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FEATURED MOM INVENTORS > LISA HARRINGTON
Lisa Harrington was a pediatric nurse who was bored with the standard shoelace-style lanyard on which she wore her hospital ID. So she designed and made a stylish alternative to wear - and her coworkers noticed. She began making them and selling them from home, but as the trend in workplace security grew - especially after 9/11 -- Lisa and her partner Kimberly decided to ratchet up production and launch the business in a big way to meet the needs of a growing market. The result is their flagship product line, BooJeeBeads - stylish and attractive badge holders, eyeglass necklaces, id badge clips and more. They have doubled their sales each year since launching, and last year hit the $2 million mark! Lisa tells their story here:
Describe your company and your product (or product line). I started Bonitas International about 5 years ago along with Kimberly Martinez, my sister in law. What's interesting is that we are basically a "virtual" organization. I live in Cincinnati and my partner lives in southwest Florida. We have 15 people on our team, most of who work out of home offices (spare bedrooms or converted guest houses). We have a real distribution center-a warehouse with a loading dock and a palette jack and lots of boxes. I work in our design studio (a rented room behind a shoe repair place) with our design team. We didn't plan to organize our company in this manner-it's just that we kept finding these great people who were willing to "drink the Kool -Aid" and believe in the dream. We were so happy to have these talented people on board that we hired them, even though they didn't live in our cities. We are technology junkies, so we use a pretty impressive collection of software - from video conferencing to online collaboration tools - to enable us to work as one connected team. Our product collection, called BooJee Beads, offers a variety of stylish and attractive ID badge holders for women. With a full array of styles and designs, women have a fashion alternative to the shoelace or dog-chain style lanyard given to them by that guy in security. We have expanded our product line to include retractable badge reel jewelry, eyeglass necklaces and leashes, id badge clips, fashion carabineers and more. Why did you start this company and when? I was a pediatric nurse who designed a fashionable way to display my hospital id badge. I was making them at home with my kids after school and teaching them about "business" by having them track orders and costs in a little green notebook. Over the holidays that year, Kimberly heard about my business and its "success" that she convinced me that we needed to do this on a big scale. She convinced me that it was our calling to free women around the world from the fashion disaster that comes from wearing an employee ID! When we looked further, it was clear that there was a growing trend towards more security in the workplace after 9/11. In the hospital industry alone, the market was large enough for us to pursue our plans. When we looked into other potential workplace environments, as well as school environments, our business plan expanded exponentially. It seemed that most women forced to wear an ID badge were interested in a prettier alternative! We launched our company in 2003, with our first year spent on product development. 
What were your initial goals?
We didn't want to ease onto the scene like a cutesy "Mom 'n Pop" operation. We really wanted to blow the doors off the market from the start. Our goal was to turn heads and earn name recognition from the beginning, so that it would be harder to copy our product. Describe yourself and your family. What is your background and how does it relate to your company? I am a nurse by training - an end-user of the product. As if scrubs and sneakers weren't torture enough, I was also sporting the typical ID badge on a shoelace style lanyard. I saw the need for something fun and attractive, something that would allow me to express a little of my personality. So my ID badge ended up becoming a fashion accessory for work! I've always been a creative person and so I decided to put those skills to work on a new concept. My kids actually helped me make the first prototypes. We were up to our elbows in beads and string and I'm not sure who was having more of a ball - them or me! This eventually evolved into my handling the creative development for our company. Kimberly had the business and marketing experience and I had the creativity and insight. Creative development for BooJee Beads involves working with our vendors in China to select shapes, sizes, colors and styles of beads, overseeing their quality, and ensuring they are strung together in an attractive matter, much like a jeweler. I also work on development of line extensions, which involves researching market trends and building prototypes of new potential products. Have you ever experienced an epiphany that changed the direction of your life? Every time we take a big order, I think Kimberly and I have a brand new epiphany! Seriously, on my first trip to South Africa to meet with some of our bead artists, I was sitting at a table at my B&B overlooking the sea outside of CapeTown while I was working on some new designs with a labor cooperative. I looked up and saw the mother whales and their brand new calves playing right in the ocean. It was mind-blowing. I took it as a sign, everything felt right. What process did you follow to develop a prototype? We didn't really follow a strict process because, frankly, I'm not sure we would have known how. What we did instead was look into what would meet the needs of our users by trial and error. For example, we met with a lot of nurses and we asked them lots of questions about how they felt about their ID badges, how they thought their patients might react to something more attractive and personal. Boy, did they have a lot to say! If ever we were in doubt that women hated their ugly badges, our conversations with these nurses put them to bed. I bought supplies from craft shops and bead shows and made an endless number of beaded lanyards, continuing to refine the concept with every round. What process did you follow to determine your product's marketability? I had been making and selling beaded lanyards to my co-workers well before we started the company. Kimberly heard my story and her marketing mind quickly figured out that I had 10% market share in my hospital with no marketing other than word of mouth referrals. So we knew my product concept was viable before we even started. When we felt we needed to do additional testing to determine the right sales price for our products, we started like a couple of Girl Scouts selling cookies! We set up table sales in the lobbies of hospitals, then graduated to corporate lobbies of companies that would give us permission. A pharmaceutical company, for example, allowed us to set up outside of their cafeteria. Many of these places would give us permission to sell as long as we donated a portion of our sales to charity, which we were happy to do, as this gave us great test market opportunities. At that point we actually sold a lot of product for our cost because we were buying all of our beads at retail costs. But we knew when we were ready to manufacture the product, we would be able to do it for a cost that would enable us to make our profit margins. After conducting these test market sales in a variety of environments, we were able to narrow our start-up line to 10 designs. Because we planned to mass produce them, we knew that keeping our line manageable was key to our success. 
What process did you follow to find a manufacturer for your product?
Well, I can say that we are certified professional drivers on the information superhighway. We did a mountain of research on the Internet! We were fortunate to find an import/export agent with great references who had worked with several large, reputable companies, including Disney. She managed the entire process for us and delivered the finished product to our doorstep. We were very lucky to have met her. Today we manage our own importing - we go to international trade shows in Asia to help us identify potential new vendors. Were there any setbacks in product development that had to be overcome? We did spend more time than we anticipated going back and forth, with our first factory, trying to find that balance of producing a quality product at an affordable price. There were some materials changes that slowed us down, too. That was really frustrating because we were anxious to get our product to market. What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your product? For me, the biggest thing was learning how to take something that you make by hand, one at the time, and transition it into a high-volume, mass-produced product that you are proud to put your brand name on. I definitely learned a great deal about how to do this successfully. Through what markets are you selling (retail, wholesale, internet, specialty sales)? We sell our BooJee Beads ID necklaces and retractable badge reel jewelry through multiple sales channels. Wholesale is our biggest channel. We are in about 3000 retail stores throughout the US and Canada. We completed the international launch of our products in the UK in February, which has been very exciting. Finally, our fabulous creations are also available online at our two retail websites www.BooJeebeads.com and www.EyeGlassHolders.com What secrets have you learned in terms of publicity and marketing your product? What is that saying ... it doesn't matter what they're saying, as long as they're talking about you? Okay, we wouldn't go that far, but there is some merit to keeping people talking about you. I think what we've learned is that you can never have too much marketing. Kimberly does a great job getting us out there, putting us in front of as much media and as many new businesses as possible, and pushing our name forward. I must say that in the beginning, I really didn't think that our success required that much effort, but I now know it does. Word-of-mouth referrals, brochures, a website, a write-up in a magazine, a blog ... all of those things build momentum and you never know which exposure will generate the next opportunity. We have been featured on Entrepreneur.com, Business Week Online, Yahoo News, Women's World and Hybrid Mom Magazines, countless local newspapers, heard on podcasts with MomTalk radio and Cisco, and seen on Fox News and MSNBC - and we're just getting started. 
What was the biggest learning curve in terms of marketing your product?
We're always learning; always listening. Keeping an open mind and staying ahead of trends is imperative. Exhausting, but imperative. Also, you can never stop marketing. There's never a point where you can sit back and say, 'we're here', 'we've arrived' 'we've done enough.' The market is moving way too fast to be reactive and remain successful. How long did it take to get your product from idea to market (conception to launch)? From conception to actual launch, it took us one year. For Kimberly and I, it was a tough year of missed ball games and school functions, and lots of "family dinners" consisting of cold cereal ... but the sacrifices have been worth it. How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom? What falls by the wayside (laundry, work-out, etc., etc.)? Laundry, workouts, and some 'etceteras' do fall by the wayside sometimes, but I think that's true of all moms - at least all of the moms I know. We're all super-busy these days! As a nurse, you have to have to be a good time manager, as well as a multi-tasker and problem solver. So, I've learned to apply those core skills to the big picture. I juggle a lot of balls, I just have to know which ones are glass. The key for me is determining what is really important to each family member, and keeping that as a priority. My husband and my kids are so important to me and I devote a lot of time to the business, so I choose I push the non-critical stuff to the end of the list-it gets done when it gets done. No one is going to be hurt or emotionally traumatized if the laundry isn't done and folded on schedule! As my kids (11-year-old son, Jake, and 14-year-old daughter, Katie) grow up, they are helping out more, and that is huge blessing. What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally? I'm proud to have one of those 'good-guy' husbands - he's 110% supportive. He has made many sacrifices so that I could pursue this dream and I so appreciate that every day. He has learned to cook on the fly (enough to get everyone something in their belly). And he's stepped in as "soccer mom" more than once and "dance mom" (as little as possible). My sister-in-law, Kimberly, has been an outstanding partner and a tremendous support system, as I hope I've been for her. Kimberly's parents, as well, have been behind us every step of that way, which has meant so much. How did you finance your business (personal contributions, loans from friends & family, loans from bank, credit cards, outside investors?) We financed our company with cash from any and every source where we could get it, including our own personal savings, maxed out credit cards, a family loan, and all the spare change we could dig up in between the coach cushions! Today we run our business with a line of credit from our bank and a business line of credit from OPEN by American Express. We have not had to bring in outside investors to fund us. 
How much money have you invested so far? How do you feel about that?
We have pumped a great deal of our profits back into the business, We are in a high growth mode, as it is our goal to be a 20 million dollar business in the next 3 years. When we have extra profits, we reinvest it in the business to build our infrastructure-- to hire additional talent, increase the size of our distribution center, or invest in technology. What has been even more significant than our financial investment into our company is our time investment. Both Kimberly and I - along with the rest of the team- have invested an enormous amount of our time and energy so that we would have the best chance to succeed. What is your company's current financial picture and what are your projections? Front and center on our financial picture is a great big rainbow and a shiny pot of gold. We have, in fact, doubled our sales every year since we started. Last year we were on track to hit $1.6 million and much to our delight, we came in at $2 million in sales. Our plan for 2008 is to double again-and I am 100% confident we will. What has been your greatest success or "high point" in the process? Have you ever ridden Gwazi at Busch Gardens in Tampa? It's this mammoth wooden rollercoaster - the fastest and largest in the southeast US- and that is what running your own business is like. Lots of ups and downs, giant adrenaline rushes, butterflies in your tummy and short periods of screaming your head off! One of my favorite high points happened at our first trade show in New York City. We set up and were very excited, but nothing seemed to be happening. We waited and waited to no avail - then suddenly a buyer from a large chain of hospital gift shops, about 200 gift shops, placed a large order with us. As soon as she walked away, we both cried. Have you experienced a "low point" and if so, how did you rally yourself to get back on track? I don't think we've had a low point, but we have had challenges, mostly when we have a disagreement. Kimberly and I have very different personalities, but we want the same things, so we find ways to work things out. We have a professional coach and I highly recommend engaging an objective third party like that to help you see things from the outside, to make it through the rough periods. Who has been your biggest source of inspiration? What keeps you going? My partner, Kimberly, inspires me every day. She always has the big picture in mind and has tremendous business savvy. We make a great team. We also have both been inspired by the Make Mine a Million $ Business™ program of the Count Me In™ for Women's Economic Independence. The program's goal is to help women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses reach their full potential for economic independence. Women own 50% of the businesses in the US, but less than 4% of them have revenues in excess of $1 million. The truth is, women just don't take the same risk that men do to grow their businesses. We were chosen as winners of their Make Mine a Million $ Business™ contest in 2006. This program has provided us with invaluable support and networking opportunities with other like-minded women business owners. I strongly encourage all other women business owners to join the program-- for information visit www.makemineamillion.org. Did anyone in particular help you along the way? All of the people I have mentioned already. Oh, yeah, and the "big guy upstairs" for sure. Our prayers are being answered every day. What advice would you offer other moms developing their products/ideas? I would say that fear is very natural, but if you don't find a way to push past it, you won't get to experience the rewards on the other side. Is there a resource that proved to be invaluable that you would like to share with other moms? Again, I recommend the Make Mine a Million $ Business program. Any entrepreneurial moms with dreams of successfully running their own businesses should look into it. What surprised you about this process? I was also surprised to find out how much my skills at being a nurse, a mom and raising a family were transferrable to running a business. Is there anything else you would like to add? Don't let anyone tell you that this isn't very hard work. If you work hard, though, you won't believe the sense of pride that you will feel. Here I am with no degree in international business, and yet I now go to China and negotiate my trade - and, we're working on hitting four million in sales this year! Oh yes ... and keep your therapist on speed dial! You don't want to drop the glass balls! | ||||||
