How My Company Got Started
How My Company Got Started
I contacted various Embassies and Fair Trade networks to research stone production, stone carvers and suppliers. This led me to the Kisii region of Kenya where soapstone had been carved for generations. There I made contact with the Master and Classic Carver groups and we began our first period of ‘product development’ on our range of ‘Simpsons statues’
Summer 2005: I made my first application for a License to 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising, sending product samples and information about the carvers and Tabaka region. Fox were impressed with the idea & product, but were not ready to offer a license. At that time the business was in its infancy and there were many areas that required improvement.
October 2005: I visited Kenya and made a mini documentary called 'Carving a Future', (as seen on our website) to show 20th Century Fox footage of the carver groups, the carving process and the people who would potentially benefit from the success of this project.
November 2005: Craft Village UK Ltd registered as an official business and became VAT registered. We redesigned the statues, improved quality control, and restructured the business. We secured backing and support from The Kenyan EPC (Export Promotion Council) and KIPI (Kenya Industrial Property Institute) plus some fair trade networks
June 2006: I submitted a new application to 20th Century Fox in LA. Alongside an improved product and business plan, endorsements from networks in Kenya, and our promotional video. Fox approved the application and dialogue began on Craft Village becoming an official Simpsons Licensee.
August 2006: Craft Village UK became an official Fox Merchandising License. It took almost another year to develop the Craft Village business model into a position ready to trade. We trained new carvers; developed our website; developed Simpsons branded packaging and certificates of authenticity, etc.
August 2007: Our website and business finally launched and Craft Village began trading.
How My Company Got Started - To learn more about this author, visit Craft Village 's Website.
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I first had the initial idea for stone-carved caricatures of famous animation characters in March 2004, after my sister sent home stone statues of African animals from Uganda. I thought that if the artisans could produce sculptures with a popular western theme, it would be interesting to see the results.
I contacted various Embassies and Fair Trade networks to research stone production, stone carvers and suppliers. This led me to the Kisii region of Kenya where soapstone had been carved for generations. There I made contact with the Master and Classic Carver groups and we began our first period of ‘product development’ on our range of ‘Simpsons statues’
Summer 2005: I made my first application for a License to 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising, sending product samples and information about the carvers and Tabaka region. Fox were impressed with the idea & product, but were not ready to offer a license. At that time the business was in its infancy and there were many areas that required improvement.
October 2005: I visited Kenya and made a mini documentary called 'Carving a Future', (as seen on our website) to show 20th Century Fox footage of the carver groups, the carving process and the people who would potentially benefit from the success of this project.
November 2005: Craft Village UK Ltd registered as an official business and became VAT registered. We redesigned the statues, improved quality control, and restructured the business. We secured backing and support from The Kenyan EPC (Export Promotion Council) and KIPI (Kenya Industrial Property Institute) plus some fair trade networks
June 2006: I submitted a new application to 20th Century Fox in LA. Alongside an improved product and business plan, endorsements from networks in Kenya, and our promotional video. Fox approved the application and dialogue began on Craft Village becoming an official Simpsons Licensee.
August 2006: Craft Village UK became an official Fox Merchandising License. It took almost another year to develop the Craft Village business model into a position ready to trade. We trained new carvers; developed our website; developed Simpsons branded packaging and certificates of authenticity, etc.
August 2007: Our website and business finally launched and Craft Village began trading.
How My Company Got Started - To learn more about this author, visit Craft Village 's Website.
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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