The Business: Glassic Art, a home-based operation in Las Vegas that creates decorative glasswork for residential clients.
The Players: Leslie Rankin is sole owner and founder of the business. Duane Brady is production manager in charge of installing the glasswork.
The Background: Rankin, who graduated from the University of Utah 20 years ago with a degree in fine arts, decided to make decorative glasswork her life’s work because of her fascination with glass as an art medium. She found the market in Salt Lake City was receptive to the glasswork she created for homes, but she wanted to find a place where she could be more creative and try new techniques. Most of the homes in the Salt Lake area were Tudor style, which limited the projects she could create.
Rankin decided to relocate to Las Vegas in 1987 because of the city’s booming economy, strong housing market and variety of residential styles. Rankin also believed Las Vegas would be receptive to new ideas and styles. “I did stained glass, but I really didn’t love it. I had always wanted to develop my own style of glass that leaned toward the contemporary,” she said. Rankin formed a business in which she worked out of her home and met with clients at their homes. Her business grew, and now has a staff of five. Revenues have increased from $17,000 annually to about $250,000. However, the entrepreneurial road to success has not been easy.
The Problem: When Rankin arrived in Las Vegas, she had few contacts, so her major challenge was becoming established in the Las Vegas market. Her expenses were relatively low because she didn’t have to pay office rent, but she had the challenge of creating a business from scratch in a new city. In addition, many of the pictures of her work were ruined in a flood, and when she finally rebuilt her portfolio, it was stolen from her car. Once her business became established, the challenge was how to take it to the next level. Situations resulting from rapid growth, both locally and in a new international venture, led her to re-examine her business practices.
The Solution: In the initial stages of Rankin’s business, she distributed fliers to homes. She estimates she attracted one client for every 1,000 fliers. The business grew, but she admits, “It was a struggle.” She finally decided that her advertising methods were not working. Instead, she built her business by telephoning architects, homebuilders and other key people in the residential market to find clients who wanted to improve their homes with decorative glasswork. She found business contacts who gave her a chance, even though she didn’t have a track record in Las Vegas. “I have built my business on referrals,” she said. “People are so outgoing here. It’s a great town for networking.” One of the strengths of Las Vegas is that newcomers are given a chance, because so many of the established business people come from outside the community, she said.
Rankin created a new glass medium that involves coloring glass through fusion, carving and painting techniques. She still uses a wide variety of other techniques involving stained, leaded and etched glass. Her glasswork includes windows, countertops, room dividers, sidelights and other decorative projects for homes. The company recently completed a bar top that is fiber-optically lighted and has four layers of glass. The lights cause the colors in the glass to constantly change. About a year ago, her business was featured on Home and Gardens’ Modern Masters television show. Because the show was seen in countries such as India and Australia, she has made international contacts and now exports glasswork.
Coping with growth has not been easy. She has recently added an art assistant, Kim Virasone, whom she found by leaving fliers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a personal assistant, Leslie Sims, whom she hired as the result of a referral. Rankin also has developed a first-class art facility in her home. Her three-car garage has been converted into a studio and she has plenty of office space in her 3,000-square-foot home. Despite adding staff, Rankin did not believe her business was running efficiently, so she sought help. “I took on a business coach last year through Action International,” she explained. Action helped organize her business finances and handle her contracts more efficiently. It also taught her how to deal with problem clients. She learned how to make key media contacts and produce videos and computer displays to show clients. “They [the consultants at Action] helped me become streamlined and triple my business,” she said. Rankin plans to continue to grow by focusing on quality projects. She said, “I want to find the best clients for the work I do.”
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