Vera Bradley Designs

It's a long way from the basement to the big time, but in 16 years, Barbara Baekgaard and Patricia Miller have taken their line of women's luggage, accessories, and clothing from trunk sales in their homes to major markets around the globe. The story began when the two new neighbors discovered they shared an interest in fashion design. They soon noticed that women lacked functional, attractive luggage for business trips. With $500 and the name of Barbara's mother, they developed some prototypes for soft, quilted duffel bags and purses.

The items were the hit of an in-home clothing show, and demand grew. Barbara and Patricia soon found themselves searching for experienced seamstresses, deals on wholesale fabric, and—perhaps most important—sound business advice. The two designing women contacted the Ft. Wayne chapter of SCORE. "They sent us a questionnaire that listed areas that we felt we needed help with," recalls Patricia. "We knew so little about running a business that we checked every one!"

The two entrepreneurs found their match in Volunteer Counselor George Cook, who applied his extensive background in corporate finance to help Barbara and Patricia develop a business plan, and establish bookkeeping and an inventory procedure. "From the very start, George insisted on a balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and inventory report every month, no matter how tiny the list of figures," recalls Patricia.

Those good business habits would serve Vera Bradley Designs well as the company began to take off. In just three years, the firm topped $1 million in sales and has enjoyed steady growth ever since. In 1987, Barbara and Patricia received one of Ernst & Young's coveted "Entrepreneur of the Year" Awards.

Today, Vera Bradley Designs' 75 employees produce over 800 products from a 25,000-square-foot manufacturing center in Ft. Wayne. The number of buyers has grown from local stores to thousands of retailers throughout the U.S. and overseas. In addition, Vera Bradley products are prominently exhibited at over 20 industry trade shows each year. Barbara was one of the first women on the board of the prestigious Chicago Gift Show and serves on the Board of Directors of the Gift Association of America. Barbara and Patricia's success story has also been chronicled in numerous newspaper and magazine articles as a proud example for other aspiring businesswomen to follow.

Vera Bradley Designs has become known for more than a fashionable and quality product. The company's annual golf and tennis tournament, the Vera Bradley Classic, has raised funds over the last five years for breast cancer research, education and patient services. Last summer, Barbara and Patricia pledged $1.2 million dollars to endow a Chair at the Indiana University School of Medicine for breast cancer research and established the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer.

But even with their many business accomplishments, Barbara and Patricia never hesitate to call on George and SCORE for advice. "His help is invaluable," Patricia says, "and he's never too busy to offer guidance."

Brought to you by SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business."
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