By Marie Bradby
Most of us shirk away from change, but non Paula Blankenship, an entrepreneur whose pigment describe of piece of work organisation headquartered inward Shepherdsville, Kentucky, is gathering world-wide attending afterwards exclusively 3 years inward existence.
For 25 years, Paula had been operating a article of furniture together with flooring roofing describe of piece of work organisation inward her native Oneida, Tennessee. When the Great Recession hitting inward 2008, she unopen her longstanding businesses together with began commuting from Oneida to New York City equally a designer for commercial projects.
“The economic scheme had died,” Paula says. “Then, i solar daytime into the shop comes this human being who had purchased a theatre at auction. He was a New Yorker. He said, ‘I heard you lot are an interior decorator. Can you lot come upwards up together with run into my house?’ I ended upwards working for this human being equally a commercial designer inward New York for 8 years. I unopen my stores together with was all inward for him, doing jobs on Long Island together with inward Connecticut.”
During that time, she moved to Louisville thence her boy could attend Trinity High School together with was getting pretty tired of her long-distance piece of work commute. So she decided to quit that task together with pigment article of furniture for a living, together with came upwards amongst the take in to create Heirloom Traditions Paint Chalk Type, a describe of colorful paints, gels, together with waxes, whose sales convey grown to a projected $3 1000000 inward but 3 years.
It started amongst a Facebook post. “I created a color menu together with was going to create upwards a pigment line. I posted it on my Facebook page together with a friend asked where she could purchase the paint. I said, ‘There is no pigment to buy.’”
Because of involvement from Facebook friends, she searched for a pigment companionship to create her line. In January, 2013, she constitute the Lanning Chemical Company inward Louisville.
“I went downwards at that spot together with asked them if they knew what chalk pigment was. They said, ‘No, but nosotros tin create it. The pharmacist has been making pigment for thence long, he tin aroma it together with tell what’s inward it.’ Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 calendar week passed together with I take in I would never listen from these people again. They called together with said, ‘Your pigment is ready.’ ”
Without fifty-fifty trying it, a friend gave her a $1,000 order. “I convey well-nigh 350 retailers now. We’re fifty-fifty inward Commonwealth of Australia together with Canada.”
“I didn’t laid out to commencement a chalk pigment line,” Paula says. “I was designing a slice of furniture. I chose chalk pigment to pigment it because of the ease of move together with the look. It doesn’t require preparation, it bonds to anything, together with you lot don’t convey to sand amongst this product. It volition bond to metal, glass, wood, stained wood, fifty-fifty things already painted amongst enamel. Our pigment does that particularly well. We became the seat out i create for this pigment amongst this companionship inward 3 years.”
In March, 2015, she decided she wanted to ain rather than move along leasing infinite for her business. “I constitute an sometime church building downwards inward Shepherdsville together with moved our describe of piece of work organisation into it. Now nosotros ain our building. We are correct beside Amazon. We moved our dwelling downwards here, too.”
Customers move her pigment to restore article of furniture together with cabinets. “The corking matter is, people tin pigment sometime furniture, which is ameliorate character than what is available now. Young people relish going out together with thrifting together with repurposing things. That’s why chalk pigment has been received thence well.”
A Second Business/Product
There was also a silvery lining to her weekly commute to New York. Sleeping on the plane was nearly impossible — thence she came upwards amongst an take in for a caput back upwards that would let her to slumber comfortably. Her take in is actually 2 products, The NodPod. The Nod is a piffling cushion that you lot house nether your mentum that is held inward house amongst elastic straps. The Pod is a companion blanket. (You tin pre-order them online, www.thenodpod.com: the Nod for $32 together with the Pod for $50. Or $70 for both.)
“After I saw that my take in was patentable, I seat it on Kickstarter together with raised $320,000. It’s getting laid to live available at several major airlines. I’m going to Abu Dhabi, invited yesteryear the regal family. They desire to seat it on Emirates airline.
“Right now, it’s but available equally a pre-order. We are having it made inward China. They are sewing them now. We had to prepare it together with convey the cloth made.”
Here are Paula’s tips for creating a novel business:
 |
| The walls within of Paula's component were painted using her chalk paint. |
Most of us shirk away from change, but non Paula Blankenship, an entrepreneur whose pigment describe of piece of work organisation headquartered inward Shepherdsville, Kentucky, is gathering world-wide attending afterwards exclusively 3 years inward existence.
For 25 years, Paula had been operating a article of furniture together with flooring roofing describe of piece of work organisation inward her native Oneida, Tennessee. When the Great Recession hitting inward 2008, she unopen her longstanding businesses together with began commuting from Oneida to New York City equally a designer for commercial projects.
“The economic scheme had died,” Paula says. “Then, i solar daytime into the shop comes this human being who had purchased a theatre at auction. He was a New Yorker. He said, ‘I heard you lot are an interior decorator. Can you lot come upwards up together with run into my house?’ I ended upwards working for this human being equally a commercial designer inward New York for 8 years. I unopen my stores together with was all inward for him, doing jobs on Long Island together with inward Connecticut.”
During that time, she moved to Louisville thence her boy could attend Trinity High School together with was getting pretty tired of her long-distance piece of work commute. So she decided to quit that task together with pigment article of furniture for a living, together with came upwards amongst the take in to create Heirloom Traditions Paint Chalk Type, a describe of colorful paints, gels, together with waxes, whose sales convey grown to a projected $3 1000000 inward but 3 years.
It started amongst a Facebook post. “I created a color menu together with was going to create upwards a pigment line. I posted it on my Facebook page together with a friend asked where she could purchase the paint. I said, ‘There is no pigment to buy.’”
Because of involvement from Facebook friends, she searched for a pigment companionship to create her line. In January, 2013, she constitute the Lanning Chemical Company inward Louisville.
“I went downwards at that spot together with asked them if they knew what chalk pigment was. They said, ‘No, but nosotros tin create it. The pharmacist has been making pigment for thence long, he tin aroma it together with tell what’s inward it.’ Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 calendar week passed together with I take in I would never listen from these people again. They called together with said, ‘Your pigment is ready.’ ”
Without fifty-fifty trying it, a friend gave her a $1,000 order. “I convey well-nigh 350 retailers now. We’re fifty-fifty inward Commonwealth of Australia together with Canada.”
 |
| Paula designed paintbrushes to move amongst her chalk paint. She demonstrates how to apply the product. Photos yesteryear Melissa Donald |
 |
| The antique expect of this cabinet was done using chalk paint. |
Customers move her pigment to restore article of furniture together with cabinets. “The corking matter is, people tin pigment sometime furniture, which is ameliorate character than what is available now. Young people relish going out together with thrifting together with repurposing things. That’s why chalk pigment has been received thence well.”
A Second Business/Product
There was also a silvery lining to her weekly commute to New York. Sleeping on the plane was nearly impossible — thence she came upwards amongst an take in for a caput back upwards that would let her to slumber comfortably. Her take in is actually 2 products, The NodPod. The Nod is a piffling cushion that you lot house nether your mentum that is held inward house amongst elastic straps. The Pod is a companion blanket. (You tin pre-order them online, www.thenodpod.com: the Nod for $32 together with the Pod for $50. Or $70 for both.)
“After I saw that my take in was patentable, I seat it on Kickstarter together with raised $320,000. It’s getting laid to live available at several major airlines. I’m going to Abu Dhabi, invited yesteryear the regal family. They desire to seat it on Emirates airline.
“Right now, it’s but available equally a pre-order. We are having it made inward China. They are sewing them now. We had to prepare it together with convey the cloth made.”
Here are Paula’s tips for creating a novel business:
- Believe inward your idea. You volition e'er listen the negative, but you lot convey to live diligent inward your pursuit of your dream.
- Do your query together with know what your contest is doing. Understanding your potential marketplace position volition tell you lot what powerfulness live possible amongst your describe of piece of work organisation or product.
- Figure out who your client is together with play to that audience amongst all your marketing together with social media campaigns. Speak to that somebody conduct to run into your describe of piece of work organisation flourish.
- Hire the best people you lot tin afford. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 corking squad volition assist you lot grow together with larn dissimilar aspects of business. You cannot create everything or know everything. Be a pupil inward your ain describe of piece of work organisation together with hire people who volition learn you.
- Never let negative thinking approximately you lot inward your business. Surround yourself amongst positive together with motivated people who run into your vision for the business. Delegating duties is a necessity if you lot desire to grow your business.
- Protect your describe of piece of work organisation together with ideas. Secure your describe of piece of work organisation mention yesteryear owning the URL, trademark, together with patents. If you lot convey already started a business, it is imperative to secure the intellectual belongings of your take in together with mention earlier you lot launch the production to the world. Once the take in is out there, you lot volition non live able to secure it.
- Consult amongst a patent together with trademark firm that tin assist you lot secure your describe of piece of work organisation involvement prior to sharing your ideas publicly. Patent laws are real strict, but getting a patent is easier than you lot powerfulness think.
- Use bloggers to assist marketplace position your product. I convey a corking grouping of ladies that I piece of work closely amongst to promote together with sell my pigment products.