Mom Invented

Stay-at-home mom of four Athena Menoudakos always wanted to start a business, but put her dreams on hold when she started a family. As a mom, though, she kept thinking up ideas that would make parenting easier, and she found that other moms were having similar issues, too. Without taking any loans, she spent two and a half years developing her first product, the Snacker Catcher, a device to prevent kids from dropping their food on the ground, and it came to market more than a year ago.

Now sold in retail and online stores, as well as catalogs like Leaps and Bounds, the success of the Snacker Catcher allowed Athena to fund a second product -- the Hipster Bibster, a bib for children who don't like wearing traditional around-the-neck bibs but still need something to keep them clean.

We caught up with Athena, founder of Bebalee Corp. to talk about how she's doing it all...

Why did you start your business and when?

Bebalee Corp. was started in 2007 and launched its first product (Snacker Catcher) in September 2008  and its second product (Hipster Bibster) in October 2009.

I started this company because as a stay at home mother I often found myself saying, "Why don't they make certain baby products to make my life easier and my baby's life easier, too?" I was frustrated and faced with many challenges every day. After saying enough was enough, I decided to invent the products myself. One problem that I often faced was my children always dropping their snacks on the dirty floor. It was wasting food and money, and it was a very tedious job to constantly be bending bend down to pick up dirty food off the floor.

The Hipster Bibster

My second problem was that my last child would constantly rip off her neck bib and stain all of her clothing. I found myself changing her clothes twice a day and often not being able to get all the stains out of her clothes. Being home for 10 years I realized that I wanted to do something different with my life. I wanted to use my brain in a different way. My kids were all off to school, and now it was just me and my day.

The Snacker Catcher took two and a half years to bring to market, and the Hipster Bibster took about a year and a half from start to finish.

What is your background and how does it relate to your company?

I am 35 years old and happily married to my husband of 13 years. We have 4 children: Demetra, 10, Peter, 9, Alexander, 7, and Anastasia, 5. Our family is very close and I am home full time. I have a business degree and always wanted to own my own business. Since I was a little girl, I was always coming up with different ideas for making or selling things and dreamed of owning my own business. I started a family at a very young age and it took up most of my time, so my dreams were on hold. But as my children grew I found more time to spend on my interests and what I wanted to do with my spare time.

How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom?

Athena Menoudakos' children showing off some Hipster Bibsters

I finally have all 4 kids in school full time this year, so I am able to go out and sell my product. I am also able to get chores done very early in the morning and then start my business duties. I am finding that my laundry is piling up more and more. I am also realizing that I have to cook my meals in the morning because once
the kids get home it is homework, sports, etc. And with my second product now on the market, I am finding myself busier and busier -- and going to bed later and later. Even though people say I look tired, I feel great. I am so happy to finally live my dream.

How did you finance your business?

The main reason why my first product took me so long to complete is that we never took out a loan or used any credit cards. My husband and I agreed that this product would get done when the money was available. So if the money wasn't there, I had to hold off on my invention, or the next step. At times is was very frustrating and upsetting, but I agreed that we would never put ourselves in debt because of my business. Today, I am proud to say that my first product's success has funded my second product.

What process did you follow to develop a prototype?

The Snacker Catcher

I started reading about many different types of prototypes, how they were done, CAD drawings and molds. My first challenge on the Snacker Catcher was finding different plastic pieces that would allow me to open and close the device while regulating the size loop to hold the snack. I literally went to every Home Depot and craft store, then one day I looked down at my basement floor and found a strange looking red plastic barrel that would be perfect for my invention. After I found that, I bought some shape-lock and shaped away, then went to a design molding company and spent about a year completing the Snacker Catcher.

For the Hipster Bibster, it was much easier. Less time, less money and a quarter of the headaches. I went out and bought some fabric, elastic and Velcro, and sewed away. Once I was done, I put the bib on my daughter and she loved it.

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

When researching the market for a large snack holder and not finding one, I decided to ask other moms if they had the same problem as I did with dropped snacks. I also went to my church youth group and had them fill out a questionnaire of different problems they face to see if there was a need for this product. As for the neck-less bib, so many friends loved it so much, that I knew this product was needed. I also searched the market and found nothing like it. And I realized that apparel is much easier to sell than a niche gadget item.

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

The Snacker Catcher was a very time consuming product to create. It took me over 2 1/2 years to complete. It took many times before I finally got the mold right. I thought the company that created my mold was giving me such a good price and wanted to see me succeed, yet after it was all done I realized that they really took me for a ride. I invested too much money, and being home full-time with only my husband's salary, I felt guilty.

Then, when I had my product tested to meet all the requirements for CPSC and FDA laws and regulation, I didn't pass the first time. I had to go back and change my mold again, as well as change the type of plastic that was being used. Since this product was going to be in a child's mouth, as a mother, I had to make sure that this product was as safe as could be and that it passed every test needed and then some.

There were so many times I felt like giving up, and yet I somehow continued. I would sometimes take a little break and stop for a few days. That always helped. I would also talk to other mom inventors and entrepreneurs when something went wrong, and every time these women would get me back on my feet. They always knew the right things to say and they always let me know that every person goes through this stage.

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

Athena Menoudakos and Tamara Monosoff at the ABC Kids Expo

My family and friends have been there from the beginning. They always gave me their honest opinion -- even if I didn't want to hear it. My mother and father loved the idea and always believed in me. And my husband has been so supportive, always backing me financially and never giving up on me. I have to say though, he has been the hardest on me. As an attorney he never gave me any sympathy and always expected me to figure things out -- even when it came to patent law.

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

You may not realize it, but you have a lot of hidden support. When you're at a low point, try to reach out and speak to others for support. Use all of the resources your have -- books, library, SCORE, other mom inventors, and family and friends who may have a trade or talent that can help. Also know that if you really believe in the invention and really want to complete it, you will, You have to be patient and expect mistakes, because without mistakes, you won't learn and go forward. It takes time, but it will happen.

Thanks for sharing your story, Athena! If you have a great story about your product or business, we'd love to hear it! Also, some people had been having difficulties with our Share Your Story form, so we have completely upgraded it. If you have submitted a story in the past and are concerned that it did not get through, please feel free to follow up with us at info@mominventors.com or by submitting an interview with our new system.

If you're an Arizona mom inventor, don't forget to check out our latest product search -- the deadline for submissions is November 17, 2009.

Tagged as: featured mom, kid-inspired, mom entrepreneur, mom inventor, product business, stay at home mom, woman inventor, work from home