Three-year growth 1,171%
You gotta love the garage. Four years ago, Kory and Stephanie Boyd started KS Marketing out of their home. And the company, which sells retail and wholesale products primarily in the scrapbook and craft industries, took up residence in the ever-iconic garage. “We shipped hundreds of packages a day,” says Kory Boyd, founder of the company that sells products such as Provo Craft’s Cricut. “We did it rain or shine, and we even made it through a few blizzards with product blowing all over the place. You should see some of our pictures.” That picture-perfect entrepreneurial beginning has led to a “happy middle” – with no ending in sight. In its short life-span, the company has catapulted in revenue and reputation, and it ships more than 1,000 products a day to customers in all 50 states and in countries worldwide. Oh, and did we mention KS Marketing was named BusinessQ’s No. 2 Startup to Watch in last year’s UV50? We love it when we’re right.
After working at Provo Craft, I knew the craft industry. I knew I could start a business and make it work. But even though unemployment was my choice, it was hard. I had never done it before, and I felt that burden of being a pure entrepreneur — of wondering whether or not I’d be able to provide for my family. But my wife and I prayed about it and decided to go for it.
We started doing well right out of the gate. Within the first couple months, we were bringing in six figures. After three or four months, we brought in a partner, Randall Hild.
In 2007, we decided to incorporate, and we moved into a 1,000-square-foot warehouse. As we continued to grow, we moved to a 3,000-square-foot warehouse in Pleasant Grove. Now we have three of them … and we need to move again.
Our strategy has been to be extremely conservative — and we’ll stay that way. We operate completely in the black. If we can’t afford it, we don’t pay for it. We don’t hire people until we really, really feel it. I don’t know of any other company that has the number of employees we do with the amount of revenue we bring in.
We have a great relationship with Provo Craft. They’ve really helped us grow as a company. We are one of their top accounts, right behind Michaels, Wal-Mart and Jo-Anns. Those companies are the real deal, and it’s satisfying to know we can hold our own with the big guns.
As we’ve grown, we have started developing our own products by making accessories to other products in the industry. And actually, our original products are some of our bestsellers.
Not to sound trite or ungrateful, but sales have been easier than we thought they would be. We have great products with a great niche, and we’ve marketed the right way. We pride ourselves on customer service, especially since people can buy our products from a number of other places.
Since its inception, our company has changed in every aspect except our ideals — affordability, quality and integrity. And one of the most rewarding aspects of our growth has been taking care of our employees. We have 14 families that depend on our company, and it’s a great feeling to come through for them. Handing out Christmas bonuses this last year was really, really fun.
The best part of being an entrepreneur is the invaluable experience we’ve gained. Whether we succeed or fail, we’re doing something many people are unable to do. We’ve self-financed this company, and there is value in saying we took the plunge ourselves.
In five years, I see us as a leader in manufacturing and re-selling. We’ll have a couple hundred employees and be a solid company in the valley. Our successes thus far are just little milestones. We’re still on the journey and enjoying the ride. Sometimes rides come to an end, but we’re going to make this one last as long as we can.
We operate completely in the black. If we can’t afford it, we don’t pay for it.