About Maya Malik: CEO of Cotton & Canvas.

It is virtually a cliché to say that individuals do their finest within the bathe, however that is the place Maya Malik was when she got here up with the thought for her personal enterprise, Cotton and Cloth Company

“I used to be within the lavatory in the future, and I observed that there was a requirement for customizable merchandise and reasonably priced presents that nobody actually supplied, nothing easy and distinctive that you possibly can use every single day—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 firms, 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 crew within the US after which managing a crew abroad, in India,” says Malik. “So, I simply determined, having gained lots of expertise and data from that have, that I used to be interested by beginning my very own enterprise, and form of seeing the place it goes.”

Along with her husband, Diya, alongside her, Malik launched Cotton and Canvas in 2017. It had humble beginnings: The corporate was initially primarily based in the lounge of Malik’s dad and mom’ house in Orange County, California, and its product catalog consisted of some choices.

Success comes shortly

“It took off straight away,” says Malik.

A day earlier, the corporate had obtained greater than 200 purposes. This induced a substantial amount 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. “Your entire lounge, the sofa, and the 2 rooms of the home have been stuffed with orders.”

However from the beginning, fortune gave the impression to be on Malik’s facet. Across the time her firm launched, grocery shops started eliminating the usage of plastic luggage. Since one of many first cotton and canvas merchandise to be bought have been canvas luggage, the timing couldn’t have been higher.

“We needed to provide you with one thing that customers could be enthusiastic about and that was particular to them, that they may exhibit 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 standard “I miss you, I really like you” factor. “

The merchandise accessible 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 comprises my face”). As the positioning proclaims, “We imagine in positivity. Magnificence. And somewhat 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 needed, 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 shopper demand, delivering what our market needed, ensuring we had the funds to fulfill the demand, after which assembly the demand.”

Proof abounds of the corporate’s progress: Malik moved headquarters from her dad and mom’ house 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.

All arms 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 dad and mom, each of their 70s, assist with the packing and delivery.

“They’re undoubtedly there for something that must be executed day in and day trip,” says Malik.

And there’s a lot that must be executed. The corporate lately launched a laser range Options laser lower acrylic merchandise that every one come to order.

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

Talking of beverage stirrers, Cotton and Canvas lately fulfilled a big order of them for a reasonably excessive profile shopper: the Golden State Warriors.

“The overall supervisor of their crew reached out to us, and he or she needed one thing to have a good time their success as (NBA) champions,” says Malik. “We truly did a number of orders for them: one for after they bought to the playoffs, (one) for the Western Convention Remaining, after which (one) for his or her championship.”