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| TGalleria Explore, Learn, and Color Guam Launch. |
Taliea Strohmeyer, a
local artist trained in graphic design and painting, shared her story on how
she fell in love with art and took us through her journey in how she started
her business involving one of her greatest passions.
Please tell us about yourself and your family.
I’ve been an artist for over 30
years. Art is who I am, from the day I picked up a paintbrush I knew my
calling. I was exposed to the medium at a very young age and count the late
Sister Kathleen Sarmiento as a driving influence along with my musical family.
I learned a great deal of
discipline and relentless practice in art school. This allowed me the
opportunity to train in Europe & Asia.
Being a fine artist & graphic
designer is a unique combination of skills. I had to merge both these skills
when we created our first interactive historical book, “Explore, Learn &
Color Guam” and reproduce my original works of art. Both these products are now
sold online at our website and at various retail locations on Guam —Two Lovers
Point, the GUMA Gallery, NEX and other retail outlets on island.
I also love teaching painting. I
love to see how people go from “I don’t know” to “Now I know” when they
complete a session. I have instilled a love of art in my children and count
them along with my business partner and husband, Tom as my core inspiration
today.
Why did you decide to start your own business?
I had spent over 20 years working
in the field of advertising creating print campaigns, booklets, logos,
packaging, basically any type of visual art that would communicate to the
masses. I had climbed the corporate
ladder and found myself as a Creative Manager, managing several incredibly
talented people, but I had always wanted to branch out on my own doing
something art related and spend more time with my children.
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| GUMA Gallery in Hagatna. |
In early 2014, I
embarked on that journey. I picked up the phone and made an appointment with Denise
Mendiola. We went over an entire list I had in mind. She said, “Go out there
and see what’s in the market and then we could talk again.” I did the research
and became frustrated – all my ideas were already on the shelves. I felt discouraged but met with her again. She
told me to think of something that hadn’t been made yet and said, “You have a
talent, use it, spend some time thinking about it, and do more research.”
A couple of weeks went by and out
of curiosity I went to my first FestPac meeting conducted by Monica Guzman. I was
asked to introduce myself and what group I was from. I found myself surrounded
by Guam’s cultural gatekeepers. It was a very profound moment for me because
they were all in one room and had so much knowledge on our culture and our
people and they were determined to educate our youth. Sitting there I felt a
bit ashamed because I was raised on this island, I am Chamorro and what have I
done to educate our people about our past, our culture & traditions in my
art? I also thought about my children
and the type of legacy I want to leave behind. That day I made a promise to
myself that whatever my product would be, it would educate our children and
those who know very little about Guam and our cultural heritage.
As the weeks passed, I struggled to
come up with a product with a historical focus. Until one day my husband and I
decided to take our kids to the Plaza de España. Being curious little kids they
took off running. When they finally caught their breath we took them on a tour.
They just loved the park and had so many questions. My daughter took a certain
admiration with Chocolate House. She was only five years old at the time, but
wanted to know who built it and why. She loved listening to the story. That was
when a light went off on my head and the possibility of creating a historical
book for kids and adults. That’s how “Explore, Learn & Color Guam” was
born.
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| GUMA survey at TGalleria, Tumon. |
What experience do you have in this type of business?
The only thing I had under my
belt was my graphic and fine arts experience, managing employees and working
with people, but the whole business aspect was something I had to learn.
How did the Small Business Development Center
and other resources help you?
The guidance
I received from my advisor, Denise Mendiola was truly one of the keys in
creating our first product. I became organized, I did my homework, and I listened
to her ideas and her professional advice and took the necessary steps I needed
to make our idea into a reality.
What was the start-up process like? How did
you fund your business?
The start-up process
was challenging. It took a year for us to complete the coloring book. We kept
an eye on our financial resources, what we had already spent on the book and
art prints and what we were going to spend in the future. We looked at all the
equipment that was needed, the amount of time it would take and had to compare
costs and quality of each vendor.
We decided
to use some of our funds in our savings to print the English/Chamorro version
of the coloring book. Our Japanese/Chamorro book was funded by the Guam Unique
Art & Merchandise (GUMA) grant money we were awarded. We were working with
both the Guam Unique Art & Merchandise and SBDC to create our business
plan.
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| Visiting family at TGalleria coloring Guam. |
What were some of the biggest challenges/experienced
you experienced in the start-up process?
The market research,
the financials and the marketing aspect of promoting our products. We had to present to the Board of
Directors of GUMA. I can say looking back, we definitely had the jitters, but
that nervousness wore off as we plunged into all the research and planning in
our business plan. It was exciting and at the same time very emotional for me
because of the enormous time and energy we spent on our business plan.
What is your most memorable triumph in your
start-up process?
Handing our
first printed book in English & Chamorro to our advisor, Denise Mendiola, completing
our business plan and being awarded the Guam Unique Art & Merchandise (GUMA)
grant a month after our presentation to translate out book in Japanese.
What are your short-term and long-term
plans for your business?
Our short term plan
is to build exposure with our products going into FestPac. Our long-term plan
is be sustainable and to diversify our product line. We are currently working
with Guam tour agents to purchase our books as they not only educate visitors,
but could be used as a tour guide to get around Guam and it would be wonderful
for visiting families to color together. We are also working with the public
and private schools to carry our books and are adding more downloadable
educational art on Guam on our website. We have another business idea brewing
that we are very excited about, but that will all come in due time and we will
definitely work with SBDC again.
What advice would you give to others who
want to start a business at this time?
Find
something you are passionate about. That passion and burning desire is one of
the biggest keys. Learn from the experts, find an advisor at the SBDC who will
help you through the process. Finish your business plan, it’s your roadmap. I
read a lot of material on how some of the most successful businesses have
started and the struggles these owners had to endure and the lessons they had
to learn. Whatever you do keep moving forward.
For more information on how the
Guam SBDC can assist you, visit our website at www.pacificsbdc.com and “Request for
Counseling” to receive free, confidential, one-on-one business advisement.
