The Koerner Office - Business Ideas and Small Business Deep Dives with Entrepreneurs How an 88 Cent Mistake Led to a $100M Empire. (Playbook with Al Doan) | Ep. #167
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May 9, 2025 Al Doan, founder of the Missouri Star Quilt Company, shares his electrifying journey of turning a small quilt shop into a quilting empire that revitalized Hamilton, Missouri. He discusses how content creation and community engagement propelled his business expansion, including 16 stores and themed experiences for quilters. Al also delves into innovative ideas for small towns, emphasizing the importance of unique identities and local hobbies to boost economies, alongside navigating local politics and fostering grassroots initiatives.
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Disneyland for Quilters in Hamilton
- Al Doan transformed Hamilton, Missouri into the quilting capital with 16 quilt shops, a restaurant, and a hotel.
- He calls it a "Disneyland for quilters," creating a vibrant shopping experience themed around quilting.
YouTube and Sales Breakthrough
- Al started with a single quilt shop and a daily deal site that initially attracted no attention.
- Success came after a pricing error and launching quilting tutorials on YouTube, which built a large engaged audience.
Recreate Processes at Growth Points
- Growing a business causes predictable process breakdowns at employee milestones, needing process reinvention.
- Intellectual honesty to recognize and fix broken processes fast is critical for scaling successfully.