Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimee and Katie Maescher.
Aimee, owner of Nisse Designs, a Quincy-based graphic design and web development company, and her 17-year old entrepreneurially driven daughter Katie (“Kate”) are the founders of Cases by Kate, a successful phone case company that has since grown into a strong e-commerce presence now selling (in addition to phone cases), apparel, prints, home accessories and more. By building a strong social media presence (almost 35,000 followers on Instagram), Cases by Kate’s gross sales have increased every quarter since its inception Summer 2013.
Cases by Kate was started in 2013 when daughter Katie was 13. Smartphones were extremely popular with her age group and in turn, the phones needed cases for protection. Instead of the usual case, Katie imagined “interchangeable” phone cases. Clear phone cases would be paired with any number of interchangeable template designs allowing the consumer an inexpensive alternative to owning multiple phone cases.
In all, more than 400 unique and original designs were developed with Katie in charge of research and development and Aimee in charge of implementing the designs. A protocol was developed and marketed to friends and family. After a few short months, she designed templates, built an e-commerce website and worked diligently to build a social media following to sell her cases. Now almost 5 years later, Cases by Kate continues to thrive, selling to over 35 countries around the world. The cases are sold locally in stores and online at both www.casesbykate.com and Amazon.com. Thousands of units have been sold with gross sales of $75,000 to date.
Aimee’s company, Nisse Designs, is a successful design and marketing company founded in 2002. Nisse Designs offers extensive experience in branding and collateral design across an array of industries.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In the beginning, Cases by Kate’s growth boomed exponentially– almost overnight. Instagram was the perfect platform to get the word out and Katie was clever enough to know what “influencers” were before they were called influencers! She made online connections and sent free products to “Instagrammers” with large followings. In turn, they would promote her product which ultimately built her online following by the hundreds, if not thousands.
Unfortunately, Instagram changed their algorithms along the way – perhaps seeing massive product growth and wanting to rein in this “free” method of promotion for small businesses. Once the algorithms changed, her posts were not seen in the same manner and we have since had to struggle with developing alternative methods to grow the business.
This challenge, however, has encouraged Katie as a young entrepreneur to think outside of the box. As she approaches college (another business challenge), she is now parlaying her business insight to her college applications and her desire to pursue a senior year internship.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Cases by Kate (with help from Nisse Designs) – what should we know?
For Cases by Kate: Katie’s specialty is pinpointing designs that her target audience would love to own on a phone case. Whether designs include trendy quotes, patterns or music/movie-themed designs, she has her pulse on the demographic.
As a parent, I am most proud of her drive to run a successful business as well as learning about intellectual property and what can be legally designed without infringing upon someone’s intellectual property. It was frustrating when she would see other companies sell popular designs and not care about IP- but ultimately, she was proud of doing the right thing and continues to be as creative as possible without the worry of copying designs or concepts that are not her own.
What sets CBK apart is a product that stands out from others. Though there are phone cases that have removable plates, her price point and ability to create mass designs, custom designs or photo templates for clients sets her product apart.
For Nisse Designs, our company specializes in creating fully integrated campaigns including graphic design, website design & development, content, search engine optimization, public relations, and print/collateral. We design custom responsive websites that are powerful, aesthetic and impactful.
NisseDesigns works with clients to develop a uniquely tailored approach that not only fits a company’s budgetary and timeline goals but also delivers solutions and strategies that are innovative and forward thinking. We are a boutique agency providing hands-on contact and personal service. We create marketing partnerships with our clients and maintain close involvement from conception to completion.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
For both companies, we take pride in the highest quality product and/or service. Client satisfaction is our number one priority. For Cases by Kate, developing a fun and inviting website to shop for a new phone case or unique apparel and HomeGoods was our main priority.
We wanted to have a multitude of options with attractive pricing. For Nisse Designs, our clients and their satisfaction are tantamount to anything else. Ultimately, we want to develop relationships that last. Many of our clients have been with us more than 10 years and that is what makes us most proud.
Pricing:
- All cases: $14
- All extra templates: $5
Contact Info:
- Address: 180 Old Colony Avenue, Suite 300, Quincy, MA 02170 (Nisse Designs)
- Website: www.casesbykate.com, www.nissedesigns.com
- Email: info@casesbykate.com
- Phone: 781-710-8251
- Instagram: @casesbykate , @nissedesignsCases
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/CasesbyKate, www.facebook.com/NisseDesigns
- Twitter: @casesbykate , @Nisse_Designs
- Other: www.pinterest.com/casesbykate/
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