Kristy Ilic

WHAT GOT YOU STARTED?

by Burke Campbell 

Published in the Financial Post

 Jan 26, 2009

Kristy Ilic founded Beetling Design ( www.beetling.com ). Headquartered in Vancouver , Beetling Design makes and sells a selection of foam-based 3-D wall décor. Kristy Ilic tells the Financial Post what motivated her to become an entrepreneur.

Education: “In university, I studied business at Simon Fraser. I also traveled to Germany , to train in art. This included photography, and I was drawn to photographing ornamentation on buildings, the kind that leaps out at you.”

Venture funding: “Returning to Vancouver , I worked at a brokerage firm which led to ten years working in the investment and finance industry.”

Eureka : “ Vancouver ’s a film centre, and I noticed movie props made from a new light-weight foam. I’d wanted to start a business, and I realized the foam could be used to create wall décor, especially for kids’ rooms. When business investors heard my idea, they were eager to fund.”

Online and outward: “We sell online and in retail shops. People are surprised to see animal figures or models of the solar system that jut out of walls. Mothers buy our 3-D designs for the home but they can be used everywhere, from a doctor’s office to real estate showroom to kindergarten.”

Delight: “I enjoy making a product that brings a smile to the face.”

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