Mom Invented

When the weather outside was frightful, Kathy Partak had trouble getting her son, Mason, to wear mittens. He just didn’t like them, and from the time he was 2 years old, he refused to wear them. What he wanted were gloves, but Kathy couldn’t find a pair that would properly his small hands. So Kathy decided to take matters into her own mitts and sew a kid-friendly prototype. She moved the thumb closer to the fingers, added a zipper for easy put-on, and she’s now saying, "Let it snow!"

Kathy’s idea, ZipperBack Gloves, was so in-demand she quickly got a deal with a manufacturer to launch the new glove line. After six rounds of prototypes and 14 months in development, ZipperBack Gloves launched in September at the ABC Kids Expo. They sold out at the Expo, and the new product is already available at ski hills, specialty shops and outdoor stores across the U.S. and Canada, as well as on the company’s website.

Now, Kathy shares her exciting journey with us, from her revelation about how kids’ hands are shaped to how she went about getting a great manufacturing deal.

Mom Invented®: Why did you start this company and when?

Kathy Partak: Our young son would not wear mittens, and the gloves that were available didn't fit. In January 2008, when I heard from other moms that they were struggling, too, I sat at my kitchen table and cut up a snow glove. I sewed a zipper in it and it worked. When I had the back of the glove open, I put my son’s hand in and saw why gloves don't fit -- the thumb on the child’s glove is in the wrong place. It's too far away from the finger openings, and that's why you have all the extra fabric in the fingers. We moved the thumb closer, and that combined with the zipper back opening, we have a glove that truly fits. A child as young as three years old can put them on without any help.

How did you determine your product's marketability?

I never met anyone who thought the idea was a bad one. Every parent I spoke with shared their frustration with mittens and putting ill-fitting gloves on a child’s hands. I also used surveys and social media.

What were your initial goals?

I wanted to license the product. When I started talking with manufacturers, one of them made me an offer I couldn't refuse. They prototyped my glove through six rounds and are now providing manufacturing and distribution for us. This was a big deal in that we got to keep our intellectual property and we didn't have to come up with thousands of dollars for initial inventory or learn how to work with manufacturing plants in Asia.

How did you finance your business?

We used all of our savings for legal fees, like patent searches and applications, and our website. Our manufacturer provided everything else based on our letter of intent, orders I took using only a prototype to sell (I sold 501 pair of gloves to retailers and ski resorts in a two week period.) Having those orders in hand, our manufacturer produced our product without any money from us.

So far, we've invested in the neighborhood of $20,000. The first $12,000 was from our savings and the balance came from our regular earnings. We feel completely confident that this is an investment that will pay us back many times over.

Though we are still operating in the red, our projections based on orders from this year are that we will be profitable by the end of 2010, and making money in 2011-2012.

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

Since we were working with a company that specialized in gloves, it was more about getting the right materials and keeping the cost in check. We've been incredibly lucky in many ways, and this is one of them.

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

We have a seasonal product so we have a specific time to really promote. I put our press release out to all outlets, I tell our story, and people connect. I'm never afraid to reach out to share our story -- you can't catch a fish if you don't bait your hook and get it in the water!

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

Finding and making personal contacts in the media. After that, staying on top of the contacts and follow through. If you don't stay on it and them, they won't tell your story.

What has been your greatest high point with your product or business?

When a mom from Delaware bought a pair of gloves from our web site, I contacted her with a question about her order and before we hung up I asked her how she heard about ZipperBack Gloves. She told me her mom saw them on a child and ran after the family to ask where they got them. They told her the name and they Googled us. She shared that her son, Mason -- just like my son -- would not wear mittens. I loved that someone bought them, someone else saw them and inquired, and then they bought them, too.

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

We are your average American family. My husband, Dave, is on active duty in the California Army National Guard and my background is in real estate. It never occurred to either of us that we would bring a product to market, but when we found we didn’t have what we needed to introduce our son to the outdoor activities we love, we didn't just sit by and wait for someone else to do something. Mason is now six years old and loves to ski and play in the snow now that he has gloves that allow him to do the things he wants to. Both Dave and I have business backgrounds so pulling this together was not difficult -- it's just a different business.

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

Dave and I do most everything, but we do have great friends and two people who work the business with us for an interest in the company. One of them is in charge of our website and research, and the other is a sales professional who helps me stay on top of excellent communication with our retailers.

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

The things that fall by the wayside are sleep, clean floors, and me-time. My husband is a superhero in that he really picks up the slack with everything in our lives. We are a dynamic team and that's what makes this work. I could do it by myself, but I'm so glad I don't have to.

I have been surprised at how much I really can make happen in the same 24 hours everyone else has.

Is there a resource that proved to be invaluable that you would like to share with other moms?

Other moms! People want to help and see you succeed. Ask for help and don't operate from a place of fear. Use Twitter and Facebook and get in the mom blog world. You have every resource you can ever need if you just let people know you need it.

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

Just start! Next year will come no matter what you do, wouldn't you rather be a year into the process than still just talking about it? Or worse, see your product on the shelves because someone else started when you didn’t.

I keep reminding my husband that we are nearly two years into our success, having a product in stores with more orders coming in everyday, and most other people are still just talking about their ideas.

Thank you for sharing your story, Kathy! You can learn more about ZipperBack Gloves at ZipperBackGloves.com. If you have a great story to share, we'd love to hear it!

We corrected this story from its original version -- we originally stated that Kathy had a licensing deal with a manufacturer. She actually has a unique manufacturing deal.

Tagged as: featured mom, kid-inspired, mom entrepreneur, mom inventor, product business, seasonal product, startup business, woman enrepreneur, woman inventor