NATIONAL PREMIUM INC. Q&A
Address: N26 W23315 Paul Road, Pewaukee
Web site: www.nationalpremium.com
Founded: 1967
President: Dick Schmidt
Annual revenue: $23.4 million
Employees: 72
Business plan: Promotional marketing company
Growth plan: Increase sales by opening more offices to better accommodate clients from geographic areas beyond metro Milwaukee
LESSONS LEARNED
What has been your toughest business decision? "Going full-time. With four young children, we had lots of mouths to feed."
What has been your best business decision? "The best decision was joining the TEC (The Executive Committee) in 1989. This has provided me with continuing business education."
What was your biggest mistake? "The purchase of a new computer system in 2000. It was a disaster."
What is the best way to keep a competitive edge? "Our competitive edge is performance. Much of our business is event-driven. Making sure that the customer gets the order on time and correctly is our greatest priority."
What is your yardstick of success? "We measure our success by the repeat business and continued growth of our customers."
What are the most daunting issues facing your company right now? "The most daunting issue facing us is the selection of a new ERP (enterprise resource planning computer) system."
Answers by Dick Schmidt