Mom Invented

Kathy Cioci, a mom of eight, has been on the long road to inventing. She started working on her product in 2001, when she designed and patented a mop that could clean both her floors and her baseboards. Now, nine years and many prototypes later, her product is finally on the market. We applaud her perseverance!

Kathy called her invention the Angel Mop since the convertible cleaning gadget has flexible wings -- and was the answer to her cleaning prayers.

The Angel Mop has garnered critical acclaim, winning the 2006 INPEX (Invention & New Product Exposition) Woman Inventor of the Year award, placing as a semi-finalist in the Hammacher Schlemmer 2004 Inventor Search, and being selected in the top 10 products from over 6,000 submissions to the QVC/Oprah search for inventions contest in 2007. And Angel Mop was featured on QVC in the fall of 2009, coinciding with its official launch.

Even with an award-winning item, though, bringing a product to market can have many twists and turns, and Kathy shared her journey with us -- from needing to rework the product’s design to the surprises that occurred while presenting live on QVC.

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

Kathy Cioci: Like many others with an idea, I went out to find a product to fill my need to clean toe-kicks under the kitchen and bathroom counters and baseboards, and this product did not exist. Thus began a long journey to where I am today. Angelmop Inc. was designed to help busy moms clean hard-to-reach areas in less time with less effort.

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

Kathy Cioci and her 8 children

I am a widowed mom of 8 young children: Vincent, Daniel, Jacquelyn, Maryrose, Dominic, Genevieve, Ava Maria, and Anthony. My wonderful husband passed away suddenly when I was expecting Anthony. My goal is to teach the kids to persevere even through the toughest circumstances.

What was your 'aha' moment when it came to starting your business?

After being discouraged by so many people in the beginning, I decided to trust my own instincts, do the homework and enter a contest to get real feedback from strangers. Affirmation from professionals was what I needed and received to move forward.

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

There have been many high points, but I must say that going on QVC and winning a spot in the top 10 contestants out of 6,000 to be on Oprah's search for invention show was my greatest success so far.

How was your experience officially launching your product and going on QVC?

Putting a new product out there is a long but worthwhile road, and while that first million is out there, it is not going to just fall in your lap.

Having said that, no school could have prepared me for my QVC experience. They are a top notch organization with very high expectations for their vendors. I was honored to be chosen. They weren't as enthralled as I am with my 8 children, especially when I brought them with me one time, but cutting to the chase, the big day arrived and I went to QVC sans children to prepare. We went over everything several times and everything was so perfect. What could go wrong?

Well, I was on after Richard Simmons, who went 19 minutes over, and when it came time for me to clean the floor, the sponges had dried out from the extra time in the hot lights. I was going to save myself by wetting the mop when my demo video played, but when I looked at the monitor on live TV, trying not to think about all of the people I have ever known watching me, the only thing I saw was me standing there with my bone dry mop.

They had decided last minute to cut out the b-roll, but boy does 5 minutes go mercifully fast. Needless to say, sales weren't great, though Richard Simmons absolutely loved it and bought one.

Have you experienced a low point in business? How did you get past it?

The Angel Mop

There was a moment when we were all standing in the engineer's office. The Angel Mop was finished and we were there for the final test. When we put the mop into a squeegee position, it didn't squeeze the sponge all the way and I thought to myself that we cannot put an inferior product on the market. We had to scrap the entire design and start from the beginning. Ouch. We hired another engineer and started from scratch for the current design.

It took 9 prototypes and a saintly mold maker to get to the final product. Needless to say that this is the part where the faint of heart might quit.

How did you finance your business?

My husband was very supportive and friends and family have contributed. My manufacturer has also invested time and man-hours. So far I’ve invested over $200,000 in the business. I feel much poorer, but motivated to make that money back through being successful.

2010 is looking very promising. I would like to do an infomercial and then manufacture the "Little Angel," which is a large microfiber mop with wings for commercial and home use.

What process did you follow to develop a prototype?

I called my local university and they referred me to an affiliated program that does prototyping.

How did you find a manufacturer for your product?

I went to the Chicago Home and Housewares trade show and browsed around to meet manufacturers. That is where I met mine.

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

The biggest learning curve is still something I am struggling with, and that is getting the word out there about my product and dealing with the technical day to day issues like warehousing, shipping, websites etc.

Through what markets are you selling?

Other than my recent stint on QVC, I have sent samples to direct TV companies as well as 8 home catalog companies. We also sell on our website, AngelMop.com.

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

At a Trade Show

Getting help in determining the best strategy and knowing that nobody will market your product like you will. If you don't put in the effort and believe every day that you have a great product, others won't either. Believe in your product, a positive attitude is contagious!

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

I have great kids. I have also learned to sleep less and not get impatient when I don't get it all done. I am happy if I can move things forward even a little bit every day.

If I feel guilty about not spending enough time with the children, I reassure myself with the thought that I am trying to build something for all of us and our future as a family.

What surprised you most about the process of starting your business?

It surprised me that people were so negative and didn't understand why I would want to do this. I know that there will be bumps in the road, but I believe that Angel Mop is a great product which provides a quicker, more enjoyable, and more comfortable cleaning experience.

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

My copy of The Mom Inventors Handbook is really dog-eared and I have given many copies away to others the minute they ask me what steps to take. The Entrepreneur magazine inventor series was also very helpful.

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

Take the steps in Tamara's book. Especially researching as to whether your idea already exists and also if there is something similar on the market. Then be prepared to do whatever it takes to get this product out there.

Thanks for sharing your story, Kathy! You can learn more about Angel Mop at AngelMop.com. And if you have a great story to share about your product or business, we’d love to hear it!

Tagged as: cleaning product, featured mom, mom entrepreneur, mom inventor, Oprah, product business, QVC