Press Room
Career Transition for Renee Suci in St. Clair Shores, MI - 12/6/09
Career Transition: Renee Suci
Name: Renee Suci, 42.
Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration from Michigan State University.
Past career: Administrator in the financial industry, most recently as director of operations at Troy private-equity firm Arthur Zaske & Associates. She left the position in February.
New career: Owner of the St. Clair Shores franchise of Plato's Closet, an upscale used-clothing store aimed at customers in their teens and 20s. The store buys its inventory from the public for about 30 percent of the store's sale price.
Why she decided to change careers: Suci had always planned to invest in her own business. She said she decided to accelerate the process after the death of her father, a tool-and-die shop owner who frequently pushed her to become an entrepreneur. “I thought, "My dad would love for me to work for myself and have my own business,' “ she said.
How she made the transition: Suci and her husband, an automotive engineer at Robert Bosch L.L.C. in Farmington Hills, researched franchise opportunities. They decided the economic climate was favorable for Plato's Closet, which has about a dozen franchise-owned locations in Michigan.
Though shoppers are skimping on their clothing budgets, they still want name-brand clothing, Suci said.
“Resale was something we thought was a great concept,” she said. “Plato's Closet looks like a regular retail store. It doesn't look like a resale store.”
After signing the franchise agreement and finding a location, Suci hired an advertising firm to send postcards announcing the store's opening to younger patrons in Macomb County. The store started purchasing clothes in August and opened in September.
Obstacles overcome: The average employee at Plato's Closet is about 18 years old and has little work experience, which initially posed a challenge for Suci, who was used to working with middle-aged staff. Having worked behind the scenes in human resources, payroll and accounting, Suci also didn't have much experience dealing with customers. She said she wasn't sure how to handle a customer who complained the store wouldn't buy jeans designed for older women.
“Being out front and dealing with the customers is challenging,” Suci said. “I like people, but it's something different every day.”
Advice for others: “Find something that you love to do to make work a little bit easier,” Suci said. And if you're starting your own business, she added, “have a lot of patience, because you're going to work a lot.”
