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FEATURED MOM INVENTORS > NOEL GOLDMAN
Meet Noel Goldman of Celebration, Florida. She saw a common problem - the slipping, sliding and general overexposure of bra straps everywhere - and set out to solve it.
Strap Tamers ( www.straptamers.com ) is her invention, which has blossomed into a successful company through hard work, business acumen and good old-fashioned intuition. Her innovative yet oh-so-simple product is the stuff of this month's inspiration. Here is her story: Why did you start this company and when? Living in Florida, no matter where I went - theme parks, the mall, even church - exposed bra straps were everywhere! I kept wondering, just when did it become acceptable to fail to keep your undergarments "under"? This has always bugged me, but as my daughter rushed to leave for school one morning, I was floored to see (yes, right in my very home, right on my lovely daughter) visible bra straps! That did it. Someone had to help women fight this epidemic and reclaim our national sense of decorum. In order for my daughter (or just about anyone else) to use it, the solution would have to be easy, comfortable and convenient. Then, one bright, sunny morning in May 2004, it came to me...a pin with a clip. The pin attaches the clip to your garment and the clip allows you to slip your strap in and out of confinement easily. Best of all, you can leave Strap Tamers™ in your clothing wash after wash. The clips stay in place, ever ready to tame your straps, and they're inexpensive enough to put in all of your favorite sleeveless clothes. After exhaustive research and development (between carpool and homework) and the steadfast support of my husband, Strap Tamers™ were perfected and ready for market. (Our two sons remain hopeful that someday, dinner conversation will return to subjects like Little League and Cub Scouts.) Not surprisingly, response to Strap Tamers™ has been overwhelming. Strap Tamers™ are quickly becoming a "basic" of modern feminine attire. What were your initial goals? My goal has remained the same: to help women feel more comfortable and look more confident knowing their straps will stay in place. Initially, my plan to reach that goal was to waltz into Wal-Mart and QVC. (QVC loved my product, but didn't like the price point. It retails for $9.00 and they prefer to have a price point of at least $19.95 to achieve their optimal sales per minute.) I have since adjusted my approach as to how to reach that goal by following Tamara Monosoff's advice -starting small and building on each level of success. Describe yourself and your family. What is your background and how does it relate to your company? I am a wife, mother, inventor and entrepreneur. I've been married for almost 17 years to a man who is incredibly supportive, smart and easy to love. We have 3 children: a 13 year old daughter, a 10 year old son and a 5 year old son. Before I became a mother, I worked in retail, but always dabbled with inventing. My retail experience has helped me better understand the business end of the inventing process...price point, packaging, store placement, etc. An invention is not much use unless you can get it into the hands of people who need it. Have you ever experienced an epiphany that changed the direction of your life? Maybe not an epiphany, but, I just turned 40 and an unexpected thing happened...instead of feeling down, I feel like I am finally hitting my stride. 
What process did you follow to develop a prototype?My first Strap Tamer was made out of an intricately bent paperclip. It worked, but I thought maybe a combination of plastic and metal would be more comfortable. I asked a friend who owns a clothing store if I could have some of those clear, plastic clips manufacturers use to keep clothes folded neatly during shipping. I ran home and epoxy glued a pin to it. Crude, but it communicated the idea well. I called an injection molding company out of the phone book and they recommended a prototype developer who used a process called "stereolithography," also known as "rapid prototyping" (a process of "growing" a plastic object in a special machine). I showed him my "Clip-Pin" and sketches and he made a CAD (Computer Assisted Design). He then fed that into the stereolithography machine. There is a small window where you can watch a robotic arm pick up layer upon tiny layer of plastic and place them one on top of another until you have a 3D prototype. It was good to prove that my design for a strap taming clip would work. The biggest problem was that my prototypist thought his design would work in an injection-molding machine, but he was wrong. (I didn't discover this until later). I also thought I would be able to show companies my prototype and they would be so impressed, they would buy tons. I learned quickly that unless you're looking to license, companies don't want a concept; they want a product with all the production bugs worked out. What process did you follow to determine your product's marketability (is there a need, would people buy it?) I scoured the Internet during my initial research and found that there were many companies marketing various products to hide bra straps. If you dig long and hard enough, you can figure out if they are selling well, if the price point is right and if an increasing number of websites and stores are carrying them. I determined that I should be able to garner a large share of that market if my product was a better "mousetrap". I found most women would indeed like to keep their bra straps hidden if the solution were truly hassle-free. What process did you follow to find a manufacturer for your product? My prototypist had promised that he worked with several manufacturers both here and overseas and that he would help pair me up with one. After waiting a few months to hear he could not get any manufacturers to take the job, I educated myself regarding the various issues involved in injection molding my product, and set out to find a manufacturer on my own. I used the Thomas Registry of Florida Industrial Businesses to find molders, e-mailed them my CAD, and still couldn't find anyone to make it. Finally, I tried a company only 12 minutes away. I originally had decided against them because their computer programs were not compatible with my CAD, which meant that my design would have to be totally re-created in their computer in order to make the mold. I really needed to talk with someone face to face and they agreed to meet with me. It was a family owned business with a father on the edge of retirement and two sons... Were there any setbacks in product development that had to be overcome? ... I showed them my plans and they very politely showed me a near-fatal flaw in my design. The other companies had seen it, but none were kind enough to point it out... they simply turned me down. This company was able to fix the problem with good, old-fashioned common sense and American ingenuity and even had enough faith in my product to buy a very expensive machine just to run my job. What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your product? Everything takes longer than you think it will. Through what markets are you selling (retail, wholesale, internet, specialty sales)? I sell to retail and wholesale accounts off my website, and am carried in some specialty stores. I was surprised to find that most retailers don't care if you are also selling retail off your website. I am a certified member of WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council) and will be going to their "Contacts to Contracts" national convention in June. Supplier Diversity and Procurement Professionals from such companies as Federated Department Stores (Macy's), Target and Limited Brands will be there looking for women and minority suppliers. I hope to accommodate them. At the least, there will be 2,500 other women business owners to network with. Between now and the convention, my goals are to maximize my results from our PR campaign (which just started in March) and to have some strong retail, wholesale and internet sales to prove to larger retailers there is a sizable demand for my product. What secrets have you learned in terms of publicity and marketing your product? I looked into other companies with my same target market and studied how they marketed their products. The first one that came to mind was "Gal-Pal Garment Deodorant Remover." (The same sort of women who wouldn't want white deodorant marks on her clothing probably wouldn't want her bra straps hanging out either.) I noticed on their website that they had been in many of the magazines I wanted publicity in, and found out they used a PR firm called "Orca Communications." Although it really took a chunk out of my marketing budget, I never could have contacted as many people in as short a time and with such great results. What was the biggest learning curve in terms of marketing your product? I thought I would be able to market off of my rapid prototype before I had to invest much more money on an injection mold (about $13,000). One of the larger retailers I approached told me to come back when I had a production prototype ready. I insisted that the design had been proven in stereolithography and was told, "Not to sound condescending or anything, but you haven't done much work in plastics before, have you?" They were right. I thank God they didn't place an order because it took about a year after that to get my product into full production. How long did it take to get your product from idea to market (conception to product launch)? It took about 20 months. Included in that time frame is building the business infrastructure. I am very optimistic that my next product will get to market much faster. Will the next product be similar in theme? Yes, I have some other types of Strap Tamers in the works. Also, when my husband goes jogging, he wears a Strap Tamer pinned to the outside of his shirt to hold his "iPod" cord out of the way. We hope to market them as an iPod accessory. How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom? What falls by the wayside (laundry, work-out, etc. etc.)? I have an amazing family. My family pitches in. I am not fond of housework. A while ago, I came across a website from a housecleaning coach. (Flylady.net) It really helped me "get my house in order" so I could spend time on things I really loved. What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally? My husband, my parents, our 3 children, 3 dogs, 2 birds and a fish all live in a big, crazy, happy three-story town home in Celebration, Florida. My mom and I complement each other so well. Living together, we've come up with some fun rules like "Whomever cooks, doesn't clean." I am blessed that my family believes so strongly in what I am doing, and that we all just do what needs to be done...my 13 year old daughter takes her brothers to the playground when I need to make phone calls, my mom cooks or folds laundry, my dad picks my youngest up from preschool, etc. My brother-in-law also gave me free legal advice, my sisters were my first focus group, and my brothers are a great sounding board. I have also built a network of professionals whom I look forward to consulting on future projects. I put my family first and I intentionally use family oriented individuals who understand if I can't make a meeting due to a family emergency (like when my 5-year-old put a ball of dried play dough so far up his nose, we had to go to the emergency room to remove it). This works both ways: the day we were finally going to mold my first real production samples, my molder's 15-year-old son accidentally cut his hand so deeply they weren't sure it would regain full function. We waited a couple of days to run the samples until after the neurosurgeon said his son would be fine. How did you finance your business (personal contributions, loans from friends & family, loans from bank, credit cards, outside investors?) I started with credit cards and as we gained confidence in our business plan, we took out a home equity loan. How much money have you invested so far? How do you feel about that? Too much and yet, not enough. But my husband and I decided early on that even if we lost every cent we put into this, it would be worth it to not be one of those people who says "I had a good idea once..." I have a quote at my desk that reads, "I feared regret more than I feared failure." That said, I'm not in business to play at business, I'm in business to make a great product and make money. What is your company's current financial picture and what are your projections? I am thrilled with response to Strap Tamers so far. Our PR campaign just started March 1st. Strap Tamers made their TV debut March 29 and it was so much fun to watch my Internet sales spike over the next few days. Projections are a tricky thing. I am on track to recoup my start-up costs by the end of the year, but am working on some big sales to larger accounts, which could help me do that much faster. What has been your greatest success or "high point" in the process? The day we finally made our first run of 500, and piece after piece turned out perfectly. I knew I had a product to be proud of. Have you experienced a "low point" and if so, how did you rally yourself to get back on track? A major catalog with a circulation of over 5 million homes responded to a brochure and sample I sent them. They told me they would like me to fill out all of their vendor paperwork because they wanted me to be in their May catalog. Then they were bought out by another company who redesigned the May issue and left out Strap Tamers. I have always had a strong feeling that God is watching over me and if something didn't come through, it wasn't meant to be. I have to remind myself that my product was good enough to be initially chosen by them and the next big sale may be just around the corner. I'll never know if I don't keep going. Who has been your biggest source of inspiration? I know this is the Mom Inventor's site, but it was so affirming to hear Tamara Monosoff's story - and all the other Mom Inventors' stories. What keeps you going? At first, I wasn't sure if I should keep going. Was I just "throwing good money after bad?" But now that money has started coming in, and I have happy customers, I'm thrilled I stuck with it. Did anyone in particular help you along the way? My family and friends My prototypist and 2 Patent attorneys My SCORE counselor The people at the post office and UPS My accountant and banker and insurance agent My injection molding company and my stainless steel pin manufacturer My logo and package design artist (a former Disney animator) My brochure designer (formerly with Disney marketing) My printing company My packaging company My web designer My PR agency My product photographer And most of all, my customers! (As Missy Cohen-Fyffe, inventor of the Clean Shopper, says, "I always laugh when I hear people say 'you did this all by yourself?'") What advice would you offer other moms developing their products/ideas? Never stop learning. You need to become sort of a "mini expert" in every field relating to your product. You will be able to converse intelligently with the professionals you hire, you will also be able to better figure out if they are any good, and you will save yourself time and money. For example: I studied patents so much that I was able to write much of it myself and hire a patent attorney to check it over for me. Her fee was greatly reduced because I had done so much of the legwork. Is there a resource that proved to be invaluable that you would like to share with other moms? Often people can be the best resource. If you are happy with the work of a professional, ask whom they would recommend for another task. For example, my prototypist recommended a great patent attorney and my brochure designer recommended a great printing company. Is there anything else you would like to add? Being a Mom Inventor means you don't have to choose between job and family. With a computer, cell phone, imagination, hard work, persistence and a sense of humor, you can beautifully combine both! | ||||||
