Fast Track
Profile of manufacturer of reflective accessories and clothing for pets and their families
Name and age: Beth Marcus, 42
Company name and description: Glow Dog Inc., a Bedford,
Massachusetts, manufacturer of reflective accessories and clothing
for pets and their families
Starting point: 1997, with about $100,000
Content Continues Below
2000 sales projections: $2.5 million
Can't start just one: After selling her first
company, which developed PC game controls, to Microsoft, Marcus had
no intention of launching another business. "I was just going
to consult with other companies," she says.
But as fate would have it, one of those companies happened to
manufacture reflective fabric. When Marcus narrowly escaped being
hit by a car while out walking her dog, she asked the firm what
they were doing in the pet market. Their
answer-"nothing"-lured the
MIT-grad-turned-engineer-turned-entrepreneur-turned-consultant back
into the entrepreneurial fray.
Unleashing her potential: Capitalizing on what she saw as
a fragmented industry of one-product companies, Marcus introduced a
line of stylish safety bandanas, collars, jackets and more. To
protect pet walkers as well as pets, she crossed over into
reflective adult and children's apparel.
Barking up the right tree: Marcus offers her products
through a variety of vehicles: retail, wholesale and via the
Internet (www.glowdog.com).
"In today's economy and with the Internet, you don't
have to make a huge investment to be a successful direct marketer.
In fact, wholesalers like [that I use multiple channels], because
the brand becomes recognizable more quickly."
Contact Source