW PAGES AD
I designed this ad for our first Yellow Pages listing. Back in 2006, being listed in the Yellow Pages was a must for every business. We took out a full color ad in order to attract attention, and build awareness for the store. It was my goal to create an ad that was simple, yet informative. To be visually pleasing, while conveying all of the important information in a way that is easy for the customer to understand. I believe I succeeded at that with the creation of this ad.
INLAND EMPIRE WEEKLY AD FORÂ OUR SUMMER SOLSTICE SALE
I used Photoshop to create this dynamic ad for the Inland Empire Weekly magazine. The goal with this ad was to create an ad that would attract attention and be visually stimulating. I used minimal text to focus more on our new location, and the fact that we were a hydroponic and organic gardening store located in Corona.
INLAND EMPIRE WEEKLY AD FORÂ OUR INDEPENDENCE DAYÂ SALE
I really enjoyed creating this ad for our Independence Day Sale. I used a layering technique to create the flag background with the Hydrostar logo design on top of it. I then added the "Uncle Sam" image and text. Fill gradation, and text outlines completed the design, and gave it fun and unique look. This add allowed me to show my creativity and Photoshop abilities.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Product Sourcing
Purchasing
Shipping & Receiving
Customer Service
Graphic Design
Open & Closing Store
Inventory Control
Retail Operations
Store Maintenance
Marketing & Promotions
Store Development
Visual Merchandising
THE UNFORTUNATE END
I Lost More Than a Job
Within a couple months of opening Hydrostar, the owner (Victor) was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Although the prognosis was not good, he continued to fight and believe that he would be healed, and the store would be successful. It was his dream to have his own store, and I was helping him to make that dream come true. He was able to battle through several rounds of chemo therapy, and there was optimism when the doctors told us the cancer had disappeared. However, a few months later, the cancer had returned, and came back stronger. He continued to fight, but on December 6th 2007, he passed away. It was extremely devastating for myself, and everyone he had every touched. He was a wonderful man, and a great friend. The passing of Victor meant the end of Hydrostar, and I began a new chapter of my life by moving to Los Angeles, and working for Northwestern Inc.
CONCLUSION
Working at Hydrostar was both challenging, and fun for me. Trying to build a store with such a small budget really tested my ability to be organized, innovative, and cost efficient. I honed my customer service skills, and was able to show my creativity with the advertisements I created. I utilized the skills I had learned while working for 4N Productions, and learned some new skills along the way. I am thankful for the time I spent, and the experience I gained working at Hydrostar.