The Necessity Of A Niche

When it comes to running a successful business, you’ve got to find your niche. Sometimes, it’s creating a product that’s superior to those produced by your competitors. Sometimes, it’s by delivering that product more quickly and accurately. Sometimes, it’s by finding a hole in the market that needs filling. Our July issue of Connect Business Magazine features three businesses that found their niche in unique and unexpected ways.

First, there’s our cover story, featuring father-daughter team Tom Berg and Colleen Skillings, who run Minnesota Valley Testing Laboratories in New Ulm. While most testing labs focus on one area, MVTL offers a wide variety of services in a variety of fields, from soil fertility to animal food quality.

Our second feature stars Kent and Jane Schwickert, owners of Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery in Kasota. They recognized area wine lovers’ need for a place to gather and now, less than a decade later, they’ve already become the second-biggest winery in Minnesota.

Finally, there’s Chad Lyons, owner of TFE Enterprises in Truman. Lyons is part of a two-man band that creates a million pounds of supplement pig feed every year—using scraps of cheese that no one else wants.

It all goes to show the value of finding your niche.

We hope you enjoy this issue’s selections.

An veritas, an nihil,
Grace Webb