Craig Wolfe became the largest publisher of artwork from television commercials creating the first ever animation art lines for Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, M&M/Mars, etc. Eventually he sold it all off to create CelebriDucks which was a whole new art form of celebrity rubber ducks of the greatest icons of film, music history, and athletics. They were voted one of the top 100 gifts by Entertainment Weekly and featured on hundreds of TV shows, magazines, and newspapers including The Tonight Show. The company has sold millions of them are they considered the top custom duck manufacturer in the world doing them from everyone from SeaWorld to The New York Yankees.
Craig also addressed the importance of creating jobs in America by bringing the whole rubber duck industry back to America where the rubber duck was actually invented before the whole industry went overseas. He is now the only one making any rubber ducks here and is doing them for companies and organizations such as Harley-Davidson and The Future Farmers of America. His second US factory in Michigan is now making PVC Free rubber ducks out of food and medical grade materials which are considered the safest rubber ducks in the world for babies to teethe on.
Recently Craig launched his new chocolate division, Cocoa Canard, with his Spooning Chocolate, the only Dairy and Gluten free hot chocolate that can instantly mix up in a cup of hot water and you will never miss the milk. It is now the go to product in that category and considered the purest and finest hot chocolate on the market and uses Fair Trade chocolate.
Please tell us a little about your company – what is CelebriDucks all about?
CelebriDucks makes a whole line of celebrity rubber ducks that are considered some of the most intricately sculpted and painted rubber ducks on the market. They manufacture a line for babies that are made 100% in the USA out of food and medical grade materials. One of the unique divisions of CelebriDucks is their custom duck division which creates custom rubber ducks for clients worldwide. They have created them for Conan, Zappos, and hundreds of companies both large and small including some of the most famous Fortune 500 corporations and Professional Sports franchises.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company:
I was actually in a whole other business before the ducks. My company, Name That Toon, created the first ever animation art lines for Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, M&M/Mars, etc. It was a lot of fun and did very well, but one night at a party someone with a bit too much to drink had this idea of creating a line of rubber ducks of celebrities. I do think most people would have found that a daunting task, but I absolutely fell in love with the idea and found a way to make it a reality. When the Philadelphia 76ers read about us and had us create a duck of their super star Allen Iverson, everything changed overnight. It was a huge success and then the Yankees, the Cubs, Gorton Seafood and others came calling to have us create ducks for them. I sold off the animation, became all ducks and never looked back. Who knew!
What are your plans, how do you plan to grow this company?
A few years ago we came out with our Costume Quacker parody line which has been some of our biggest hits ever. We just keep coming up with new ones every day. It’s endless and people love them….Spas Wars, The Godfeather, GooseBusters, Sargent Peepers Lonely Hot Tub Band….it just goes on and on. My plan is to just keep expanding the line while continuing to use social media to really enhance our presence.
What is the biggest problem you encountered with your business and how did you overcome it?
The biggest problem I had to encounter in the early days was no-one could actually make our ducks correctly. I had no idea how difficult it would be to make one rubber duck. And ours were so detailed and needed to float correctly, that most factories were not prepared. It really took time to refine our art form. People think you start a business and come out of the gate and everything’s perfect. It was not that way for Disney, Coca-Cola or anyone! You learn, you pivot and you adjust and get better until you hit your stride.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
Probably the biggest mistake, in the beginning, was not having the right manufacturing partners who could do our level of quality. We hardly knew where to begin the search. There was a lot of learning on the fly. Also, as the company evolved, we really started to really up the ante in terms of design and concept. In the beginning, as hard as it is, you really don’t know what you don’t know so you have to go through that learning curve. In time we found the right partners, fulfillment centers, artists, etc….and the rest as they say is history.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
The easiest way to separate yourself from you competitors is to be the best at what you do. As Milton Hershey said, quality is the hardest thing to knock off. I always knew people overseas would make things cheaper, but they would never spend the money to go upscale which is what we did. It essentially bulletproofed our niche. And trust me, owning your niche is what it’s all about.
What is the one thing you do daily to grow as an entrepreneur?
I would say the one thing I do every day to become a better entrepreneur is to always maintain contact with our fan base. Not a day goes by that we don’t interact in some way. We love feedback and we love hearing from everyone.
What are the three books or courses you recommend for new entrepreneurs?
When people are getting into business, I always recommend the Trout and Ries books on Positioning and Marketing. It’s a whole series and everyone is an absolute gem. It’s all about owning that space in your customer’s mind where your brand is what they will remember.
I also always tell people that reading a book such as “Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, The Ultimate History published by Taschen is fantastic. See how one of the most known brands evolved their brand….you will see nuggets of wisdom that can be applied to anyone’s business.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?
I think the one thing I wish I knew before I started my business was just how difficult it was, what I was getting into. I mean I had no idea making a rubber duck could be this immensely complex and difficult. On the other hand, it’s also the one thing I am glad that I did not know or I never would have even attempted it! So it’s a paradox, eh. Because now it’s become very successful and we have so much fun, but wow, what a learning curve!
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
The most effective marketing strategy for us has been PR….I mean we work it every day. That along with social media is the heart of what we do to get our brand out there. The beauty is that you can do so much internally and save a small fortune. The upside of getting picked up in the media and being shared with others in social media is huge. It can change a company overnight. It is the heart of what we do here. From The Tonight Show, Conan, to being voted one of the top 100 gifts by Entertainment Weekly, the possibilities are endless.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
You know, when I started my whole business in the early days with the animation, I only had $1000. Or rather, I borrowed $500 from two different people and paid them back within a year. I never borrowed another penny, never took on an investor and we grew to become the leader in our industries. I had no background in any the companies I started. What I did have was a love and passion for what I was creating and an ability to find people who were a lot smarter and talented to help me. Spend money on the tools and resources that will make your company better.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
I always tell all entrepreneurs, it’s not how much money you make…it’s how much you keep! Overhead can bring down any business. In the early days, just work from home, do a lot of it yourself, outsource what you need to, and most importantly, bullet proof your niche by becoming the best in your field. And it’s always wise to begin it as a side hustle and test out the concept while still having another income. Make sure to get a lot of feedback, both good and bad from as many people as possible. Do not operate in a vacuum and you can’t be thin skinned. Also, the world does not need another me too product. You want to fulfill a need, do something that is being done, but do it better, or create something that is uniquely different that you can create a brand around.
What is your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is by Edison who said that “success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
How can we get in touch with you?
People can always call us at 707-289-4000 or write us at info@celebriducks.com. Our website is www.CelebriDucks.com. And our Facebook.
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