The Debt Dance

How long have you been doing this?

If the question refers to being an entrepreneur, I’d say my entire life. Raking leaves, shoveling a walkway for $1.00 were all jobs I started when I was 9 years old. I was always my dream to be my own boss. Later in life, after getting a degree in visual communications (a fancy name for a graphic designer), I would freelance for various companies under the name “Glen Halliday Design” designing logos, collateral, websites, and so on. My current company, Kids Crooked House,  is a great mix of everything I love. I get to be very creative, work with my hands and build, but also surround myself with people I enjoy working with.

How did you get the idea to do it?

Like most success stories, Kids Crooked House happened by accident. I spent my entire childhood outdoors being active and using my imagination to entertain myself. I wanted my kids to have the same experience. After seeing my kids spend half the summer on the couch I knew I had to do something. So I started searching the internet for a creative playhouse but I found nothing creative that I could afford. I knew that the standard “shed with a little door” was not engaging enough to get my kids outdoors. So, after watching a morning of cartoons I realized that nothing in a kids world is perfect,  nothing has straight lines. So I went out to my barn and started making angled, crazy cuts until the first Kids Crooked House was born. When friends and family saw the house and requested that I build them one too, I knew I might be on to something. Now, after 5 years and requests for over 30 countries, Kids Crooked House is the most talked about playhouses company in the world.

Do you enjoy it?

I have my good days and bad but nothing is worth doing unless you enjoy it.

Can you really make money at this?

Yes… if your margins are right. You should plan for at least a year of blood and sweat before turning a profit.

Did you have to have any special training/certificates?

Having a degree in design doesn’t help in my current position but it did help me start my career. Many of my past positions taught me the skills that I now apply when running a creative business.

What did you need to get started?

A skill. The best advise that I could give anyone starting out is be sure of 2 things; 1) be sure you know the business you are getting into. If you’ve worked in restaurants for years – don’t start a auto shop. 2) enjoy what you are doing. There will be many times that you will feel like giving up and all you have is your passion to drive you… so make sure the passion is there.

How do you market or advertise? What has worked best?

For Kids Crooked House, and solid, informative, easy to navigate website was first on the list. Next, drive people to the site. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) web advertising is really what got us started. Next, Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Getting a high ranking organically will save you in the long run and creates relevance in the eyes of the consumer. Next, exposure. We have a very visual product so we knew that “If they see it, they will buy it”.

Hardest part of your job, best part:

Hardest part of my job – Firing people.

Best part – watching the reaction of a child when they see our products for the first time.

If you had known then what you know now…

Payouts and equity would be based on performance vs. a promise.

Love what you do and do what you love. If you can protect your idea (Patents) and people crave it, you have a winner. If you cant afford to build it on your own bringing in capitol or partners the way to go. Just make sure that the exit strategy is clearly defined and everything is in a contract. Remember, this is your idea and they need you more than you need them. Friends or not, a handshake is only worth a handshake. Know when to quit, numbers don’t lie, you need to think big to be big.