Business success story: Origami Bonsai

Updated 2024-05-17. Originally published 2010-10-14 on VocationVillage.com

This business success story is from 2010, but many of the lessons here are timeless. Business owner Ben Coleman launched a business only because he couldn’t find a job. That dilemma remains relevant in 2024. If you run your own business, no employer can order you back to an office.


Meet Ben Coleman. He created a business around his love of origami, the art of folding paper into objects.

Origami bonsai

Mr. Coleman, what type of career did you have before you launched your business?

In my previous job, I worked for a manufacturer of propane trucks. I managed the production schedule, handled inventory, and also wrote the manuals for our trucks, as well as about a thousand other duties. It wasn’t an easy job, but I liked it. Then I was laid off. Prior to that job, I taught high school math, and before that I ran a computer retail sales business.

How long did you look for a job, and how did your job search go?

I looked for a job for about a year. I sent out between 325 and 400 resumes. It was really depressing because not only was the labor market dead, but lots of newly unemployed job seekers were entering it. I fell through the cracks in terms of COBRA, and all the unemployment extensions because I had been laid off a few months prior to the “official” recession. I realized if I continued to seek employment as part of the conventional workforce, I would become homeless in a matter of months.

What type of business did you start?

I make origami more accessible and more desirable for everyone. Perceptions of origami vary, but many people consider it useless and complex, and therefore a waste of time. I use technology and innovation to make the art form more accessible, and I’ve developed applications that make it useful. In fact, my first book, Origami Bonsai (Tuttle 4/2010), was reviewed by a reader on Amazon, calling it “the first practical use of origami.”

I released my second book, Advanced Origami Bonsai, electronically, after the publisher rejected it as “too specialized” in June 2009. And I released my third book, Origami Bonsai Accessories, electronically, in March 2010. I sell all three books on my website and I also sell the first mass-produced, pre-folded origami flower in the world (my patented invention) there as well.

How did you survive financially while you started your business?

When my money ran out, I had help from my parents. I expect to have repaid them (with interest) in full in about two months.

How does your current income compare to your previous income?

Companies are now coming to me to write books for them! In the past eight weeks, I made more than I made in a year working for the propane truck company. My second and third books are selling well all over the world, and because they were too “specialized” for the publisher, all the profit from their sales is mine.

What skills and previous experience were you able to bring to your business that are helping you to succeed?

My business is customer-driven. I learned that from working at the propane truck company. I think it’s really important to answer customer questions quickly, and in a coherent and respectful manner, and then to confirm with the customer that you answered their question satisfactorily. The same customer that gets their questions answered goes out and tells three friends what a great book they bought. If I ensure my customers are successful, then I’ll be successful automatically!

I also think that having taught math brings a unique skill set and perspective to the table for explaining things that seem, at first, to be complex. After having learned how to explain concepts to teenagers, I’ve learned to innovate and bring some fun into the learning experience. And I’m sure that my experience as a small businessperson in the early days of personal computing helps a lot with day-to-day operations. I recognize that taking careful chances is part of the entrepreneurial process.

What is the best part about running your business?

Figuring out what needs to be done next. It’s important to remember that there is always something that needs to be done. It’s just a matter of finding it. I don’t enjoy doing things like paying sales tax, but I love making sculptures. The sales tax will not pay itself, and if I don’t pay it, I won’t be in business for long. So the chores come first so I can free my mind to work on the creative stuff.

Believe it or not, I’m not sure I enjoy writing the books. I’m really hard on myself, constantly asking questions, “Will they understand it?” “Does it make sense?” “Can’t I find an easier way to represent that?” When I’m working on a book or magazine project, I work about 14 hours a day, with real high intensity, until the project is done. Once it’s done, I can make some art!

What is the most challenging part about running your company?

Success hangovers. I’ll sell a record number of books, or I’ll be in a newspaper, or something else important to the growth of my business will happen, and then it will be weeks or months before something better happens. I start to think I’m depressed, but in fact, I am frustrated. I have to remind myself that the most important thing is slow, continuous growth, not instant fame. Instant fame comes and goes, and that’s not what I’m in business for.

What new skills did you need to learn to be a successful entrepreneur?

People. I don’t know how to say this, but I had to learn how to deal with people in a more coherent manner. I used to always say things like, “Your business is appreciated.” Now I say, “I appreciate your business.” If you can’t see the difference, then you’ve got the same problem I used to have. I have learned to make a person-to-person connection, almost emotional, but professional, with customers. I make it clear that I care. It’s not just about making customers the number one priority, it’s about connecting with them on a whole new level.

What career advice do you have for job searchers who may be considering an entrepreneurial path?

Just because you’re starting a business doesn’t mean you have to give up your job search. In fact, I’d argue that you should continue your job search until your entrepreneurial venture starts paying the bills. My parents insisted I continue looking for a job, even though my business was supporting me. It’s not called the conventional job market for nothing. Wives, parents, children, friends, are all a lot more comfortable if you’re looking for a job, so avoid the controversy and continue. But start your business venture. Start it right now. The world market is huge, and I believe there’s room for everyone in it. This is the first time in human history that a specialty business in Akron, Ohio, USA can be found easily by a customer in Sao Paulo, Brazil. And it costs nothing to make your presence known. Get your product or service on the web. Start manipulating search engines. Put a brochure on Scribd.com. Give people a way to find you and they will find you.

Anything else you would like to share?

I don’t think there has ever been a better time to start a business. The web changes everything. Individuals have never had access to markets like they do today.

Thank you, Mr. Coleman! Your story is amazing. I’m sure most people would not have guessed you can make a living from origami!


In 2024, Ben Coleman’s Origami Bonsai books are available on Amazon.

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