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Cool Company: Magic Mesh Turned Tape Into a Fortune Creative Company Wove Its Way to Success
 Nine years ago, Karan was a card maker in Lake City, Minn., generating very little income. As she put it, "Demand for custom-made cards basically ground to a halt. My prospects weren't good and I had no money."Though such circumstances might have led to despair, for Karan it was an opportunity to turn a business idea into a money maker, and more. FROM TAPE TO CREATION One day, she noticed her husband repairing a hole in electrical equipment by using a gridwork adhesive patch. She started using the grid tape to make valentines  and other crafts. After teaching some classes using the tape, she decided to have it manufactured to specifications that would include different colors, widths and weaves, as well as an adhesive backing that was safe for scrapbooking. “It’s basically ‘cooked’ clear, then colorant is added and it’s woven,” Karan explained. “The bolts are shipped to a toll converter, who applies the adhesive, cuts the tape into ‘logs’ and slices it. Then our work-at-home moms break it down into various-sized packages and kits.” Magic Mesh can be used as a stencil for paint and ink or placed under paper for dry-rub transfers. It can be woven through with ribbon, wire, fibers or other materials. “Magic Mesh allowed me to take my paper crafts into the third dimension,” she continued. “I liked to use wire and beads and hang things that could swing, and glue is just a pain. I'm still amazed at the new things even I create with the Magic Mesh.” As most entrepreneurs know, it's one thing to have a great idea, but it's another to find someone to finance it. What Karan came up with was quite original.  CREATIVE THINKING BUILDS CRAFTNot having a dime of her own to spend, she decided to cultivate the financial resources others had at their disposal. For her, this ended up being some arts and craft suppliers she had worked with in the past. She offered them a deal they couldn't refuse. If they were willing to put their advertising dollars to good use, she was willing to write articles about her use of their products in conjunction with Magic Mesh. She submitted these articles to magazines, which in turn published them and gave her product the initial push it needed. "That initial exposure was so necessary to get things started,” Karan explained. “Telling [retailers] that your product is in one of the magazines on their shelves is an invaluable marketing tool. Otherwise, they just would not have been interested." BUZZ LEADS TO BUCKS  The articles gave retailers an interest in her product, and also generated buzz and demand for her product among locals. "Once people in a small town see that you're getting interest from the outside, they get curious and interested, too,” she told TDmonthly. She transformed that curiosity into $9,000 in sales in the first year. Nine years later, that number has approached almost $1 million. Asked what the key to her success has been, Smith said, "It's nothing really fancy or technical. You do what you're good at and love, and you do it better than anyone else." That’s why she didn’t start with a business plan; she started with the business. And it's been a formula that has Magic Mesh sticking to success. Here are some of the designs and colors of Magic Mesh:
 Writer's Bio: Dennis Furlan is a freelance writer who lives just outside of Toronto, Canada. He works on a variety of writing and editorial jobs with clients and publications worldwide. Dennis is proud to be part of the TDmonthly team, serving as a regional correspondent for the northwestern U.S. Read more articles by this author |
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