Double Your Pleasure One is never enough: Is another successful product just what your company needs to grow?

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.

Soon, though, a challenge presented itself: how to sell thisinnovation to an entirely new market-drugstores, mass merchants andsporting goods stores. After all, Kjestrup was just a small vendorwith one SKU. Sales were slow in summer 2000. Earlier this year,however, Longs Drugs, a 400-store chain on the West Coast, pickedup the $9.99 SandScrew. And just recently, Kjestrup receivedapproval from Wal-Mart and Ron Jon Surf Shop as well as interestfrom Albertson's and other grocery store chains. Although theSandScrew has only generated about $150,000 in sales to date,Kjestrup expects profits from the product to triple next year.