Of all the trends to take advantage of, the earth-friendly one is probably the best one to consider. It is good for the earth and, thanks to this trend, the options to choose from are becoming much more plentiful. This includes the art in your kids’ bedroom.
Greenie2Steps is bringing a whole new theme and story to a child’s room near you. With the help of Greenie, the eco-friendly elephant, kids and parents alike are discovering the benefits of a green lifestyle. Of course, the fact that the art can easily be peeled off the wall, leaving no residue, then stuck back on without losing any adhesive is a plus.
If you ever believed the saying that “two heads are better than one”, then you can only imagine what three minds will come up with. There are exactly three women behind the creation of Greenie2Steps, Cynthia Laidlaw, Nancy Serafini, Joanne Coughlin, and each woman has played an important part in creating this innovative company.
Tell us a little about Greenie2Steps.
Greenie2Steps is a company that produces eco-friendly, whimsical wall art for children. The company was started by three Boston women. Nancy Serafini, an interior designer, Joanne Coughlin an artist / animator and Cindy Laidlaw, an advertising executive. Their collective goal is to create high quality children’s wall décor that is beautiful, educational and eco-friendly. The collection uses original art by Joanne and includes oversized prints, giant cut-outs or “Stickups”and wall murals up to 20 feet long. They feature the company’s “spokeselephant” Greenie and her friends, Taj the tiger, Lenny the lion, Geraldine the giraffe and Greenie’s brother Garrett the gray elephant. The art is printed on an eco-friendy fabric canvas, is washable and very easy to install thanks to a non-toxic backing that will not damage walls.
An important part of the Greenie2Steps company mission is to allocate a portion of profits to charities that support children, education and the environment.
What inspired the three of you to get together and form such an interesting business?
Nancy Serafini and Cindy Laidlaw have worked together for the last eight years in an advertising agency/client relationship. Cindy, the owner of The Laidlaw Group, an ad agency in Boston, designed the Web site and marketing materials for Nancy’s interior design business.
Joanne Coughlin met Nancy at the 10-year anniversary of the Art For Kool Kidz program, a charity co-founded by Nancy at Children’s Hospital in Boston. Joanne, a renowned muralist and former animator at Warner Brothers in Los Angeles painted a mural for the hospital that was unveiled at the Anniversary party.
Nancy, Joanne and Cindy met at the right place, at the right time, and Greenie2Steps was born. They have created a company that they consider to be a perfect blend of creativity, imagination, education and fun.
Who is ‘Greenie’? What are some the adventures and stories your characters have to share?
Greenie is a pink elephant from the far away isle of TelleyGreen. This magical island is where Greenie, her brother Garrett and their friends Geraldine the Giraffe, Lenny the Lion and Taj the Tiger thrive in a healthy environment surrounded by clean fresh air, crystal clear water and an abundance of flora and fauna. Greenie’s adventures began when she looked up at the sky and saw a leaf floating in the air. It was an unusual leaf, unlike any that grow on TelleyGreen. She wanted to know where it came from. So began her quest.
She travels the world in her eco-friendly pineapple plane built by her brother Garrett, an inventor. Along the way she meets new friends, discovers new places and learns new lessons about how to make our planet a better place to live.
Your wall art is eco-friendly? What are some of the ingredients used?
We use eco-solvent based inks and water-based coatings in the printing process. Our fabric canvas substrate is made primarily from wood pulp, the naturally occurring primary structural component of green plants that is a renewable resource. The materials we selected to produce our Whimsical Wall Art collection are an eco-friendly solution for consumers that are demanding green products for their families and their homes.
It was mentioned that your art uses a glue that makes it easy to unstick and restick the art on the wall over and over again, without leaving any residue. How does that work?
In fact, there is no glue in the production of our products. The fabric canvas is paste-free, self adhesive/removable and repositionable and can be placed on any flat surface. It has a soft-tack backing that never dries out or becomes permanent. This backing retains its elasticity for hundreds of applications. It will never mar walls, peel off paint or leave residue.
Nancy, Joanne, and Cindy, you’ve each got your own unique background and experiences. Would you mind telling us a little about your background and how it helped you co-found this business?
Nancy:
When I was 8 years old I knew I wanted to be an interior decorator. Today, I have an interior design business with work featured in publications such as House and Garden, House Beautiful and Traditional Home. As a way of giving back, I started the Art for Kool Kidz Program at a hospital for children in Boston which allowed me to see first hand the healing qualities art has on children. I wanted to make art more accessible to children everywhere and help them learn about the importance of taking care of our planet.
As an interior designer, I always liked working on children’s rooms and tried to find wall art that was whimsical, educational and eco-friendly. It didn’t exist, so I decided to make it myself by co-founding Greenie2steps.
Cindy:
As the owner of The Laidlaw Group, a Boston advertising agency and a true entrepreneur, I have worked with many clients who have had ideas and have come to us to help turn those ideas into powerful brands. I have over 20 years experience working with clients that range from small start-ups to Fortune 50 corporations. I have learned to recognize and develop the potential of a great idea. Greenie2Steps is more than a great idea, it’s on its way to becoming a recognized brand.
Joanne:
I learned traditional animation in Los Angeles at Warner Brothers Feature Animation studios. While there , I worked on award winning animation films including Iron Giant, Space Jam and the Tigger Movie. It was an amazing experience . Eventually I returned to Boston and started my own children’s mural painting business. Every year I try to donate one mural to a children’s organization which led to several projects for Children’s Hospital where I met Nancy and began my involvement with Greenie2steps.
Now that we know what makes you so different, what similarities helped bring the three of you together?
Our similarity is a simple one — a shared passion for art, teaching children how to live “green”, and building a successful business. Of course, it helps that we all have strong backgrounds in art and design.
What are some of the lessons you have learned from your business up to this point?
Pick partners with complimentary skill sets. Ours combine business, art and sales and marketing . While we each are strong in our own professions, it is the sum of our combined experience that makes the company work. We’ve also believe that everyone benefits from living on a healthy planet. And we’re learning how much fun it is to hand business cards to two year olds.
As a relatively new business, having just launched at the end of July, I know you haven’t had much time to reach any major milestones yet but what goals do you hope to reach before your first anniversary? What are a few of your long term goals?
Our immediate business goals are to increase brand awareness, expand the product line, establish our affiliate and retail programs, and generate a consistent revenue stream. Our long-term goal is to become a household name by licensing our brand for apparel, home furnishings, accessories and more.
Do the three of you have any advice that you would like to share with any would-be entrepreneurs that might be reading this?
First, love what you do and believe in your ability to succeed. Second, make sure you work well with your partners and have complimentary skill sets. Third, have a professional legal contract. Finally— do your homework.