One of the busiest booths at the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show has been the little 10 x 10 My FanClip exhibit (8067), where Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly has been holding court. The explosive success of his product—a logoed binder clip that can be used for a multitude of purposes—has transformed the company’s business model. My FanClip has added MLB, NHL, CLC and NASCAR licenses to its product line, not to mention Duck Commander, which is currently its top seller.
“The big difference,” says Kelly, “is that we were able to move our manufacturing to the United States. Port Erie Plastics now makes our product, so we can ship samples quickly, do custom jobs, and basically have no minimum orders anymore.”
What qualifies as “explosive growth” for a company like Kelly’s? Since his last appearance at this show, My FanClip has picked up Wal-Mart, 7-Eleven, Bed Bath & Beyond, Amazon, Fanatics, and over 100 smaller accounts.
“We started a program for high schools recently that has really taken off,” Kelly adds. “They are tremendously effective fundraising items. Schools can go on the web site and actually design their own clips and their own packaging—it’s very cool. This might end up being the biggest part of our business.”