Hello, My Name Is. . .
The best way to protect your invention? Brand your name.
Lea Cavender's epiphany, one that would change her life
forever, occurred in a ribbon store. Back when the founder of E-Z
Bowz LLC was still an employee at Ribbon Outlet, she realized the
biggest reason people didn't buy more ribbons was that they
simply didn't know how to tie bows. So she recruited the
assistance of her father to create E-Z BowMaker, a wooden device
that made tying beautiful bows a snap.
Ribbon Outlet immediately placed an order for a whopping 10,000
E-Z BowMakers in 1993, and Cavender, 43, was off and running. She
and her 48-year-old husband, Art, quickly built the business to
sales of $1.5 million during its first year.
Cavender got another boost during the start-up stage: She
attended the 1993 Hobby Industry Association for Crafts Show, where
she set up a demonstration table at which people could make their
own bows. "We had people lined up the entire show wanting to
make a bow," she says. "Our 'make it/take it'
strategy created tremendous interest in our product."
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As a direct result of that successful show, Cavender got a deal
with C.M. Offray and Son Inc., a leading manufacturer of decorative
ribbons. Offray agreed to distribute the E-Z BowMaker to all its
craft retail store customers with the exception of Michael's,
which Cavender kept as a house account. "Offray reaped
immediate dividends because everyone who bought an E-Z BowMaker
bought lots more ribbon," explains Cavender. "It was a
winning situation for both them and us."
By 1999, Cavender had managed to increase sales to more than $5
million. But she realized her start-up advantages wouldn't
necessarily result in long-term sales success. She was vulnerable
to competitors producing better products or offering knock-off
versions of her product at a lower price. She also had the possible
threat of a ribbon company offering a free or reduced-priced
bow-maker to consumers as an incentive to purchase more of that
company's ribbons. Cavender could have been out of business or
experienced dramatically reduced sales if any of those events
occurred. So she formed a strategy to brand her name. Her goal: to
have people interested in crafts recognize and associate her name
with quality, easy-to-use craft products.
Cavender has spent the past six years making her name known
through heavy TV exposure, new products and product packaging.
Branding her name has created a strong market presence for Cavender
and helps ensure strong sales even if competitors produce similar
products.
Secrets Of The
Craft
Cavender believes the most important ingredient for an
inventor's success is a "can-do attitude; not ever
thinking you can fail." She also believes in "putting all
her cards on the table" when approaching manufacturers and
distributors and "being very open about the fact that you need
help to succeed."
One last tip: "Don't try to manufacture the product
yourself until you have success marketing it." Cavender
believes inventors need to concentrate on selling their products,
and they can't do that if they're trying to overcome dozens
of manufacturing-related problems.
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