She Factor Marketing

Are You Still Living In the Marketing Dark Ages?

This special report explains why women hold the purse strings now more than ever, how they refuse to respond to the old-fashioned marketing hype, and how you can reach adjust your marketing to speak HER language.

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Lori Bacon

President, Swimco

For Featured Lady Lori Bacon, necessity literally was the mother of invention. When Lori was nine, she joined a competitive swim team. However, it was mid-year and she didn’t have a swimsuit that matched the other kids. It was the early 1970s and with no sporting goods stores in existence yet, her mom, Corinne Forseth, started a swimsuit mail-order business out of their basement. Lori got her matching suit and Corinne launched Swimco, a retail legacy that yielded fourteen stores in western Canada and a booming online business.

Today, with 150 employees, Swimco is western Canada’s premier swimwear retail chain. In addition to Swimco’s numerous television spots and print media features, Lori was one of the 2010 winners of the Enterprising Women of the Year Awards, presented by Enterprising Women Magazine. On May 13, 2010, Swimco celebrated “35 years of making women feel good half naked.”

Lori remembers the early days of her mom’s business. “She kept her stock in the basement,
and put every penny back into her company. Dad helped out with money here and
there, but mom never took a salary because she didn’t want the business to be cash-
strapped. Soon she was supplying local swim clubs, life guards and pool staff. Mom wisely
incorporated Swimco in 1975.”

A graduate of the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in marketing, Lori admits it wasn’t her plan to join her mom in the swimsuit business. “I never thought I’d be doing this,” says Lori. But during her last year of university Lori joined her mom part-
time, and that evolved into a full-time position. Lori has been President of the company since her mother’s retirement 16 years ago.

In 1980, Swimco surfaced from the family’s basement and moved to an office. The business was primarily mail-order for swim teams and pool staff, but Corinne dove right into selling retail to individuals, as well. Gradually, the retail side took off and Swimco evolved from team suits to the fashion swimwear segment. “We opened our first Calgary store in 1984.

It was 700 square feet. Slowly, we added more stores,” explains Lori. During the remainder of the 1980s, Swimco increased its retail presence with three more Calgary stores and debuted one in Vancouver. Throughout the 1990s Swimco continued to open new locations across British Columbia and Alberta, adding Kelowna and Victoria into the mix.

Lori says, “The demand was just there and people just kept coming.” Swimco differs itself
from the competition because the company was a pioneer that sold swimwear year round,
unlike the department stores. Also, the staff takes the customer by the hand to create a
positive experience around buying a swimsuit.

“What separates us from other retailers is that people feel like Swimco is ‘their store,’” Lori
explains. “We want customers, especially women, to feel freedom and confidence when they buy a swimsuit. We strive for them to feel great, see their reflection and say, “I look good!’”

Lori realizes that Calgary is considered an unlikely place to headquarter a swimwear retail
chain. “The work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit of Calgarians overcomes any shortfalls in
weather!” she explains.

Swimco also offers shorts, sandals and swimwear for men and children so the whole family
can shop there. Lori adds, “What’s great about us is that we’re nice. Swimco is very much
a family culture.” Lori hires people who share the same values as the company and get a
kick out of helping people. “Some associates have been with us for 24 years,” she says.
Corinne retired sixteen years ago, but Swimco has become a true family business. In
addition to Lori, her brother and husband are also at the company helm. Lori’s sons, ages
21 and 18, also expressed interest in joining Swimco someday. “I encouraged them to
get jobs elsewhere and build their résumés first,” Lori says. “They need to gain external
business and life experience.”

Working in the retail swimwear industry hasn’t always been a day at the beach. Lori’s business challenges included the effects of 9/11 on people’s attitude toward travel, Canada3000 Airline declaring bankruptcy and, most recently, the Swine Flu. All these events caused cancellations of flights and vacations, which directly impacted Swimco’s bottom line.

Regarding the Swine Flu, Lori says, “I never realized just how many people went to Mexico in May.”

How did Lori strategically handle these obstacles? She remained calm, reacted quickly, made hard decisions, put certain projects on hold and really focused on the quality of sale. Lori explains, “It’s the incredible team of Swimco employees who have taken such
extraordinary care of our customers over the years which has allowed Swimco to grow into
the company it is today.”

What we learned from Lori: “Good manners and respect go a long way. Whether it’s your supplier, customers or each other, when you work together and respect everyone’s perspective, everyone wins.’”

Customer Experience
“Our staff is trained to put themselves in the customer’s shoes. We make buying a swimsuit fun. We want women to feel confident when they leave our stores.”

Use What You’ve Got
“Each woman entrepreneur has a special gift of some sort. Use your passion, share it, believe in it and stick with it. Be brave!”

All By Myself…
“Doing your own thing can be a solitary experience. Sometimes it feels like there’s no one to talk to. Connect, interact and help other women entrepreneurs.”

This Featured Lady was profiled by Megan L. Reese, WORDrobe™ Stylist for Her Write Image in West Grove, PA.

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