Ozarks Profile: Lesley Gann

Tell us about your company.

Budget Blinds of Southwest Missouri is a full-service, custom window treatment company. We specialize in blinds, shutters, Roman shades and draperies. Our service includes one of our design consultants coming to client's home or office with samples of the variety of products available in the market today, assisting the customer with product, color and style selection. Free estimates, measuring and professional installation are provided. We opened our business in 2000. We currently staff two full-time sales consultants with one full-time installer and one administrative assistant. Design consultants work by appointment. Budget Blinds Inc. began franchising in 1992 and is currently the largest window treatment franchise in the United States with more than 500 franchisees nationwide, serving over 1,400 cities.

How did you arrive in this position?

I spent 16 1/2 years working in the Springfield Public Schools system as an administrative secretary and principal's secretary at Glendale High School and Carver Middle School. I left SPS to purchase my first business, which was a video rental store. After owning and operating that small business for 1 1/2 years, I sold it and began to look for a business that I felt would better fit my personality.

I had always enjoyed the home decor business and found this to be a perfect fit due the explosive growth in residential building in our immediate area. There seemed to be an immediate need in the Nixa, south Springfield area for a custom window treatment business, and I liked the idea of the national franchise and the training and business support that Budget Blinds Inc. could provide. We now serve most of southwest Missouri.

What are the challenges in your industry? How do you deal with those?

The biggest challenge that we face is that the home decor industry is based upon the fashion industry, and what is being introduced in the larger, more metropolitan areas, has yet to be requested or seen in southwest Missouri. For instance, motorization is one of the hottest trends on the market today, and we try to educate our customers accordingly.

Tell us about your family.

I have two children, Alexandra is 10 years old and Austin is 7 years old. Each attends school in Nixa. We are very proud that we are homegrown Nixa natives, my children being fifth-generation Nixa residents.

What are your spare-time pursuits?

I truly love spending time with my children, attending softball, baseball, football or volleyball games. I love to travel to any place with warm climate and a beach when vacation time is possible. I also spend a lot of my spare-time serving on a variety of community service type organization committees, including the board of directors with the Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce, Home Builders Association Education Committee, Home Builders Association Remodelors Council, and I was the membership and ambassador chairperson for the Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce this past year.