Nadja Piaka is a partner in Three Blondes and a Brownie Inc, she is an Edmonton-based low-fat cake and muffin maker that made the transition from a highly publicized startup to an established business. After being married for 20 years, Nadja Piaka had been left with two children and thousands of dollars in debt. Nadja was almost unemployable, seven years later she no longer worries more about dough then bills. Three Blondes and a Brownie was founded in 1993, recently they negotiated orders for it's Fat Wise products from 220 Safeway supermarkets through Western Canada, and from 124 Federated Co-operative and Calgary Co-operative grocery stores in the West. The three blondes are made up of Nadja Piaka, 49, former Miss Canada Terry Lynn Meyer, 47, and onetime bank manager Candace Brinsmead, 40. Ms. Meyer is the communicator, Ms. Brinsmead is the "bean counter", and Ms. Piaka is the visionary behind the company. Even through her darkest debt riddled days, Ms. Piaka held on to an entrepreneurial vision. She pictured a line of huge trucks rolling down the highway carrying her products to stores. Those products were fat-reduced muffins that Ms. Piaka had developed in her Edmonton kitchen, test-marked on her two teenaged children, and delivered to local small stores and coffee shops. After Ms. Piaka appeared as a guest on an Edmonton based morning television show (hosted by Ms. Meyer), Ms. Piaka's fortunes took an upturn. As Ms. Piaka was talking about her low-fat recipes, Ms. Piaka and Ms. Meyer saw a business opportunity, they then recruited Ms. Brinsmead, the finance-minded best friend of Ms. Meyer. Three Blondes then took off on the fast track. Just a few short four months after incorporating in mid-1993, the company persuaded McDonald's to test their products on the Edmonton market. After testing their low-fat muffins in Vancouver as well, McDonald's went nationwide with them. Three Blonde's revenue hit $100,000 in the first year and by 1998 it was up to $2.3 million. They are predicting to have reached $7 million by 2005, if projected expansion across Canada goes ahead. Then after that they aim to tackle the U.S market. There are a few unwritten principles that contribute to Three Blondes and a Brownie Inc success, the first one is they have no debt, each partner works out of their homes, they have no employees other than themselves and they outsource all the baking. A major marketing plus has been the company's name. They had called their first efforts "Nadja-approved Low Fat Desserts- a Division of Three Blondes and a Brownie." They then realized that the Three Blondes tag was getting all the attention. Another marketing strategy they use is avoiding using the words "low-fat" to advertise their products, "people get sick of the label low-fat" says Ms. Piatka , "they think low fat is no taste."
I do believe this venture still exists however it was very hard to find an article about this company besides the following link:
http://qmiphoto.photoshelter.com/image/I0000CSUlflO4tqc
Comprehension Questions
1. The vision that Ms. Piatka had was be an entrepreneur, she imagined a parade of huge trucks rolling down the highway carrying her products to the market.
2. Ms. Piaka achieved her vision by enlisting in the help of Ms. Meyer who she met on a Edmonton based morning tv show, and Ms. Meyers financed-minded best friend Ms. Brinsmead. All of their talents combined made Ms. Piaka's vision come true. As well as the company started off on a fast track, they managed to obtain a big deal with a large corporate chain, their company has no debt, each partner works out of their home and they have no employees other than themselves. They also outsource all the baking of their products.
3. The wants that were addressed in the venture was the Three Blondes and a Brownie Inc products made people feel good and could help their customers achieve a goal of losing weight while still eating yummy desserts. They also slightly addressed needs because it is a food product and everyone needs to eat. They expanded their market though because their products arn't just desserts they are low-fat, tasty treats.
4. This venture focused on the niche of people who want to eat sweets that taste good and that have low-calories, and people who are dieting.
5. I think the name of the company is so important to this company's success because it's catchy, suits and describes the creators of the business and it is unique and personal. Some other companies that have catchy business names are The Thirsty Scholar and Arn't We Naughty. These names have affected the success of their ventures because they have inventive catchy names that make people want to go in and see what it's about and they are easily remembered because of their names.
