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FEATURED MOM INVENTORS > STEPHANIE CARTWRIGHT
Stephanie Cartwright's inspiration for her highly successful business, Bread and Budder Buckets, was a happy accident. An oil painter, Stephanie looked at her paint-splattered bucket one day a couple years ago in a whole new way - and noticed a work of art. This inspired her to create her beautiful and utilitarian collectable line of buckets wrapped in the latest fabric pattern - buckets households are now collecting and enjoying. She is the mother of two teenage daughters and resides in Watkinsville, Georgia.
Describe your company and your product (or product line) Our company creates fabric-covered buckets that are wrapped by hand. There are nine different size buckets - all true utility style buckets. We feature decorative and unusual fabrics in a variety of themes, primarily focusing on the current trends in home dcor. The fabrics are treated for use indoors and out, wet or dry. This feature has proven to be a quality many of our customers desire. Why did you start this company and when? An innocent attempt in 2004 to make a decorative and functional container grew into a thriving entrepreneurial adventure! What were your initial goals? I set out to create a useful, original, and fun product. With the many gift baskets, gift bags and cute storage containers in the marketplace, I wanted to create the "alternative" gift basket or container. Describe yourself and your family. What is your background and how does it relate to your company? I just turned 40 and have been married 16 years with two teenage daughters. I have a degree in Fine Arts and a background career in interior design, and I co-owned a fine art gallery that was open for almost two years. My passion is oil painting, and when the gallery doors closed all I knew is that I wanted a "little bread and budder" to maintain my painting habit. I didn't want to be a starving artist! Have you ever experienced an epiphany that changed the direction of your life? My life totally changed the day I looked at my paint bucket with dried splattered paint drippings on the sides as a work of art. I joke and say it must have been the paint fumes that gave the bucket the "decorative look!" While I fully intended on pursuing a career as an artist (with or without my art gallery) I am very pleased to be finally making some "bread and budder" for my sideline passion. 
What process did you follow to develop a prototype?
I didn't actually research this or even plan it adequately - as I said above, one day my splattered bucket of paint took on a new look in my eyes! This was my original raw prototype. The process we apply to the fabric - to wrap it around the bucket - is actually one of the many techniques employed by oil painters to preserve and protect their paintings. I used this knowledge to create our original prototypes. What process did you follow to determine your product's marketability? I went out on a limb and decided to produce and display a collection of prototypes at the Atlanta Gift Show to gauge response from retailers. The show lasted 3 days and we walked away with 30 orders and 400 buckets to make! What process did you follow to find a manufacturer for your product? I was approached at that initial Atlanta show by a broker who was excited about the product and wanted to help find a manufacturer for our raw buckets. I had only been doing the business at that time for a few short weeks, and was actually a little scared about his interest... and wasn't sure how much information I should share. He persisted, and I decided at that point to design the perfect functional bucket and see if he could have it made. Thankfully the stars were in line for us; the broker returned with a terrific product and we have now taken delivery of over 38,000 buckets! Our business and our product would not be where it is now if this arrangement had failed. Were there any setbacks in product development that had to be overcome? There were many setbacks; I averaged at least one per month! Luckily each obstacle brought improvements. It took 9 months to create the perfect product; fortunately there was nothing else like this on the market - no comparables for our customers. Needless to say my customers have been pleased with the fine-tuning, which I know due to the many re-orders. What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your product? Our biggest challenge has been finding a method to produce the finished buckets quickly enough, in sufficient quantities, to allow production on a large enough scale to meet anticipated (and realized) demand. While our customers love the quality of the hand-wrapped buckets, it can at times delay immediate shipments. If the need becomes clear we would eventually consider offering two lines of buckets: one made by machine, and the other hand-wrapped. Through what markets are you selling (retail, wholesale, internet, specialty sales)? We sell through all of the above; the Internet has been the best for sharing product information. When we launched our site one year ago we averaged 1525 monthly visits; now, one year later, the average is 5069. That is about 171 visitors a day! An added extra for our wholesale buyers is the store-finder on our website, retail customers also find it convenient. What secrets have you learned in terms of publicity and marketing your product? Publicity is crucial; investing in professional marketing help will pay for itself many times over. Research on the Internet was also critical, and visiting my local bookstore and searching through magazines has been key to building my contact list. I've also sent samples of my product to target potential customers. Many of these "freebies" have turned into substantial sales and have served as a great customer service tool. What was the biggest learning curve in terms of marketing your product? Refining the presentation of our product so that potential buyers understand its uniqueness and utility has been the biggest marketing challenge. The fabric industry is constantly discontinuing fabric designs, which creates inventory issues with particular designs. I soon realized I needed to convince my customers of the importance of fresh and evolving fabrics, to keep up with the current trends. I also needed to devise a plan to make the product "collectable" while promoting the many functions of the product. How long did it take to get your product from idea to market (conception to product launch)? Not long enough! After the idea hit me, I attended the Atlanta Show 14 days later with 100 "samples" to showcase. It was a wild 2 weeks!! How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom? What falls by the wayside (laundry, work-out, etc.)? Unfortunately, as a mom and business owner things fall by the wayside on a daily basis. The phrase "the squeaky wheel gets greased" is my operating mode. When the laundry pile is climbing up the wall, it gets washed; when the paperwork falls off the desk it gets organized. This is constant issue for me, and I have to believe it will become easier as we grow a bit. What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally? I actually have been blessed in both areas; I have a mother and father who have joined the endeavor full time without reservation. My husband works on his days off, which can at times be 3-4 days per week in the office or in production. My daughters are great; they bring their homework to the office and willingly participate in small jobs to help add to their allowance. I also have a wonderful group of friends who are available when I find myself in a pinch. Professionally has been a little harder. It's only been in recent weeks that I developed a grand relationship with Sandra Began, my "new" partner, on a joint venture that we will launch in a couple of months. Interestingly, Sandra began as a customer and a cheerleader for my product and has been critical in supporting the creative ideas and plans for the future. It is wonderful to have another mom/friend to juggle ideas with! How did you finance your business? Personal assets, bank loans, credit cards. The business started so fast and took off faster; there was no time for business plans or securing any kind of financing or investors. . How much money have you invested so far? How do you feel about that? 100K have been invested and the pressure at times is unbearable. There are a lot of sleepless nights! What is your company's current financial picture and what are your projections? Bright. Our sales have grown ten-fold over the past year. With the addition of some new products that will debut this month and in September, I can only guess that they will continue at this rate and then some. What has been your greatest success or "high point" in the process? Exposure through magazines is always great. We were featured in at least one magazine a month from February-June of this year. Have you experienced a "low point" and if so, how did you rally yourself to get back on track? I do experience low points, but I have found that my family's support, rest and removing myself even for a short time can give me a recharge. Who has been your biggest source of inspiration? What keeps you going? My parents are my inspiration. They are both retired, but when this product took off they stepped in to help me out in the most unselfish way. My dad endures the heat and cold to design facilities that help with production, my mom oversees production and does anything she can to lighten my load. I believe I have been blessed with getting to spend every day with my parents. It is rare to have this opportunity with one's retired parents, and I don't know how much longer they will be with me, but this adventure has secured our togetherness for a while. Did anyone in particular help you along the way? My family and my friends truly have come to bat for this business. They call themselves "believers!" They believe that this product will work! What advice would you offer other moms developing their products/ideas? Accept the risks involved and push your idea. If you are passionate about a product or idea, others will be too. Is there a resource that proved to be invaluable that you would like to share with other moms? The Internet is the best resource. Learn the technique of "searching" and take advantage of the 24/7 availability. There is also a wonderful site called www.constantcontact.com for email marketing solutions. I highly recommend this! | ||||||
