Loading
Mindy Grossman has served as CEO of HSN Inc. since 2008. The Mentor, a show on Bloomberg Television, took her from behind the desk to in front of the camera to tutor Kelly Delaney on running her small business. One tip: stop calling yourself a “small business.”
The Mentor plucks successful business leaders from around the country and pairs them with entrepreneurs to give them advice on running their company.
Although Delaney, who owns a gourmet bakery in Danvers, Mass., called Cakes for Occasions, had never heard of Grossman before the show, she says she was well aware of HSN and its national reach. Delaney hoped to extract expansion advice from the CEO as she decides to add a new location or enlarge her current one.
Delaney tells Coffee Talk she was impressed with the Grossman's intricate knowledge of the customer's experience. “You kind of lose sight on why you got into this,” she says. Grossman instructed Delaney on the importance of having uniforms and to think about every detail in the bakery.
But Delaney and her business got more than advice from HSN's CEO. Grossman offered her the opportunity to pitch her sweet products to an executive at the retail firm. Delaney's pitch succeeded, and her company, which employs just more than 30, will partner with HSN in early 2012 to begin selling its cakes on the TV network.
Delaney came away from the experience with a fresh outlook on her business' future and plans to add a partner before expanding. But she was most pleased with the positivity Grossman brought as a mentor. “(Grossman) helped me recharge my batteries,” she says.
Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.
Join thousands of executives who rely on us for insights spanning Tampa Bay to Naples.
