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Business Services Industry

It's in the mail

Entrepreneur, Feb, 1997 by Heather Page, Debra Phillips

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Enthuses Martis, "I now know there's no stopping [this business]."

Making History

He's been to Europe more than a dozen times, but Michael J. Stopka doesn't take overseas travel for granted. "It's still a rush," says the 40-year-old entrepreneur. "I don't think there's anything more exciting."

Except, perhaps, running your own $12 million mail order company. As the founder of Arlington Heights, Illinois-based Design Toscano Inc., Stopka brings a world of historical European reproductions of gargoyles, statues and tapestries right to the doorsteps of catalog readers. "We almost have a cult following," says Stopka of the faithful consumers who enthusiastically peruse each and every issue of his company's masterfully designed catalog. "People look forward to the different covers we have and the product mix."

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Clearly, there's reason for them to do so. Featuring some 600 different Gothic and classic-styled products, the Design Toscano catalog offers variety - and visionary splendor. "You want to shoot the products [in settings] people expect to see them in," says Stopka, explaining the rationale for photographing his merchandise in European settings as majestic as the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

Yet for all the smart moves he's made at the helm of Design Toscano, Stopka is the first to concede that his foray into mail order was more accidental than intentional. A former high-tech consultant, Stopka became interested in selling statuary after striking up a friendship with a man who owned just such a company. To expand his friend's customer base, Stopka entered into a business arrangement whereby he placed advertisements - and took orders - for the company in upscale publications like Architectural Digest and The New Yorker. Shortly thereafter, in 1990, Stopka launched Design Toscano.

Just six years later, Design Toscano has grown into an international company that boasts two retail stores (both in Illinois) in addition to its flourishing mail order business. Now, Stopka and his wife, Marilyn, 36, are looking forward to 1997 sales of $15 million. And yes, many more trips to Europe seem to be in their future as well.

First-Class Ideas

5 steps to mail order success

"A mail order empire isn't going to happen overnight," says John Schulte, chief manager of the National Mail Order Association, "so be prepared to be in it for the long haul." Besides having a solid commitment to your venture, Schulte and other leading mail order experts offer the following tips to ensure mail order success:

1. Be familiar with your product. Getting involved in a mail order specialty you don't have any prior knowledge of is usually a big mistake, says Maxwell Sroge, owner of Maxwell Sroge Co. Inc., a mail order consulting firm in Evanston, Illinois. "You want to go into an area where you can bring some special knowledge or talent to bear."

2. Hit the books. Before spending a dime, Schulte recommends spending some time educating yourself. Analyze what you like and dislike about other catalogs (this might include a catalog's length or product selection). Join various mailing lists or make a few catalog purchases to learn more about order-processing methods.

Business Services Industry

It's in the mail

Entrepreneur, Feb, 1997 by Heather Page, Debra Phillips

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