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FEATURED MOM INVENTORS > BETH CLAMPITT
She's strong, smart and successful. And she's this month's feature mom. Through hard work and resolve, and despite some of
life's inevitable twists and turns, Beth Clampitt of Dallas has accomplished a great deal.
Twelve years ago she was a divorced mom with a young child, who nevertheless found the time to build a thriving printing
and graphic design business. It was so successful she sold it - to become a full-time stay-at-home mom. A year later - and remarried with a fourth child, Cullum - her instinct for business wouldn't lie dormant long. Cullum proved to be the inspiration for her newest venture and current business: My NapPak. It's an all-in-one pillow, comforter and attached fleece blanket that easily rolls up and goes wherever your child goes - perfect for day-care, traveling, and overnights with family and friends. Here is Beth's story.
What made you get back into the business world after selling your first company? About a year after selling my business, I realized that something was really missing in my life. I truly missed the feeling you get when you make the big sale that you've worked so hard on. Being a stay-at- home mom was great, but I needed to do something more - to be a better person for myself. How did you get started? When Cullum was 18 months old, he was in a mother's-day-out program. One day I went to pick him up early, during nap time. He was still asleep... and was stuck to the plastic mat. I picked him up and he remained stuck to the mat! The blanket that I had sent him with was wrapped all around his legs. That really upset me, and when I asked the teacher if I could bring an additional sheet for him to put over the mat, she told me the children were only allowed to bring one item apiece. There was just not enough room to store everything, and the teachers didn't have the time to make up each bed. Earlier in the year I had seen a product at a department store that I thought would work great for him, but it was no longer available. What process did you follow to determine your product's marketability? Through my research I discovered that the product I'd seen at the department store was being closed out. I purchased the remaining inventory and used it to test market the product - to see if people were interested. After making $13,000 from the sales of the closeout product, and learning that it had not been patented, I used the proceeds to design and manufacture a similar product myself. At first I sold them at holiday craft fairs and day cares. I offered day cares a portion of the proceeds if they'd agree to carry my product for a one-week period. Word of mouth grew from there, and soon I was getting weekly calls from moms who wanted NapPaks for their own children. 
What process did you follow to manufacture your product?It was a very hands-on process initially. I had a large SUV, which I would fill with fabric and deliver to the quilter. The quilter would transform the fabric into the proper size roll. I'd then pick up the fabric and deliver it to my sewing room. I'd also hand-gather the bias material, Velcro, strapping, fleece and printed material tags, and deliver that to the sewing room. The sewing room would then piece together the NapPak, and I'd pick up and bring home the finished product (in several trips I might add!) Now that we are manufacturing overseas it is much easier in many ways. The cost per piece is much lower but the quantities are much higher too. What secrets have you learned in terms of publicity and marketing your product? I don't know if I've learned any secrets, but I have definitely learned from some expensive mistakes. At first, I advertised everywhere I could - many different magazines and websites. Now I really like to track where the sales are coming from - and I focus on advertising to retailers who might carry the product in their stores, rather than end-users. We've found tremendous success advertising in one particular magazine that caters to children's boutiques and similar stores. It was recommended by one of our retailers. What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally? Professionally, I have the support of two business partners. They were the catalyst behind manufacturing overseas. Pat and Peter run 2/3 of the business, sometimes more. Pat is in charge of the office and managing the money, Peter travels overseas when we are manufacturing and handles the shipping and receiving. I am the sales/ marketing person. I am so blessed to have these two partners. We work so well together and we all have the same goals - I think that is very rare. Secondly, my family is very supportive. My husband is so proud of me and I just love it when he tells me. My children are very patient, despite the fact that I'm on the phone practically every time we get in the car! My mom, dad and brothers are genuinely excited about the company, and my friends and customers are very happy for me. I am a very lucky person. 
What has been your greatest success or "high point" in the process?There have been so many, but I think the best is when a parent/customer takes the time to email or call to say how much their child loves my product. Also, on two separate occasions parents have taken the initiative to inform their local media about the NapPaks - this happened with the Denver Post and Scholastic Parenting Magazine. I don't even know who these parents were, but thanks to them I got exposure and additional business. Have you experienced a "low point"? We really haven't. A company always wants sales to be higher, of course, but every year we do better and better. How have you dealt with the competition? We have been very lucky - there's not much direct competition. Although there are a lot of nap mats out there, we feel ours is the best manufactured and designed - and also the most competitively priced. What differentiates you? I think our partnership differentiates the company. As owners, we're all committed to offering the best customer service. And because we have no doubt that our product is the best on the market, we stand behind each one we sell. If a store, school or individual isn't completely satisfied with our NapPaks we'll take them right back. This hasn't happened once, however, in five years of business. In addition, we try to bend over backwards for our customers, whether they are buying one for their child or dozens for their stores. How have you financed your company? Because we eased our way into the market it was pretty easy. At first I bought only a few at a time from the close-out manufacturer, then monogrammed them and resold them quickly. With those profits ($13,000) I began manufacturing them myself locally. When we began manufacturing overseas, each partner split the investment equally. Also, my partner Peter's overseas connections were initially very patient with us financially. What advice would you offer other moms developing their products/ideas? I think if you have a great idea, you should test market it first. Don't run out and immediately get a patent or trademark. Just keep it simple and figure out if the product will sell first. Also, do your research on the pricing - not only the cost of producing it, but what the market will tolerate for a sales price. You want to offer a high quality, viable product at a fair price. Mom Inventors wishes Beth Clampitt and My NapPak continued success! For more information or to purchase a NapPak, visit www.mynappak.com | ||||||
