Nissin Shah

Founder of Rhombus Canvas (asi/82308) in Irving, TX
7 years of industry experience
ESP five-star rated supplier

What I Wish I Knew When I Started …
Sometimes you just have to dive into the ocean and swim ’til you reach your destination. In this digital era, every day you learn new things in your professional and personal life. The industry is changing so quickly, you just need to adapt to those changes and execute your ideas.

What Frustrates Me the Most …
When people try to compare true weight of canvas with fake weight of canvas. We specialize in canvas bags, and when we say that it is 18-oz. or 24-oz. canvas, it means the weight for one square yard of canvas. This is the actual way of weighing canvas or any fabric. It’s really important that it be calculated properly.

I’ll Never Do That Again …
Go for business or orders where my time and effort is not worth the end result.

If I Were King of the Industry…
Rather than being a king of the industry, I’ll always prefer to produce the best bags and provide the best quality and service.

Best Advice I Received …
Whenever you want to start a new business, always check the market size of that business. If the market size is big, there’ll be sufficient space for you to penetrate and sustain that success. The promotional products market is a $23 billion industry and bags account for approximately 9%, so it’s a huge opportunity. My dad also taught me there’s no substitute for hard work, the customer is everything and to be honest and passionate about whatever you do.

Worst Advice …
Canvas bags are seasonal products, so you need to add non-canvas products. Also, always keep a close eye on your competitor. In reality, there should be healthy competition. One shouldn’t beat competition by price, but rather one should overcome competition by adding value or doing things differently.

Shah attending a Dallas Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium in Irving, TX, where his company is located.

What I Wish I Could Say to a Client…
Don’t compare me with any supplier. Being a manufacturer, I’m not claiming I’ll offer cheap products to you. I can offer you good, quality bags with great service at competitive price. I wish I could also tell them not to buy polyester or nylon bags. Just go for bags made from cotton canvas.

The Most Important Quality for Being Successful at Sales … 
Be persistent and never give up. Sales should be well balanced between traditional sales and modern sales, such as through digital marketing and social media. Of course, they’re the future, but I still believe that in business-to-business dealings, distributors need personal interaction with suppliers. Measures to get traditional sales like trade shows, catalogs and sales reps still have their place in the industry.

My Never-Fail Product Recommendation …
Boat and Totes (like Lands’ End and L.L. Bean and the bags we offer) are classic, and you can never go wrong with your company logo on them.