Ground Floor: Danielle Rings supports other women with new business

Danielle Rings admits that her decision to open a designer outlet store was more about her desire to be her own boss than a particular passion for T-shirts and jeans.

'I was to the point where I didn't want to work for anyone else anymore,” she said.

In fact, Rings had no prior background in retail - other than a short stint working at a department store years ago - when she opened Iowa's first MODE store on Aug. 28.

Now that she is 'neck deep” in the store's day-to-day operations, she has found that she enjoys tasks such as staging merchandise and dressing mannequins, albeit under the watchful eye of her store manager.

'She's been in retail for a long time,” Rings said of full-time store manager Trudy Claassen. 'I do whatever she lets me do.”

Before opening MODE, Rings worked for 20 years in the financial services industry administering employee retirement plans. After her company was sold and the business unit reorganized, she took a university fundraising position and started looking for opportunities to open her own business.

'I didn't want to start something from scratch,” she said. 'I was looking at turnkey operations and franchise opportunities.”

Rings learned about the MODE franchise opportunity from Lydia Brown, President and CEO of Ascent, a non-profit organization that assists Iowa women in becoming business owners.

MODE, which is based in Fargo, N.D., was founded in 2007 by boutique owner Ciara Stockland as pop-up store to liquidate designer overstock items for a trucking company. The temporary store proved to be so successful that Stockland merged it with her existing shop to create the concept of a designer outlet store in a boutique environment.

Since then, MODE has grown to 11 stores in six states. All merchandise, including a large selection of designer jeans, is priced under $60.

Rings said that after learning more about the company, talking to other franchisees and meeting Stockland, she quickly came overcame any doubts about whether MODE was a viable option for her.

'The price point is right for Cedar Rapids,” she observed. 'The marketing support is valuable, and the company has a great merchandising plan.”

Rings said she also was impressed with MODE's corporate team, all of whom are women.

Now that she is her own boss, Rings is making it a priority to support other women. All five of her employees are women, as are her accountant and banker.

She said she'd like to see her daughter, now in law school, become her general counsel one day.

At a Glance

' Owner: Danielle Rings

' Business: MODE

' Address: 1394 Twixt Town Road, Marion

' Telephone: (319) 826-6552

' Website: www.shopmodestore.com/cedarrapids

' Facebook: www.facebook.com/modecedarrapids

' Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor”? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com