Local Business
Dream nets worldwide results on the web
By Renee Conte B
ack in 2006, working out of their Winnipeg home, scraping together used boxes for shipping and hand printing their own labels, it may have been hard for Cory and Nella Frank to imagine
the true potential of their dream. Te weekend business was born when Nella’s love for fashion and experience in leather manufacturing and design was brought to life on the Internet by her husband, Cory. His business acumen and experience with software engineering provided the backbone of their successful business model. CNF Marketing launched their first website Fur Hat
World after partnering with a Winnipeg based manufac- turer. “We started the business with $46 to rent web space, and sweat equity,” says Cory. Tey started with six hat de- signs and no stock. Items were made as they were ordered, saving costs on inventory. Te hats were a niche market, a product not readily avail-
able in the mall or at big box stores. Cory implemented his skills in search engine optimization, ricocheting them to the top of Google. Te pair’s first sign of success was when they sold 12 hats in one weekend. “I remember being so happy and excited. It was Tanksgiving weekend and we were on top of the world,” says Nella. “We weren’t rich, but that’s when we knew our formula was working. It was a sign we were on the right path,” agrees Cory.
32 • Winter 2014 And indeed they were. Two years later, their basement
and bathtub overflowing with product, they decided they needed a bigger home to manage their inventory. Tey even hired a couple of employees to help them with their rapidly increasing Internet orders. By year three, they de- cided to take the plunge and leased a portion of a ware- house here in Winnipeg, a warehouse they purchased the following year. Always looking for new and interesting items that fit
their niche, Cory and Nella, did something a lot of larger operations forget to do. Tey listened to their customers. “Tey tell us what they want and like, and we have always followed that from day one,” explains Nella. From hats, they expanded into other luxury products including gloves, coats, accessories, rugs, blankets and other natural prod- ucts. Tey diversified and anticipated trends, developing six on-line retail sites offering 4,000 different products. Tis once modest home business now hosts six on-line
retail sites and ships products across Canada and the Unit- ed States, as well as to a large clientele in the United King- dom. Cory and his IT department have customized and tai-
lored CNF’s websites to meet their needs and best service their customers. Fur Hat World is still their most popular site, with Russian and trapper styles being the most sought
The Hub
Photos by CNF Marketing.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96