Nicole and Ryan Carter have been in the custom window treatment business for eight years, and they have learned that the best way to deliver products and services to their customers is by first listening carefully to their needs.
“We provide custom window coverings—including blinds, shades, drapes, shutters, and smart-home automated shades—for residential and commercial customers,” Ryan explained. “We pride ourselves on diligently listening to our customers’ unique needs, and that helps ensure we are delivering what they truly want.”
Budget Blinds of Westonka covers more than 20 communities in the West Metro, and they recently added Albertville/St. Michael and Brooklyn Park to their service area. As part of their value proposition, they offer a free on-site consultation to help ensure they’ll meet their customers’ expectations.
“We’ll measure, provide samples, prepare estimates of the project costs, and then install and service the shades. Service is a big part of this business, and is an important consideration when people are looking at custom window coverings,” added Ryan.
“As we looked for financing to acquire the second and third franchise territories three years ago, we met with Sherry Valley, senior commercial lender,” said Nicole. “We were already with the bank and knew that she and the bank would help us secure the loan quickly, and that’s proven to be the case.
“Sherry is so helpful,” Nicole continued. “We’ve been working with her for a while now, and she explains things so well. She’s calm and thoughtful, and we are very comfortable asking her anything related to our financing and business issues. She takes it one step further: she’ll propose something to us if she comes across an idea that may help us out. It’s so nice to have someone who cares about your business.”
With their recent business growth, Nicole and Ryan now employ a design consultant. Since their customer base is geographically widespread, being able to use the bank’s mobile products for transactions is a huge plus.
“We work with people who do check payments, and the mobile banking service at Minnesota Lakes Bank is a huge plus when it comes to accepting deposits,” Nicole added.
They also contract with a consultation scheduler to help with scheduling and an installer who provides professional installation and services.
“By being mobile, without a showroom,” said Ryan, “we can better serve our customer base and offer them solutions without leaving their home. We really see this as a competitive advantage.”
Ryan and Nicole live in St. Louis Park with their 13-year old daughter. In their free time, Ryan is an avid golfer while Nicole loves to sing. They and their business were recently featured in some of the bank’s marketing material including print and social media.
“One of our customers saw us featured on a marketing display in the Delano drive-through,” Nicole explained, “and she mentioned to us that she really appreciated that Minnesota Lakes Bank would use local businesses and people to promote their services. It’s a win-win for both entities, and that local focus is what really drew us to Minnesota Lakes Bank and keeps us there.”