What: A
manufacturer of multicultural wallpaper and borders
Who: John and
Cynthia Ham and Steven V. Jones of Cultural Hangups
Inc.
Where:
Huntersville, North Carolina
When: Started in
1999
When John and Cynthia Ham were expecting their first child in
1997, they knew they wanted to decorate the baby's room but
couldn't find exactly what they were looking for. But when
Cynthia saw celebrity mom Holly Robinson Peete in a TV interview
talking about the multicultural mural she commissioned for her
children's room, inspiration struck. Cynthia also wanted a
border on her child's walls that would reflect their
African-American heritage.
The Hams hired an artist to make that vision a reality, and when
friends and relatives saw the beautiful multicultural border, they
all wanted it for their own children. It was then, says Cynthia,
that they knew they had a business idea. Cynthia researched the
market and found that the leading wall-covering companies
weren't interested in the concept. "They said it
wouldn't work," she recalls. "And [I thought]
'How do you know?'"
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Armed with passion for their idea, Cynthia, 35, and John, 38,
enlisted the help of their friend Steven V. Jones, 36, to get the
unique product off the ground. Their first offering was an alphabet
border featuring different African-American characters for each
letter. Marketing was the next order of business-so they took the
product to their college sororities and fraternities and began to
spread the word through that network of alumni. They also attended
the national Black Expo, a trade show for African-American products
and services held by the National Minority Supplier Development
Council, to drum up business.
Today, Cultural Hangups, which now includes multicultural
wallpaper borders for kids of African-American, Hispanic and Asian
descents, can be found on Wal-Mart store shelves in North Carolina
and Georgia. Year-end sales are expected to hit $1 million, thanks
to a new décor line for teens and the addition of bedding and
accessories.
A Sporting Chance
What: A
company that attaches advertising packets to seats at sports and
entertainment events
Who: James
Allegro Jr., Frank Allegro and Kevin Lilly of NuBoard
Media
Where:
Atlanta
When: Started in
2000
A bright idea hit James Allegro Jr. at a Florida Marlins game.
After noticing all the huge sponsors and advertisements in the
outfield, he considered the empty seat back in front of him-and
then the sea of empty seat backs throughout the stadium-and
realized it was prime advertising space.
So James, 39, his brother Frank, 36, and his friend Kevin Lilly,
36, came up with the idea for a bag that would stick to the seat
backs. There, advertisers could not only display their logos and
messages but also include free product samples, coupons and
giveaways-stuff those huge billboards couldn't provide.
It took more than a year and a half of doing small events for
free to convince clients of the value of this type of advertising.
It worked, though, and today, the trio has clients like Argent
Mortgage Co., BellSouth, Chick-fil-A and Nokia clamoring to use
their bags to advertise in Major League Baseball parks, college
bowl games and now with a small but growing presence in the NFL and
NASCAR. With 2004 projected sales in the $650,000 range, NuBoard
Media is poised to hit sales out of the park.
Where's the Party?
What: A Web
site that provides post-prom entertainment for high school
students
Who: Yoel Silber
of Promtix Inc.
Where: New York
City
When: Started in
1998
Ah, remember the prom-the limos, the dresses, the late nights
spent wandering around town looking for after-prom fun? Well, Yoel
Silber, 27, has found a way to cash in on that market with Promtix
(www.promtix.com), his one-stop shop for after-prom
adventures. He sells tickets to cruises, comedy and dance clubs,
and the like-and has made many a prom-goer happy with set plans for
after prom. Says Silber, "In New York [City], especially, kids
went to Manhattan for their after-prom [partying], but they
couldn't get into the nightclubs because they didn't have
ID."
Silber combats this common problem by booking clubs and cruises
specifically for the underage high school crowd. "Now they
have a place [to party], and the parents know where they're
going," Silber explains. Parents can sleep even better knowing
that all Promtix events are nonalcoholic.
With a background in party promotion, Silber knew there was an
underserved market of high school students who spend big bucks on
prom night. He markets his events via fliers at local malls-where
he's likely to find lots of prom-goers-but he's also found
that word-of-mouth really helped to grow sales to $1 million for
2003.
He notes that teenagers were fast to buy into the Promtix
concept-and luckily, Silber's received nothing but positive
responses from club owners. He's currently in New York City and
Philadelphia, and would like to make Promtix a presence in 10 major
U.S. markets, including Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles.
On a shoestring
What: A
wellness spa that provides massage therapy, facials, manicures and
pedicures
Who: Stephanie
Lakhani of Breathe Wellness Spa
Where: Boise,
Idaho
When: Started in
2001
How Much:
$4,500
Stephanie Lakhani wanted to get out on her own. Sure, this
massage therapist had a passel of clients in the facility where she
worked, but she wanted to be able to cater to her customers'
needs on a more personal level.
She set out to find space and says she lucked out by taking over
someone else's lease. "The opportunity fell into my
lap," Lakhani recalls. Because she didn't have to outlay
cash for a down payment or buy equipment the spa already had, she
was able to allot most of her startup budget to outfitting her
Breathe Wellness Spa.
Lakhani wanted to provide a very relaxing atmosphere but
couldn't afford to buy expensive rugs and décor. Instead,
this confirmed bargain shopper went hunting for deals-instead of a
formal desk, she bought a fancy dining room table and six chairs at
a local furniture-store clearance. The table became her reception
desk, and the chairs added class to the waiting area.
Lakhani didn't spend much on advertising, either-she created
brochures on her home PC. Her biggest coup, though, was giving
coupons for free massages, manicures, pedicures and facials to
local radio stations to give away as prizes. The company was
mentioned numerous times, and it only cost her the freebies.
In the end, notes Lakhani, 33, the small personal touches helped
her grow her business to sales of $350,000 to $500,000 in 2003.
"I try to put myself in their shoes," says Lakhani, who
sends personal coupons and notes to clients around Mother's
Day, Valentine's Day and Christmas to boost her clientele and
help with word-of-mouth recommendations. "That's something
that doesn't cost anything."