by Julia Paulus

In November 2004, when Joanne Singer’s son, David, needed some help running his business, Warehouse of Fixtures TNG, an office furniture store, she jumped right in and became CFO and part owner. Although Singer has a background in zoology and gerontology, she gained her business knowledge while working as the administrator of her husband’s law firm. “When I joined my son I had a good concept of how to run a business,” she says.

In the beginning, she and her son did things themselves. “David had his friends help load furniture into trucks, and I helped unload,” says Singer. “In early 2005 a friend of David’s from high school, Dan Lohman, joined us as an owner. Today we have 10 to 12 employees – 15 with the owners.”

In addition, Warehouse of Fixtures had more than $2 million in revenue in 2009. Singer says that of all of the challenges that come along with owning the business, hiring, retaining and training employees has been the biggest. “It is a process,” she says. “And we’re learning from our mistakes. We’ve discovered techniques that work better for us. For instance, we have salesmen work in the back, building the furniture, delivering it and installing it, so they know what the process is.”

She says that in addition to having a strong sales team, the working relationship she and her business partners have has made Warehouse of Fixtures a success. “Each of us have talents, and we’re able to put our talents together to make a much greater whole,” she says. “Both David and Dan are young and brilliant.”

Singer says her partners’ business zeal and her experience combined create the right balance. “They are always pushing me out of my comfort zone, and I’m trying to temper their feel with my experience,” she says.