Double Your Pleasure
One is never enough: Is another successful product just what your company needs to grow?
By Don Debelak •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
How do you expand on success? For Graham Kjestrup, anentrepreneur in Stanton, California, the answer was inventing a newproduct. Kjestrup's company, National Sign DisplayManufacturers Inc., produces signs that real estate agents canplace in the lawns of homes for sale. In 1999, the company hadgrown to $3.4 million in sales and was selling its products throughabout 10,000 sign stores nationwide. Sounds like a picture ofsuccess-especially with sales increasing 10 to 15 percent peryear-but after 13 years in business, Kjestrup wanted the company togrow even faster. Says the 38-year-old, "There was a cap onjust how big the company could grow from the real estatemarket."
Kjestrup decided that the fastest way to boost business would beto invent a new product. So in 1999, he developed the SandScrew, acorkscrew-type piece of lightweight steel that screws into anyground surface and holds beach umbrellas, volleyball poles and flagpoles. The product had great market-research results, and best ofall, Kjestrup could produce it using his existing equipment.
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