The following piece was part of the “Second Acts” column that Matt created for The Boston Herald:
Second Acts
Name: Amye Kurson
Old gig: Advertising
New gig: Retail
Always on the lookout for “an exciting and fast-paced job,” Brookline’s Amye Kurson began her professional path as a media buyer at J. Walter Thompson in New York. After five years there, working with all the major networks, Kurson came back to Boston, where she spent another five years at Mullen. While there, she began to develop an idea to take a much larger step.
“I am a golfer,” she explains, “and I had always noticed that there was no really cute alternatives to the standard club head covers. Our company was born out of the quest for a product not available in the market, and a determination to fill this void for all golfers.”
After some intensive researching at the PGA Expo and other venues, Kurson and her partner, former venture capitalist Suzanne Smetana, launched Ame and Lulu (www.ameandlulu.com), a home-based company that designs and manufactures custom club head covers and tennis bags.“I knew that I had to follow my passion and give my business a real shot,” Kurson says.
And while Kurson tried to juggle both jobs for some time, the new venture quickly came to demand her full attention.
“There are so many places that could carry this product,” Kurson explains. “We get new buyers calling every day.”
Today, Ame and Lulu sells to over 150 pro shops and to individuals and groups around the world.
“It is such a unique product,” she explains, “and people are responding to that.”
Though Kurson has been able to translate skills developed in her former field to her new life, one thing has rung true throughout.
“If you are passionate about what you do and you want to put your heart in it you will be good,” Kurson advises. “I had my heart in advertising and now it is in my own business.”
