Smart Ideas 07/06 Cell phone covers, bachelor party adventure trips and more.
Creature Comforts
What: Plush toy cell phone covers
Who: Julian Parry of Fun Friends
Where: Sarasota, Florida
When: Started in 1999
With cell phones becoming more ubiquitous, Julian Parry thoughtthe market could use some dressing up.
In 1998, while on a fishing trip in Cape Town, South Africa,Parry, 36, noticed the captain had a lobster plush toy fit snuglyaround his cell phone. The next year, Parry started researching andworking with a designer, choosing fabrics and designs that matchedhis vision: lovable stuffed animals that fit around cellphones.
He spent $50,000 in the first year of development, refinancinghis home multiple times and taking loans from friends and family.He worked out of his garage for the first three years to try to getFun Friends off the ground. Despite receiving positive feedbackfrom magazines, trade show participants and kids, he initially hada hard time selling the furry phone covers. People didn'tautomatically understand the product, so he had to demonstrate howit worked by fitting peoples' cell phones with Fun Friends.After struggling for three years, Parry enlisted two friends fromschool, Tim Mihm and Charles Larson, both 37, and the three begantraveling extensively to China and different trade shows.
Larson had contacts that allowed the trio to promote Fun Friendsat high-profile golf tournaments, and celebrities, including popprincesses Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson and supermodel HeidiKlum, started taking notice.
The years of struggle finally paid off, with the companyexperiencing growth of more than 300 percent since 2003 andexpecting 2006 sales of $6 million. The covers are currently soldat Verizon Wireless stores and Claire's boutiques, and FunFriends keeps inking deals with national and internationaldistributors.
Fun Friends has over 100 styles and endless ideas for more, saysParry. The cute and cuddly accessories range from Punky the Monkeyto Daisy the Cow and are made to fit on bar or flip phones. Parryand his partners are also venturing outside the cell phone arenaand are making Fun Friends to fit over staplers, remote controls,iPods and other items. Says Parry, "We're on a niceclimb."
-- Amanda Pennington
Take the Plunge
What: Bachelor party adventure trips
Who: Darren Hitz of Adventure Bachelor Party
Where: Franklin, Michigan
When: Started in 2004
Darren Hitz knew there had to be something better for bachelorparties than a weekend filled with booze and exotic dancers.Looking beyond this cliché, Hitz, 29, decided to plan abachelor party around a weekend of adventurous white-water riverrafting in West Virginia.
The trip was a blast, and Hitz knew there had to be otherslooking for the same kind of thrill--and their future wives'approval. After searching for companies that catered specificallyto guys' pre-wedding bashes and finding nothing, he took itupon himself to fill the void.
In 2004, Hitz launched AdventureBachelor Party with about $8,000 of his own money. Hitz'sniche market is one he's intimately familiar with--becauseit's his own. "Guys are lazy," he says. Hitz givesguys nation-wide the chance to do something they may not think todo on their own and also gives his other client base--localadventure outfitters--a chance to be seen on a national level.
Although the cost doesn't include airfare, just abouteverything else is taken care of once the group lands at itsdestination: three- or four-star accommodations, lavish dinners,the adventure itself and transportation throughout the trip.
With over 20 adventures, including cattle herding in Texas andfishing off the San Francisco coast, Hitz is looking to expand histrips while keeping them intimate. He has also created threeseparate businesses under the parent company he formed, HitzAdventures, for bachelorette parties, corporate team-building tripsand weekend adventures.
Not only is Hitz's business taking off--he expects sales ofover $300,000 in 2006--but he's having fun, too. Says Hitz,"I enjoy being able to provide a service where everyone has agreat time and is happy."
-- Amanda Pennington
Letter of the Law
What: Online professional assistance service forlawyers
Who: Bob Unterberger of Legal Writing Success
Where: Wilmington, Delaware
When: 2000
How much: $5,000
It wasn't until a friend made a suggestion that BobUnterberger realized he had a business on his hands. A lawyer andlegal writing teacher, Unterberger, 44, had created a simplewebsite in 1999 where his students could post their work andreceive his help on assignments.
Word spread about Unterberger's site, and lawyers begancontacting him to ask questions about their own work or, in somecases, offer their services. "A friend said, 'Whydon't you create a business plan and see where this cango?'" Unterberger says.
In 2000, Unterberger used his own finances to cover operationalexpenses, such as office supplies, legal fees and a consultant, tobuild www.legalwritingsuccess.com. Today, he's still aone-man operation working from home, but he's no longer the onegiving the advice. He describes his site as a place where"love connections" are made between lawyers looking forpart-time work and lawyers who need extra help on briefs, motionsand other legal processes. For every connection he makes,Unterberger keeps about 35 percent of the cost of the assignment.He expects 2006 sales of over $100,000.
--James Park
