Entrepreneur: Gary Haubrich Ellis Company: HeavenKept Address: 7418 Jefferson Kansas City, MO 64114 Phone: (816) 361-4917 Email: Web Site:www.heavenkept.com Type of Business: Sells plush religious items containing messages of faith, love and comfort to Christian retail stores, hospital gift shops and other specialty gift shops
The idea for HeavenKept sprang from a very unusual situation: a child’s nightmares.
A few years ago, president and owner Gary Ellis and his wife, Sherry, were consoling a friend’s son, an 8-year-old boy who was experiencing repeated nightmares about the devil. To help him sleep, Sherry stitched together a small, cuddly cross that he could hold at night. It worked, the nightmares stopped; and a business idea was born. Ellis thought, “Why not produce the cuddly crosses on a larger scale and sell them through Christian booksellers?”
Gary Ellis said he felt divinely compelled to pursue it, so much so that he later retired from his job of 20 years.
“I was at a place of discontentment with my employment, and the idea of entrepreneurship and working at something I deeply believed in was intoxicating,” Ellis said.
Ellis sold his first cross in September 2001, after spending more than a year and a half designing and producing prototypes. By 2003, he had sold out his entire inventory of 4,000 Comfort Crosses.
“Going through the yellow pages, I contacted every Christian bookstore I could find, and showed them what it was, which at that time, was called a ‘Cuddle Cross,’” said Ellis, who later changed the name of the product to Comfort Cross.
Today, HeavenKept retails two main products, the Comfort Cross and the Health Cross, both of which are available in Spanish. The company sells 6,000 units annually to over 350 stores throughout the country, primarily Christian retail stores and hospital gift shops. The company has one full-time employee, three part-time employees, and seven sales reps covering 42 states, including Alaska.
Despite the growth, Ellis plans to continue running the business from his home. He confesses that he still struggles with managing both business and family obligations.
“I have been surprised at how difficult a balancing act it can be, trying to attend to both my personal and my work life, under one small roof,” he said. Ellis credits much of his success to his wife, Sherry, and both her business sense and her strong support of the business. He recommends that other business owners discuss their plans with their partners and family, before embarking on the path of starting a business. The two met in the MBA program at Rockhurst University, where he learned how to conduct a product viability assessment and create a business plan.
“Make sure your spouse or significant other is behind you 1,000 percent,” he said. “You’ll need a support network and a cheerleader to help push you through the rough spots— and there’s always rough spots!”
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has also provided critical support for HeavenKept. He credits consultant Larry Lee with helping him to navigate through the challenges of patents, quarterly taxes and legal structures.
“There’s a lot to learn and know about starting up a business,” said Ellis. “The SBDC has been instrumental in guiding me through licensing and startup, as well as general growth issues.”
Recently, Ellis joined a wide variety of associations, in order to network and keep up on the industry. He finds the Christian Bookseller’s Association (CBA) to be an especially valuable resource for industry information, trends and profiles of Christian bookstores. The organization also sponsors conventions.
This year, Ellis attended his first convention.
“We came away with approximately 45 new stores and three new sales reps,” Ellis said. “All in all, not bad for our first time out.” Ellis is now developing prototypes for several new products, including crosses themed with peace, joy and Kwanzaa. Even with all the hard work, he enjoys it.
“Celebrate your successes and don’t fret your failures,” Ellis said. “It’s all a wonderful learning experience, and you’re better for it.”
Paula Peters is a freelance writer and the owner of Peters Writing Services Inc., which specializes in writing technical and marketing materials. She can be reached at (913) 485-4537 or
