Page 30 - Final 10th Anniversary PDF For Printer

Our 10th Anniversary Women of Distinction

CHI CEXECS

Kailynn Bowling

& Nikki Carlson

Photos by Dawn Nicoli/Nicoli Productions

T WAS A CHANCE INTRODUC- After that initial phone call from towards fashion but function as well.
Ition through friends that brought Nikki, they were both so excited about In less than six months, thanks to their
powerhouse entrepreneurs, Kailynn their new endeavor except for one background in marketing and adver-
Bowling and Nikki Carlson, together. small problem…they had no idea what tising, they received requests from
Kailynn had started a lucrative busi- this new business would be. The final over 50 magazines. This wasn't all; the
ness buying items wholesale and sell- decision was that they would start an purchase orders started rolling in with
ing them on eBay. Her method of trav- online magazine and would position requests for their hot new product,
eling down to Los Angeles to secure themselves as the "Modern Day Mar- Chic Buds, from major retailers such
inventory for her business was of great tha Stewart." "Our Magazine Chic Blvd as Best Buy, Neiman Marcus, Nord-
interest to one of her friends who had was created before the advent of social stroms, Lord and Taylors, Bed Bath
brought a girlfriend along with her on media, but we used it similarly" shared and Beyond, Target, and Barnes and
this fact finding mission. The friend Nikki, " We would send out marketing Noble. The reality was that Kailynn and
turned out to be Nikki Carlson, and emails to women, and they would go to Nikki were on the pulse of what these
this would start more than a decade the suggested website review products electronic retailers wanted to know and
long friendship and business partner- and services found on the sites and that was "How do we reach the wom-
ship between Kailynn and Nikki. "I share with us what their thoughts were. en's market in electronics?"
was in the mortgage industry at the We would get 300 or more emails with After receiving a $150,000 pur-
time," explains Kailynn, "but I knew it each mailing and women would share chase order from Mary Kay, the
was not what I wanted to do as a ca- not only their responses to the product, women decided that they desperately
reer." Nikki had spent the last ten years and suggestions for improvements, needed to learn about manufacturing
working in marketing and advertising, but they often shared their life stories so they could cost-effectively, design
but she too felt the need to branch with us. We never let one of these and patent their products.
out and do something different and emails go unanswered." This opinion In 2006 they ventured to China to
exciting. After a subsequent foray to portion of their magazine soon evolved examine their options, a brave move
LA, an email arrived at Kailynn’s desk to include a request from readers for for two pretty young blond wom-
asking very succinctly "Do you want their suggestions as to what products en from California. The trip was a
to go into business together?" 13 years they liked or didn't like. At about the success, they learned a lot, and their
later they are not only working in their same time the iPod was growing in business continued to grow. They had
own thriving business, but currently popularity, but with one problem that no competition at this point. Nikki
have over 200 beginning entrepre- Nikki and Kailynn quickly noticed, all shared, "We came in from the perspec-
neurs who they are directly responsi- of the accessories for this trendy new tive of producing a product that we
ble for launching their way to business item were geared to male consumers loved and needed because we felt if we
ownership success. In addition, they and women were not being recognized loved it, so would other women. We
represent successful brands who have as significant consumers. Armed with also went out of our way to make our
already gained success on their own plain ear buds, glue guns, and a variety earbud packaging very pretty and ele-
and rely on Chic Execs to either move of crystals, Kailynn and Nikki worked gant, so that you could give this special
them to the next level or help keep in their living rooms creating electron- item as a gift and it would make the
them at the top of the market. ic accessories that were not only geared woman receiving it feel special. We

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