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Cups With Message Spell Success for Entrepreneur
business, cammy hodges, coolcupsandstuff, entrepreneur, retail,
The idea started out in 2003 as an original Christmas gift to friends. Cammy Hodges had “Reindeer fuel” printed on simple Styrofoam cups and gave them to friends‚ along with one pound of coffee and a bottle of Kahlua liqueur.
When several placed orders for more‚ she realized she was on to something. The result: a thriving Rocky Mount business‚ CoolCupsandStuff‚ which has made the plain white Styrofoam cup a thing of the past.
Sold in stores across the country‚ a set of 20 Cool Cups sells for about $12; 10 reusable cups cost $14.
Hodges‚ and her husband‚ Fred‚ started the business with about five designs and a $400 investment. The company now has four full-time employees and about 500 different designs‚ including “Weekend Waterford” and “WWW” (Women Who Wine). The business took in first-year sales of $125‚000. Sales for 2006 reached $700‚000. This year‚ the company will add napkins and a line of cups for children.
“It’s exciting‚” Cammy Hughes says. “It isn’t what we had planned‚ just a side business for making some extra money. I never dreamed it would turn into this.”
Story by Nancy Humphrey
