Liette Tousignant and Kelly Krake 

WHAT GOT YOU STARTED?

by Burke Campbell

Published in the Financial Post

 May 5, 2008

Kelly Krake and Liette Tousignant founded the firm Under the Roof Decorating, introducing its premier product, Hang&Level (www.hangandlevel.com), a gadget to assist with wall hangings. Their firm is located in Calgary, Alberta. Kelly Krake tells the Financial Post what motivated him to become an entrepreneur.

Motivation to earn:  “My wife and I met at university in British Columbia. We decided to take time off and backpack across Europe together. Entrepreneurial at heart, we worked to raise money for the trip. For instance, Liette taught fitness classes.”

The road to decorating: “I was successful as a consultant in the technology industry. Liette worked in interior decorating, creating custom home environments.”

A need to save time: “Liette would complain that hanging photos and paintings on walls was time-consuming. She needed a handy tool to show the straight level, and where to put the nail or hook. We came up with a great design that was easy-to-use and showed it off.”

Instant demand: “Everyone loved the leveling tool, so we decided to mass produce it. To assure we owned the success, we patented it and promoted it in retail stores and on TV.”

What we have: “This Hang&Level trademarked tool is now sold across North America, in chains like Canadian Tire, Home Depot, and Linens-N-Things. We plan to launch other handy home decorating tools very soon. All our hard work is paying off.”

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