Take a rubber ducky, give it a famous face and you get a “CelebriDuck.” CelebriDucks is the original creator of the first ever collectible rubber ducks featuring icons from film, music, athletics, and history. There are currently over 200 different CelebriDucks in the flock. The story of how Craig Wolfe, founder of CelebriDucks, started his business and what he’s learned along the way was enough to fill two blog entries. Look for the second entry tomorrow.
CelebriDucks includes a famous flock of musicians, sports figures & more.
Working Naked: When did you start your business?
Wolfe: We actually started the business in 1986. Back then we were buying and selling original Disney animation drawings. That evolved to us becoming the largest publisher of advertising/animation art in the country having created the first ever animation art lines for Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Bush, M&M/Mars, Nike, etc. CelebriDucks evolved around 1998.
Working Naked: What sparked the idea for CelebriDucks and what was the response from your family and friends?
Wolfe: I think I just wanted to have my own creative expression and not always be working with other peoples’ characters. My friends and family were totally into it. In fact in the early years, my daughter designed all the ducks!
Working Naked: Was it hard to find a manufacturer to make them?
Wolfe: Harder than I ever could have imagined. In fact if I had known how hard it would be to make a duck with the intricate detail in sculpting and painting plus having them float upright and be soft, etc., etc., I probably never would have ventured into this! Well, like they say, ignorance is bliss. Clearly, it’s gotten a lot better, but it took us many years to find the right manufacturing partners.
The Blues Brothers CelebriDucks
Working Naked: At what point did you see a profit?
Wolfe: In the beginning it was all tied up with the animation business so it was always making money. But as a stand-alone business probably around 2000 it was already profitable.
Working Naked: Why have you elected to work from home instead of rent outside space?
Wolfe: The freedom, the flexibility, the ability to outsource with some of the best people in the industry who are living all over the world. I love it. I often have to work later at night with overseas projects so it makes it so easy being at home.
Working Naked: What have been the three biggest challenges with your business?
Wolfe: Well, as you can tell from above, manufacturing has got to be at the top of the list. Next I would say is getting market visibility…it takes real time to build a brand from scratch. And finally, I would have to say sales. I own the company 100%, we’re debt free, and I have no investors which means I run it a bit more conservatively. I’m sure a bigger company would have had us in all kinds of retail venues by now. But all things in good time, grasshopper.
For all you Michael Jackson fans, Craig says that they’ve been working with Michael Jackson’s licensing people in Germany and have an initial contract. If everything works out as planned, Michael in his Thriller outfit should be out in September.
[...] Read Part 1 > [...]