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FEATURED MOM INVENTORS > KAREN CAPP
Karen Capp of San Diego, California, found inspiration for her business the way many mom inventors do - from her children. When her oldest child, Mitchell (now 8) was born, she discovered a lack of quality art for kids' rooms...and she set out to change that. Now with a second child, Cammie (4), Oopsy daisy, Fine Art for Kids, is thriving. Here is her story.
Describe your company and your product (or product line). I founded Oopsy daisy, Fine Art For Kids, with my husband Tom after the birth of our first child, when we realized there was a lack of quality art for kids' rooms. We saw companies like The Land of Nod and Pottery Barn Kids beginning to be big in the marketplace... but they had no wall dcor. Our company specializes in stretched canvas artwork that is produced in the giclee method; however, we also are seeing a huge demand for our canvas growth charts, mural banners, placemats and nightlights. Our colorful designs find homes in children's bedrooms and playrooms, and our pieces have been chosen by numerous educators and medical practitioners to enrich and uplift their environments. Our goal remains simple: bringing joy and color to children's spaces, either through artful product or through corporate donation. Why did you start this company and when? We began the company in 1999 to fulfill a niche we identified in the marketplace. We didn't think truly fine art for kids was easy for the consumer to find, but we felt that American parents wanted it. What were your initial goals? We wanted to sell both to the boutique market (upper tier stores that are primarily independently owned) AND to the upper tier catalog companies. 
How have you grown? The company's collection has now grown to include over 600 pieces from more than fifty artists, and we've opened our own showroom (suite 10-E-20 in building one) in the Atlanta Merchandise Mart. Our production facilities in San Diego (yes, we manufacture in the USA) have doubled since 2004 and we continue to ship most orders, including personalized paintings, within two weeks of their receipt. Describe yourself and your family. What is your background and how does it relate to your company? My husband and I both come from a television production background. I also worked in sales prior to TV. As a TV reporter/anchor I was used to deadlines, high stress and knocking on difficult doors! My husband has a lot of technical know-how, which definitely relates to what we do now, because we manufacture our own products. Have you ever experienced an epiphany that changed the direction of your life? Yes, a few! After working in sales for a personnel consulting firm in downtown Chicago, I decided I needed more adventure. I moved to Vail, CO with a girlfriend, where I started working for a small TV station and I met my husband. The second epiphany happened after having our first baby. I realized that I couldn't be the parent I wanted to be if my beeper was going off in the middle of the night - requiring me to rush off to cover a fire or other news event. That's when the idea for Oopsy daisy came about. What process did you follow to develop a prototype? We researched different methods of printing, and determined that we wanted to print straight to canvas, so that children could touch the final product. Canvas makes sense for kids' rooms-there is no glass that separates the child from the art... or for the child to accidentally break. 
What process did you follow to determine your product's marketability?
I had a group of moms over (my friends) and I showed them various pieces we were thinking of introducing. Additionally I got some feedback from a buyer I had worked with at Marshall Field's when I was a department store manager-she particularly assisted with things like setting up item skus, minimum opening orders etc. (the lingo!) What process did you follow to find a manufacturer for your product? We decided to become our own manufacturer so we could offer the best pricing and quality possible, plus customer service! Were there any setbacks in product development that had to be overcome? Yes - finding the right materials to work on, getting pricing down by getting quantity up. Learning how to build things ourselves-the list goes on!!! What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your product? It takes WAY more money than you initially think! We dipped into a lot of our savings and luckily my husband continued to work his full time job while working at our business in the evenings, until the business was standing on its own and could provide a living for our whole family. Then he stopped working two jobs. Through what markets are you selling (retail, wholesale, internet, specialty sales)? We are a wholesale manufacturer. We sell to The Land of Nod catalog, Magic Cabin catalog, Neiman Marcus catalog and a multitude of individually owned boutiques across the country. Many of the stores have been buying from us for 4 years or more and they continue to buy from us because we provide quality product and service-if there is a problem with anything, we strive to make it right. Initially getting the orders was tough, as it was a new concept in the marketplace-we were the first to do canvas reproductions for children. Some stores needed to see that we had lasting power and that we had a long-term presence at the trade shows -then they knew we were delivering the product on time and getting reorders. What secrets have you learned in terms of publicity and marketing your product? Just to be persistent and send information more than once and follow up more than once. We've been so pleased with the recognition that has come our way! This year our artwork was featured on Oprah (May 15, 2006), in numerous issues of Kids Rooms (a Better Homes and Gardens special publication) and in numerous trade publications. It took a while - it doesn't happen your first year in business typically - but now we've made a name for ourselves in this niche. Plus, if an editor asks for a piece to arrive for a meeting the next day, we rush it at our expense. What was the biggest learning curve in terms of marketing your product? People didn't initially buy-they had to see us at the trade show two or three times before they believed our company had longevity, and that we'd actually ship on time. 
How long did it take to get your product from idea to market (conception to product launch)? About one year. We purchased all our own equipment although we do lease our space. We began with only 3 artists and as our name and our financial resources grew, we added more artists and now have over 50. How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom? What falls by the wayside (laundry, work-out, etc. etc.)? Almost daily I feel like a hamster on a treadmill and unfortunately the treadmill is what falls by the wayside. I don't work out but I am starting to. We had a nanny for quite a few years but now my husband and I juggle without now, as our children are in school more. What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally? Excellent friends and a fabulous husband. Unfortunately my family doesn't live close by, but they will always help in any way they can. How did you finance your business? We used up all our savings which was frightening. After the first 9 months of spending and spending, I told my husband maybe we should stop. He was the one who said no - he believed in the concept and the product. How much money have you invested so far? How do you feel about that? We invested about 100K but the company is now profitable and stands on its own. It took about two years to become profitable. What is your company's current financial picture and what are your projections? Our business was up over 95% for the first quarter of 2006 compared to the first quarter of 2005! What has been your greatest success or "high point" in the process? The greatest successes have been selling to the exact clients we targeted at the inception of the company... and knowing we have donated pretty substantial sums (for a small business) to specific charities. Our corporate outreach has been important to us since the very first year of our business and we continue to make annual cash contributions to charities that directly assist children in need. We also donate product on a fairly frequent basis-most recently we provided nightlights for the children sleeping in dormitories on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. Another high point - seeing the art that ships every day and knowing that a child's room will be greatly enhanced-that feels great, too! Have you experienced a "low point" and if so, how did you rally yourself to get back on track? Oh boy, a million - and luckily my husband and I tend to rally each other. Can you give any specific low points and how you came out of it? It's hard to remember exact specifics but there were orders we worked hard to get... and in the beginning a lot of them didn't pan out. You get discouraged but you can't give up. At our first trade show, we scrambled like crazy to make our display great. It turns out our booth location was not really in the right area (we were surrounded by plush stuffed animals and we should have been in home dcor area). We didn't get many orders at all BUT we won best booth display in our division and the trade show staff put us in a much better location the next time around. Who has been your biggest source of inspiration? What keeps you going? Again, my husband has been my biggest source of inspiration and now our children-they come up with ideas for art they'd like! Did anyone in particular help you along the way? Our parents provided guidance and so did professionals we'd met along the way in our careers. For example, the buyer I had known guided me to give our company the structure that other, larger buyers would require to place orders with us-terms, skus for our items, appropriate minimums for our product category, etc. What advice would you offer other moms developing their products/ideas? If you've researched it and you know what you are doing is worthwhile, then don't give up. Persistence is everything. Is there a resource that proved to be invaluable that you would like to share with other moms? Everyone knows it, but the Internet and Google. Specifically for us, it helped me do research and realize that our market wasn't saturated. Now it helps me find new customers, many of which are very successful online retailers... like www.rosenberryrooms.com and www.blissliving.com. 
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