Nebraska Ag Connection - How HayBale Banners Turned a Nebraska Fixture into a Business Model

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How HayBale Banners Turned a Nebraska Fixture into a Business Model
Nebraska Ag Connection - 09/16/2021

The spirit of an entrepreneur is one of innovation and resourcefulness, of which Rodney Keiser, founder of HayBale Banners, LLC, a GROW Nebraska member, is a prime example.

By identifying an untapped need, and combining his creativity with the resources he had at hand, Rodney has managed to build a successful business that is both unique and relevant to the Heartland of America.

The story of HayBale Banners begins at a company that Keiser had previously worked for. They had run into difficulties getting printed material in their area, and decided to buy a big HP large-format printer. Rodney then helped set up a division called "Exceptional Prints."

One year, for the Wauneta Annual Harvest Festival, the Chamber decided to hold a hay bale decorating contest. As Keiser was president of the Chamber at that time, he was involved in the event.

"I had no idea what that was all about," he said. "I was more of a tech person. A 'graphics technician.' But that's where I got the idea. I thought, 'Wow, nobody makes signs for these big round hay bales.'"

His company had just gotten a new printer, so he decided to do some research. He eventually talked to Charlie MacPherson, the UNO business development contact for rural areas, at Mid Plains Community College. MacPherson saw the potential and encouraged him to try to obtain a patent.

Though they discovered that there's no patent classification for printed material, Keiser plowed ahead, showing people pictures and mockups of his plans.

"I only had two people think it was a bad idea," said Keiser. "Everybody else loved it. That's the first time in my career I've had 80% of people like a business idea." He laughed. "Eventually one of those people who hated it came in and asked for two for his high school reunion!"

2020 did take a toll, however.

"Last year, because of COVID, was a challenge," he added. "One of the markets we've homed in on is the state and county fair manager convention. Originally there were 10 fairs in Nebraska that were willing to go, but only one of them actually happened in 2020."

Keiser worked hard at marketing the business, though, and reports that 2021 has been the company's best year so far. He's looking forward to November, December, January, and February, when he'll go out and market to states with large rural populations and round hay bales.

GROW Nebraska has also had a hand in his success. In 2019, Keiser took advantage of the GROW Nebraska tables at the Nebraska State Fair, where he met a woman from Iowa looking to buy 8 banners in 2020. While the order didn't happen in 2020, it did in 2021, along with a 6 banner order from another county fair -- a referral from the woman in Iowa.

He's also enjoyed GROW's technical education, specifically Facebook and Google advertising. "I'm glad I did it," he said. "Just last night I got a phone call from a corn maze company in Wisconsin, who found us from Facebook ads."

Keiser says the popular items right now are school spirit banners, pictures of seniors with their classes, and messages of good luck for the schools. While they are still working on some event banners, he's found that many parents are putting in extra effort this year to make things special for their kids, after such a hard school year last year.

The GROW Nebraska Foundation helps entrepreneurs get the resources they need to live in Anywhere, NE and make a sustainable living. Since the inception of GROW Nebraska in 1998, its vision and mission has never wavered: to create viable economic development through business training, technical assistance, promotion and access to markets. The Foundation creates impactful opportunities for small business owners and entrepreneurs to live in "Anywhere", Nebraska and make a sustainable living.

GROW Nebraska works with its clients to meet them where they are and move them towards their personal goals. Its services include training and technical assistance through many avenues: workshops (in-person and virtual), streamed and archived educational training opportunities, one-on-one technical assistance and an annual marketing conference, MarkeTech.

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