About Maya Malik: CEO of Cotton & Canvas.

It is nearly a cliché to say that folks do their greatest within the bathe, however that is the place Maya Malik says she was when she got here up with the concept for her enterprise, Cotton and Cloth Company

“I observed that there was a requirement for giftable, customizable merchandise at an reasonably priced value that nobody was actually providing, nothing easy and distinctive that you can use on daily basis—a timeless product, mainly,” she says. “After doing lots of analysis, I noticed that there was undoubtedly a marketplace for this and nobody was catering to that demand on the time.”

On the time, in 2015, Malik was CEO of two corporations, one a wholesale marriage ceremony and particular occasion provider and the opposite a designer and producer of dessert desk decor. However she wasn’t glad.

“I used to be utterly exhausted, working numerous hours managing the group within the US after which managing a group abroad, in India,” says Malik. “So, I simply determined, having gained lots of expertise and data from that have, that I used to be all for beginning my very own enterprise, and type of seeing the place it goes.”

Together with her husband, Diya, alongside her, Malik launched Cotton and Canvas in 2017. It had humble beginnings: The corporate was initially based mostly in the lounge of Malik’s mother and father’ dwelling in Orange County, California, and its product catalog consisted of some choices.

Success comes rapidly

“It took off immediately,” says Malik.

A day earlier, the corporate had obtained greater than 200 functions. This brought on quite a lot of chaos, particularly since a lot of them needed to attain their vacation spot inside two days.

“We had a printer arrange in the lounge, and we would fulfill all these requests,” she says. “The complete front room, the sofa, and the 2 rooms of the home had been filled with orders.”

However from the beginning, fortune appeared to be on Malik’s aspect. Across the time her firm launched, grocery shops started eliminating the usage of plastic baggage. Since one of many first cotton and canvas merchandise to be offered had been canvas baggage, the timing couldn’t have been higher.

“We wished to provide you with one thing that customers could be enthusiastic about and that was particular to them, that they may showcase and use,” she says. After which, for gifting functions, [we wanted people to be] In a position to ship a very nice message to their family members that was one thing completely different than the same old “I miss you, I really like you” factor. “

The merchandise obtainable from Cotton and Canvas span a variety of sentiments, from the inspiring (a wall hanging that reads, “Child, Consider in Your self”) to the intelligent (a “You Guac My World” shoulder bag) to the downright humorous (a make-up bag). It reads, “This bag accommodates my face”). As the location proclaims, “We consider in positivity. Magnificence. And just a little little bit of humor.”

When it first launched, Cotton and Canvas supplied solely black printing on all of its merchandise, however quickly prospects demanded shade—and that meant a lift to the small funding Malik initially made within the enterprise.

“After seeing what prospects wished, we needed to put an increasing number of in, and it labored for us,” says Malik, who notes that almost 80% of the merchandise her firm sells are made within the US. The problem was maintaining with client demand, delivering what our market wished, ensuring we had the funds to satisfy the demand, after which assembly the demand.”

Proof abounds of the corporate’s progress: Malik moved headquarters from her mother and father’ dwelling to the Los Alamitos workplace in 2019, Cotton and Canvas now has seven staff, and a sister firm Zane + Zuriwhich produces distinctive handmade jewellery items, launched in 2021.

Present concepts from The Cotton & Canvas Co.

All fingers on deck

After all, Malik, at 34, would not have been in a position to do it with out her built-in assist system — specifically, her household. Zia is the president, dealing with advertising, accounting, and buying for the corporate. Her mother and father, each of their 70s, assist with the packing and transport.

“They’re undoubtedly there for something that must be finished day in and time out,” says Malik.

And there’s a lot that must be finished. The corporate not too long ago launched a laser range Options laser minimize acrylic merchandise that every one come to order.

“Now we are able to flip our unique designs into drink stirrers, place playing cards, and plenty of different merchandise—we’re not restricted to material merchandise anymore,” she says.

Talking of beverage stirrers, Cotton and Canvas not too long ago fulfilled a big order of them for a reasonably excessive profile shopper: the Golden State Warriors.

“The final supervisor of their group reached out to us, and she or he wished one thing to rejoice their success as (NBA) champions,” says Malik. “We really did a number of orders for them: one for once they received to the playoffs, (one) for the Western Convention Remaining, after which (one) for his or her championship.”

(Whereas Malik says she’s glad doing enterprise with the Warriors, she makes it clear that, being a Southern California native, she’s really a Lakers fan.)

A brand new addition

Being the CEO of two corporations is one factor. Being the CEO of two corporations and a brand new mother is sort of one other. In October 2022, Malik turns into a mom for the primary time, giving start to a boy named Zayan.

Protecting every part on observe at work and at dwelling requires a balancing act. However Malik is fast to level out that she will not be doing it alone.

“I’ve a very supportive husband. He’s my companion on this enterprise. We began this collectively earlier than we had been even married.” “So, I’ve an infinite quantity of assist from him, my household, and my mother and father.

“I’m very fortunate. Even now, my little boy involves work with us, six to seven hours a day. So, that is how I handle being a mother — all of the feeds, all of the mother stuff, together with managing our group within the workplace.” additionally “.

If all of this seems like lots to deal with, that is as a result of it’s. But when anybody is as much as the problem, it is Maya Malik.