Businesses with a difference leading the way in growth stakes
by Startacus Admin
Even though the downturn ended quite some time ago, trading conditions are still pretty tough for many 
businesses throughout the US. Companies large and small appear to be fighting a losing battle against low consumer confidence, stagnant wages and expensive overheads. However, there is a small yet significant band of enterprises who are managing to swim against the tide, but how?
These companies manage to sell products and/or services which occupy a niche market almost on their own, while their images are also anything but conventional. Irrespective of how different they are, they are managing to grow at extraordinary rates, seeing revenue treble, quadruple or expand by even more in a three-year period. We look at a few examples of these businesses.
Men and boys
Selling a diverse and unique range of novelty gifts for men including cocktail shakers and golf-themed barbecue utensils, HomeWetBar have followed this template expertly. In the past three years, revenue has shot up by around 750%, owing to some degree an increase in demand for quirky gifts that men are likely to love.
Keith Winter (CEO of Homewetbar) said “This business was born out of my passion for high-quality home entertaining, and we will continue to provide the most unique products to our customers and bring jobs to the Oklahoma City area.”
From adults to kids, Superfly Kids might seem like an ordinary fancy dress retailer, going on what you might see on their homepage. However, aside from all the fancy dress costumes kids could possibly want to wear for birthday parties and other occasions, they also sell customised superhero capes exclusively for younger children.
Tech to the fore
Goal Zero is one business which is using unique technology to help boost its profits. The company create solar power generators to fire up domestic appliances such as refrigerators as well as smaller gadgets like smartphones and tablets. Surfing the green wave, they have managed to make their expertise count as far as revenue growth is concerned.
Another firm using their tech expertise to their advantage is Lumosity. Developing brain-training games for a variety of platforms including smartphones, they also work alongside universities in researching cognitive development in adults. The latter helps a great deal with the former, giving them an almost fool-proof business plan.
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Published on: 5th March 2014
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