Scarsdale Friends and Entrepreneurs Launch Chick Magnets

Scarsdale residents and friends Laura Koch and Leslie Wanks have taken their passion for Canasta well beyond a weekly game. Many of you may already know Laura – who taught over 1,200 people to play the game – and now has joined forces with Leslie Wanks in a new venture. The two created a line of portable card game accessories, developed specifically for women who love to gather, relax, and play cards with friends (especially outdoors, where wind is always part of the game!).

Curious about what it took to launch this new line? We posed some qScauestions to them about their entrepreneurial journey, and here is what they shared:

Tell us about yourselves - what did you do before you launched Chick Magnets?

What seems like a lifetime ago, we both launched our careers in finance. Collectively- commercial banking, investment banking, financial consulting and private equity. Let’s just say we know our way around a spreadsheet!

As Scarsdale residents, during our child rearing years, we applied our skill sets volunteering with local organizations. School PTAs, Scarsdale Youth Hockey, and Junior League of Central Westchester among them. Laura and I are both two-feet-in kind of gals, and these experiences were wholly immersive and exceptionally rewarding. Our goal: leave our posts with some measure of value added for the next at bat. Of course, we honed our own skills as well: in communication, organization, and sales & fundraising.

By the end of 2019, the last of our boys would soon leave the nest plus a global pandemic was on the horizon- the perfect storm to begin our new venture, Chick Magnets!

We would launch our product line in October 2024.

How did you become interested in Canasta?

Our friendship was built around games! We learned Mahjongg together in 2012 and played weekly for years. When Canasta began to grow in popularity, Laura learned the game and became so passionate about it that she eventually taught more than 1,200 people (including Leslie) how to play.

On those beautiful days and with an abundance of amazing venues in and near Westchester County, we took our game outdoors. We used phones, keys, salt shakers, a pen… anything to secure cards from blowing in the wind. Existing market attempts to address the issue- thick, weighted cards or magnetic cards- were neither practical nor a total solution. And so, the seeds of our new venture took root.

Describe your products - why are they unique?

We didn't set out to improve an existing card accessory. We started with a blank sheet of paper and designed an entirely new system for playing cards outdoors.

As card players, we were meticulous in considering the full landscape of addressable issues. We focused on Canasta since gameplay requires 108 cards, fanned and stacked card exposures, pick and discard piles, a second double deck at the ready, and a rotating card tray. If we could solve outdoor Canasta, most any card game would be covered.

We also aimed for a lightweight, portable, attractive, intuitive, and fun-to-use set. Our patented canasta traveler bundle weighs less than three pounds and is packaged in our signature "play nice" tote. Each component was designed for a specific purpose: our spinner tray offers a tight, stable rotation and incorporates a removable wind feature; our personal-sized boards and magnetic clicks allow players to secure cards with one hand; and our card set stores in a dual-purpose deck stand box.

In all, we worked with seven factories to deliver a novel product comprised of plastics, metals, and rare-earth materials made using a variety of tooling and manufacturing processes.

What went into developing the product? How did you find an industrial designer and where are the products manufactured?

As alluded to above, the development process was far more challenging than we ever imagined.

We started with homemade prototypes and initially worked with industrial design firms. Some of these firms were better suited to cloning existing Amazon products while others focused on long-term phased packages from branding and design to marketing swag. Our frugality saved us- all that spend may not have translated to a viable, manufacturable product.

Still, this phase was a necessary part of the learning process, during which we met our talented mechanical engineer. We used this time to tweak design elements and seek advice from fellow entrepreneurs. We would become deeply involved in every facet of every part of our business- production, compliance, import logistics, storage, website development, marketing, fulfillment. The process has been fascinating and we had cheerleaders along the way (even Customs Border Protection and DHL!).

Certainly there were hiccups, and our simple idea evolved into a multi-year project involving revisions, new prototypes and late-night problem-solving. One example: in 2022, new adult magnet safety rules were introduced to address serious injury from high-powered magnetic desk toys (swallowing linked to imitating tongue piercings). We scrapped one of our molds, resizing our magnetic clicks to ensure they were not a choking hazard.

How are you selling and distributing Chick Magnets?

We sell direct to consumer through our website, chickmagnets.co. We also attend pop-up events, charity fundraisers and Canasta tournaments where we have the opportunity to meet customers face-to-face and hear directly about their experiences with our product: It works! My favorite purchase! We play at the beach every week! I use it on our boat!

Our sales are almost entirely word-of-mouth, though we’ve also heard from customers that AI assistants such as Claude have sent them our way. We have had a few organic video reviews posted as well- on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook’s Not Your Mother’s Canasta.

By our first summer season, we shipped to over 100 zip codes across 17 states! Now in our second summer season, sales are beginning to hit a stride. We have many gift sales as well- perfect for the pool, lake, beach, boat or a card lover’s birthday!

Of course, we still have challenges ahead, but we’re proud of what we’ve built, grateful to have one another as partners, and thankful for the many people who encouraged us along the way.

At the Scarsdale Golf Club, a sign at the gym reads: "It doesn’t get easier, you just get better." It's an apt description of the entrepreneurial journey.

Learn more at www.chickmagnets.co.