WOOSTER – Four friends collaborated on an idea to launch a new work-from-home business in the midst of the pandemic.
Joe Knutson, Scott Nussbaum, Joseph Mast, and Craig Mast wanted to capture people’s best moments and preserve them in a unique way.
They started SoulTiles in late 2020, and their small startup has become a full-time venture.
“This disruption that happened in the pandemic in terms of the workforce exposed the possibility of working something different than a 9 to 5,” Craig Mast said.
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With a previous background in the printing field, Knutson wanted to focus on customized work printing personalized items for individuals.
“We found that people have all these photos on their phones, and it makes it easy for them to take their favorite photograph and get them up on their walls,” he said.
Mast said they came across several similar businesses that produce the same product.
One business printed photographs on plastic and the other one used thin glass. The SoulTiles group figured they could do it better.
“We got nice printers and we went the extra mile of getting good quality glass that when you get it, it feels quality,” he said.
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Unique way to preserve favorite photos on your walls
Three of the four partners actively work together mostly from home because orders come in online through the SoulTiles website. During the production stage of filling an order, work shifts to the printing facility on Old Mansfield Road in Wooster.
“We are all pushing the brooms and cleaning up around here,” said Mast. However, each member of the team has their own focus.
Knutson is responsible for business development. Nussbaum handles finances and production, and Craig Mast is responsible for technology. The fourth partner, Joseph Mast, serves as a consultant. They recently added to their team a marketing director who works from North Carolina.
For less than $20, a customer can print a favorite photograph on glass for hanging on a wall. “It’s an accessible thing to get grandma for Christmas,” Craig Mast said.
Creating SoulTiles is a relatively quick process. The customer uploads photos and chooses from five different sizes, or they can customize their needed size.
By the next day, either Mast or Nussbaum prints the picture and reviews it before packaging.
SoulTiles tries to make hanging the display as easy as possible.
“We provide hanging templets and a bubble level. We also provide screws in the box that we specifically designed ourselves to fit with the hangers,” Mast said.
By combining professional photography and high-quality glass, Mast said, the business offers a unique product.
As SoulTiles launched last November, they aim to reach out to a larger market through photographers. The next step is attending a conference for professional photographers in Washington, D.C., and connecting with photographers to get the product in people’s homes.
“Life is short, and if you are going to take a risk and do something you’ve got to try it now,” Mast said.
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