Winning Ideas from Winning Women
with Elaine Buxton

While searching for a “real job” after returning from Europe in 1986, Elaine Buxton decided to help out her mom, Jo Ann Buxton, with her new business, Confero, Inc., a Cary-based training consultancy firm. Unexpectedly, what was supposed to be a temporary stint at Confero turned into Elaine’s “real job.”

Confero has since grown into a nationally-recognized customer service evaluation firm serving 64 clients, including Jiffy Lube International, Lowes Foods Stores, Coca-Cola North America, Tetra Aquatic Products, North Fork Bank, and the Marine Corps Exchange Service.

Today, Confero’s primary business is mystery shopping, which they provide through a base of 40,000 independent mystery shoppers across the country and around the world. These mystery shoppers pose as customers at retail businesses to observe store appearance, customer service and product quality.

Elaine Buxton

Elaine launched this mystery shopping service fifteen years ago by using the “complimentary shop” as a way to market her company. During a “complimentary shop,” a shopper was commissioned to conduct a mystery visit and answer a survey about the business. Confero then sent the prospective client the results in hopes of securing an appointment with them. One of Elaine’s best customers came as a result of sending a shop report to a restaurant chain. Although the restaurant chain was uninterested at the time, they referred Elaine to an advertising agency, who suggested her services to a North Carolina Jiffy Lube franchisee. Pleased with the results that Confero provided to this franchisee, Jiffy Lube International became a premier client and remains so today.

In addition to Confero’s great successes, every business also endures setbacks and disappointments. Like many women business owners, Elaine was uncertain about the future of her business after 9/11. Confero’s clients in the food and beverage industry, as well as the retail and service industry, saw their revenues decline quickly; as a result many of their budgets were frozen as they faced uncertainty about the future.

“We had to be prepared for the worst and know how quickly we could downsize, while at the same time be prepared to execute contracts once our clients’ funding for projects became available.” Expressing the challenge of such an uncertain environment, Elaine declares, “Planning is one thing, but turning on a dime is another!”

Elaine credits her knowledge and expertise in business to both her parents. Her father owned a real estate development firm, which built planned developments in Cary, while her mother started Confero in 1985. Although both parents have since retired, they step in from time to time to help out with the business. Her dad, “a seasoned consultant on call,” has assisted in job-cost analysis and vendor contract negotiation; her mom still works part-time, even though she officially retired from Confero in 1999.

Elaine’s husband, Rob Barry, is Confero’s Director of Quality Assurance, and her brother and two stepdaughters have also been involved in the company over the years. Running a family business, Elaine knows the difficulty of finding “family time that does not involve discussions of work.” But she and her family make this a priority.

Over the years, Elaine has learned the value of hiring part-time employees. “I used to think part-time meant part loyalty, but it does not.” She tells us. “We’ve had tremendous success with allowing for flexible work schedules, which attracts incredibly talented people who also wish to honor their family commitments.”

Elaine recently realized just how dedicated and essential her employees are to Confero after having to take off eight weeks from work due to an unexpected surgery. At the time, she had just acquired several new, major clients and was launching mystery shopping programs for all of them; the timing could not have been worse. Elaine realized that to get through this busy period, everyone had to step up, take on more work and learn new tasks. She returned after surgery to find that the staff had handled everything exceptionally well. “It was so reassuring to learn that Confero was larger than ‘me,’ that it had a life of its own and that the staff could demonstrate how capable they truly are. Watching people discover their own potential was exciting!”

Establishing her company as one of the leading customer service evaluation firms in the nation has taught Elaine the physical, emotional and financial demands of owning a business. “Most business owners find themselves eating, sleeping and breathing the business and it is impossible to escape from it. That’s why I think it’s especially important for women to make sure that what they are embarking on will be a fun business. Life is too short to spend time on a business that you don’t find challenging, compelling and fun!”