Jackson is a town full of daring, inspiring women. Dig a little deeper and you can find out the true essence of each of them. Kelli stands apart for her genuine, outgoing personality. Being a Midwesterner from Ohio, she has the natural instinct to smile at you on the sidewalk as she passes. Kelli is a self-described jock who feels at home in a town surrounded by like-minded women and dramatic Tetons right in the backyard.
Jackson has changed a bit since she first moved to town. Kelli vividly recalls “the spirit of the people” helped convince her to make this home. In the beginning, “Jackson was wild” and “my first friends were big characters.” The best part being “the women I met were progressive and spoke their minds.” These friends “sought adventure and challenged each other to push limits.” With friends like these it’s no wonder she made the move.
Like many of us, Kelli is tough on her gear and notices new tears or holes each season. She grew tired of the old standby, boring tape. While most people wish there was another way, Kelli is the kind of person who will find one and pursues it until she succeeds. She envisioned a patch that was made of fabric and had cool shapes to put onto her gear. She came up with Noso, Puffy Patch ®. “The brand name is a play on words, meaning ‘no sewing necessary.’”
The idea was a hit from the start. “People really want pink, purple and green patches.” And “my favorite suggestion was from a kid who works at Skinny Skis, who really wants us to make a squirrel patch.” While she’d like to do it all right now, the goal has been to keep it simple the first year and then expand the shapes and colors the second year.
To recognize a problem, think of a solution, and then take that idea into a tangible product to sell is a lot of work. Many give up early on. But Kelli isn’t one to let a difficult situation stop her. “I’m a perfectionist and it took a lot of time to get the quality where I was like, yea, this rocks, I think people will like these more than tape.” She spent a couple of years dabbling with this idea before she was ready to launch.
Today, her products are “up and down the west coast, all over the Rocky Mountains, and in a couple of stores on the east coast, too.” In fact, “we have a few online distributors and we’re now in Canada.” The list is growing and this is just year one. To celebrate all the fun things happening at Noso ® and to commemorate the first anniversary, she is releasing 4 new products with discounts through September 17th online at www.nosopatches.com.
Kelli is appreciative of the support she receives from Jackson, which only serves to deepen her love for this town. “We’re an outdoorsy bunch and people were stoked to hear about us and start patching stuff right away.” It didn’t take long for all of the shops in town to place orders. “I’m thankful for my friends, Andrew Firmin, Emery Hemmings, Liza Millet, Sandy Hessler, Lisa Price, Mira Epstein, Hillary Munro, Steve Sullivan, Mike Morrison, to name a few.” Her friends new and old were critical to the early success. And the Silicon Couloir’s Chance Meetings were an added help in many ways for her and she learned a great deal at those.
Kelli is able to rely on others because she is the kind of friend who will be there for them. Her advice to those who have an idea to chase is “make a plan, start the hustle, and be persistent.” That is good advice for anything. And most importantly, “if you need help, ask someone who might know more.”
Jackson is an amazing town filled with residents who come to visit and then decide to make it their home. That sense of adventure, free-spirit, and courage are characteristics of each person who lives here. Kelli is unique for her ability to channel all of those qualities into a product that we not only love to use but also realize we actually need it.
