Klutz

Description

Klutz was incorporated in 1977 in Palo Alto, California, by three friends from Stanford University. They began by selling sidewalk juggling lessons along with a trio of no-bounce bean bags. A week's effort earned the group $35. "It was then we realized the sky was the limit."John Cassidy, the English major of the group, put the instructions in book form and titled it Juggling for the Complete Klutz. Darrell Lorentzen, the business major, wrote up the original business plan and the other partner, B.C. Rimbeaux, was assigned the task of getting a bank loan. Mr. Rimbeaux was a psychology major.The first 3,000 books were distributed via bicycle and backpack, and sales grew from there. "It really was a failed scam," explains Cassidy, who remains the creative force of the company. "Our dream was to do a book on juggling, sell a bazillion in a couple of days, buy an island and retire. It didn't work out. After a year of steady, unspectacular sales, we found ourselves staring down the barrel of a career."

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