From Low Performer to Best in Class

She called a meeting with the shop's five employees. "Most of them had never worked for a woman before," she remembers, adding that they weren't fond of the idea, either, regardless of her credentials. One turned and left the room as soon as he saw her.

Tarter had worked as a graphic designer for a number of advertising agencies and printing companies, served as marketing director for an Albuquerque amusement park and had managed a Sir Speedy franchise. She knew first-hand both what customers looked for in a print operation and what it took to run one.