Meet the Queen of King Size Bows
You may not know Lynda King, but if you've ever seen a holiday car commercial featuring a giant, red bow, you know her work. As the founder of King Size Bows, she has been putting an unforgettable decorative touch on TV spots, grand openings and other special events since 2000.
King believes there is an unspoken message conveyed when a gift is wrapped with a beautiful bow.
"It says to the recipient, not only did I purchase this gift, but I am taking that extra, thoughtful step to wrap it up for you and make this presentation special," she said. "Sometimes, it's all about the bow!"
This was King's thought when she wanted to surprise her daughter with a brand new car one Christmas. King searched everywhere for a big, red bow to put on top of the car. When she couldn't find one, she decided to create the bow herself. Her daughter's reaction to the bow was overwhelmingly positive.
"There were tears, tears and more tears!" King said. "The car in the driveway was a huge surprise, but to see it wrapped with a big, red bow really completed the gift. My daughter drove around with the bow still attached to show all her friends, and it ended up on her bedroom wall as a memory of a very special day."
Years later, King, who had just sold another business she owned, was looking for a new entrepreneurial opportunity. After doing some research, she realized that there was still a gap in the market for large decorative bows. She founded King Size Bows as a way to fill that gap, and began working to design the perfect bow.
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"It took many trials and errors, numerous experiments with materials, and a very long nine months before I came up with the exact size, design and fabrication of my Monarch bow," King told BusinessNewsDaily. "Now, 13 years later, it is still my best-selling bow by far."
According to the company's website, the 30-by-41-inch Monarch bow is "the bow that made them famous," but King Size Bows has since expanded its line to include 10 more signature bows in a variety of colors. The company also accepts orders for custom designs. Each King Size Bow is made in the company's Costa Mesa, Calif., facility and arrives with easy-to-follow assembly instructions to bring the bow to life.
King's initial target customers were car dealership owners, but she also has sold bows to advertising companies, nonprofit organizations and individual consumers. Some of King's most notable bows include a 20-foot-tall AIDS Awareness Loop, an 8-foot-wide red sequin bow for the finale of the 2012 Radio City Christmas Spectacular and, of course, the iconic red bow featured in Lexus' annual "December to Remember" commercials. Oprah Winfrey has even ordered bows from King.
"When Oprah gave away cars to her audience members, each one was delivered with a King Size Bow on top," King explained. "That really put us on the map."
As a long-time entrepreneur, King cautions other founders to surround themselves with an objective team that will help them double-check costs and see the big picture.
"It is very typical for entrepreneurs to get so caught up in the thrill of selling a product that they don't take the actual costs into consideration and end up making a very slim margin," she said. "A big sale is great for the ego, but is not worth much if the profit isn't there."
Perhaps even more important than making a profit is being able to see the potential for a business in the first place.
"I believe we are frequently bombarded with opportunities," King said. "The difference is, when most people hear an interesting idea, they think, 'That's cool.' I fully listen and go research."
This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Originally published on BusinessNewsDaily.
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