Mom Invented

The most rewarding part of my job is to hear from women like you. This week's remarkable feature mom, Laura Wellington, turned the unthinkable -- losing a husband at a young age with four small children at home -- into a creative way to help her family and others cope with the loss.

A former teacher, Laura created The Wumblers series and The Wumbler Patch brand to help her own four children cope with the passing of her husband from cancer. Not long thereafter, the tragedy of 9/11 marked a second opportunity for Laura to help children cope with the suffering they were experiencing.

The Wumblers teach positive messages of acceptance, respect, responsibility and social and global awareness. The outcome of the meaningful messages, uplifting story lines, and exciting characters in The Wumblers series and The Wumbler Patch brand is the rapid expansion of this series throughout the world.

Laura shares her story with us here:

Describe your company and your product:

The Giddy Gander Company LLC is the owner and creator of the Wumblers television and DVD series and The Wumbler Patch Brand.  This is a company founded on heart and family and has been growing with the simple mission to make this world a better place. Our products are based on the characters from the Wumblers series especially the Baby Wumbler where it all begins.

Wumblers are born from Watermelon and start out blue if a boy and pink if a girl. When a Wumbler turns five years old they change color. They become the color they were meant to be.

Why did you start this company and when?

The concept of The Wumblers was started as my husband was passing away from cancer about 7 years ago.  I had been drawing the characters since I was fifteen and when I needed something to take my mind off the hospital visits and the reality of losing my husband and the father of my children I turned back to these characters and began drawing again. My children and I created stories to go along with them and a friend saw what I was doing and suggested I take it to the next level.

In August of 2006 I started The Giddy Gander Company and through private investors and my own personal investment brought the Wumblers to life. After Eighteen months of shopping the pilot it got picked up by a television broadcaster and by September of 2007 it was airing worldwide.

I started the company as a way to give back to the world and to help other families and children grow up in better surroundings than what we have been faced with. Since Wumblers are born from Watermelon we partnered with The National Watermelon Association of the United States. From this partnership we have grown to be quite popular within the watermelon industry and therefore created our new Baby Wumbler plush that flips from a watermelon into a baby wumbler and back again.

What were your initial goals?

At first it was just to create a DVD series that would teach children strong family values and positive messages that I felt as a mom were lacking in children’s entertainment airing both on television and in the home media market. I wanted to make the world a better place not just for my children, but for all children and create something that brings you back to the family.

Describe yourself and your family. What is your background and how does it relate to your company?

I am a 42 year old entrepreneur with four kids and a wonderful new husband and new stepson.  I lost my husband to two rare forms of cancer and knew that surviving wasn’t going to be enough for my family. I needed to show my kids that through the worst tragedies you can thrive. The world was going through 9/11 at the time and I knew my kids weren’t the only ones suffering. I was a former preschool teacher and my late husband and I started two technology companies out of our living room in Fort Lee, New Jersey. I am still running these two companies and they are still quite successful.  I have always had an entrepreneurial side and once I decided to give birth to the Wumblers I knew that I was on a fast track to build this into a global brand.

Have you ever experienced an epiphany that changed the direction of your life?

Yes.  It was upon the death of my late husband.  Succinctly put, "The value of a person's life is measured by the affect he leaves on others!" It is the affect Dean had on me in life that led me to go out and champion a similar affect.

What process did you follow to develop a prototype?

With a freelance graphic artist we were able to create various design options for the brand and the various categories. We brought on licensees early on in the process who worked with us to develop samples of the products.  They really took the time to understand the back-story of the Wumblers and what we were trying to accomplish as far as building this into a brand.

We also teamed up with a fantastic production house to create the pilot or first episode of the Wumblers series so that I could shop it around to broadcasters and home entertainment companies for distribution.

What process did you follow to determine your product’s marketability?

I gathered my own focus group of moms to determine what they felt was missing in children’s entertainment and what they would like to see their children be exposed to when they weren’t around.  I also teamed up with The Michael Cohen Group who basically wrote the white papers for Teletubbies and he signed off on all the episodes as being compliant and educationally sound for children.  He believed that we had something special and we should definitely bring it to market.

What process did you follow to find a manufacturer for your product?

I brought on a Director of Licensing right when I knew the Wumblers would be picked up by a broadcaster and the interest was building from companies looking for something new. I hired Heidi Schwartz and she grasped the entire concept of The Wumblers and from day one hit the ground running. We signed four licensees before the show even aired on television.

Were there any setbacks in product development that had to be overcome?

There are always setbacks especially in light of the new toy restrictions as well as the financial struggles that everyone is having. We treat all of our licensees like partners and work with them to overcome any obstacles that might be facing them. Putting resources into a new project is tough right now, but we have strong partners willing to take the risk.

What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your product?

First I had to learn an entire new industry and keep learning every day. I went to numerous broadcasting conferences like MIPTV and Kidscreen to start understanding the business, meet the right people and learn who and what the competition was. With the Wumblers we are filling a need, a desire, a hole in the family structure and giving families and children a better alternative to what is out there. The marketing strategy and the business alliances also require a certain level of creativity and outside-of-the-box thinking.

Through what markets are you selling?

We are beginning to hit retail, special promotions within the watermelon industry, charitable organizations, small specialty stores, e-commerce and specialty gift services.

What secrets have you learned in terms of publicity and marketing your product?

Take it in house. The best people to market your product are those that live and breathe it everyday. At the beginning I had hired a high-powered PR agency, but what I found once Heidi Schwartz came on board was that we were more effective ourselves. We understood my back-story and the overall brand mission for The Wumblers. We talked the talk and walked the walk and found that passion is what sells the story. Passion brings people into your fold and allows them to also sign on and want to become part of the adventure.

What was the biggest learning curve in terms of marketing your product?

Finding what makes our brand different from the other brands out there. We needed to find the hook, the catch, the niche. Once Heidi Schwartz came on board and found The National Watermelon Association the fishing rod was cast.

How long did it take to get your product from idea to market?

The DVD series took about 18 months and the Baby Wumbler plush about 12 months.

How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom? What falls by the wayside?

Well my basic day starts at 5 a.m. when I get up and run 4-5 miles on my treadmill. Before I get on the treadmill I usually throw a load of laundry in. I then prepare the lunches for the day and start to prepare dinner for that evening which might even include cooking a roast.  I then Shower and get my kids up and ready for school. After  take them to school, I pop into the local food market for milk, which we are always running out of.

I then make my way into my office and work. I usually have to run some mom type of errands like a school pick up or a drama play to watch or band concert to attend.  After work I head home to always have a family dinner unless a work meeting has to be scheduled at that time. Dinner is the time where we all share stories of our day, sign notes from school that need attention and hear all the latest news from four very energetic kids. Once the dishes are done and the preparations are done for the next day I can then sit on my bed and catch up on a few chapters in my book or read a magazine. I guess what falls by the wayside is just Laura time.

What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally?

My four kids have been with me since the beginning. They helped develop the Wumblers into the brand it is today. They helped with choosing the voices, the character names and the storylines. They each have their set tasks that need to be handled at home and they all look out for each other. They know how important family time is and they treasure it as much as I do. They are my rocks and they make everything that I do worthwhile.

My new husband is a saint and has come into our family and made it his own which has made me so happy. My kids absolutely love him and I love his son. All the kids have just bonded which is so wonderful to see. He understands the road we have traveled as a family and he understands the time I need to devote to the business as it is in super growth stages right now.

Professionally my right hand is Heidi. She is not only my associate, but my friend. She and I work in tandem and are so in sync. Even when we aren’t on the same page we talk it out and we come to the best possible solution for the task at hand. She gets me, she gets The Wumblers and she is as hungry to make this work as I am.  She is also a voice of reason and brings a sense of calm and order to the craziness that befalls us everyday.

How did you finance your business?

Private investment from families.

What has been your greatest success in the process?

Besides waking up everyday and loving what I do, though seeing our Baby Wumbler image on watermelon bins has been such a thrill. Starting this season you will start to see the Baby Wumbler on Watermelon Bins and boxes in supermarkets nationwide. We will also be co-hosting the first ever Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest at Six Flags with the National Watermelon Association, which has given us the opportunity to get in touch with ESPN, Good Morning America, David Letterman and various other talk shows to highlight the winners of the contest and enhance National Watermelon Month, which happens to be in July.

Have you experienced a “low point” and if so, how did you rally yourself to get back on track?

There really hasn’t been a low point. We have just been building and building and building and waiting for one of our many, valuable efforts to set this train a-running. We are close and each day we get closer. Obviously the state of the economy leaves some people with fear, but we have used this to our advantage as we are something new, and we represent families and bringing children back to the home and the heart.

What advice would you offer other moms developing their products/ideas?

Follow your dream. Remember where you came from and who was there when you started. Never back down because of opposition. Do a lot of research and implore the assistance of those who know the business better. Make a lot of friends and contacts along the way and never throw a business card away. Take advantage of other moms and their input and insights. Use your children as sources of knowledge and inspiration. Find the low hanging fruit and grab on. Find the hook, the unique selling proposition, and give people a reason as to why they need or should want your product or service. Go the extra mile and always remember to give back in a charitable way.

Laura, Thank you for sharing your story! Do you have a great story to share? We'd love to hear it!

Tagged as: Business Advice, business resources, Business Secrets, feature mom, inspiration, interview, kid-inspired, Laura Wellington, product business, success, success story, The Wumblers