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PRESS ROOM > September 2008 Newsletter Contents Greetings Featured Mom's product helps you organize gift cards, business cards and more! Back to School Sale: Good Bites Crustless Sandwich Cutters! The Mom Report™: Entrepreneurial mom shares QVC experience How patent law change could hurt small inventors StartUp Smarts: Should you go into business with your spouse? Mom to Mom: Managing those back-to-school mornings. Businesses You Should Know About Greetings (back to contents) 
There's no better time than back-to-school season to move forward with your plans to launch your business. Summer's behind you, you're organized and you're full of renewed energy!
I hope this newsletter can help you on your way. Check out this month's Featured Mom, who launched her great new organizational product in 2008. Plus, read ahead for more articles, resources and inspiration to make your own dream a reality. Thanks for being part of our supportive community! Warmest Wishes, Tamara Monosoff, Founder of Mom Inventors, Inc. Featured Mom's product helps you organize gift cards, business cards and more! (back to contents) 
Is your wallet or purse bursting with gift cards, frequent shopper cards, identification cards and more? Mom Inventor Wendy Krepak designed a solution to help you get organized
where traditional wallets falter. It's called the Card Cubby®, and it's an alphabetized mini card file that goes with you anywhere. It's great for busy moms, businesspeople, brides, seniors and more. She spent two years developing and manufacturing it, and it's now available for purchase at cardcubby.com as well as through a growing number of retailers. Here is her story.
Describe your company and product. Card Cubby® is an alphabetized mini-card file that fits right into your purse, briefcase or car console. The Card Cubby® measures 5" wide by 3" high and holds approximately 80 cards. It can be used to file gift cards, coupons (fold and file), frequent buyer cards, discount cards, business cards, important contact information, insurance cards and more. There is also a clear pocket on the outside for your driver's license, so it can also be used as a wallet. Why did you start this company and when? I have been working on the product for two years. The final product was introduced into the marketplace in January 2008. What were your initial goals? To provide people with a product that would help them organize all the cards that their current wallet is not designed to handle. I was frustrated by my own lack of organization when I shopped, and could never locate the coupon or gift card I knew I had somewhere! My wallet was overflowing with cards and I was losing money -- I received a lot of gift cards and they were expiring or lost before I could use them. Describe yourself and your family. What is your background and how does it relate to your company? I am married with two grown children. I have been in commercial real estate for more than 24 years. My sales, business and marketing background has been a tremendous help in this venture. What process did you follow to develop a prototype? I found a company that manufactured the type of product I had in mind, and they worked with me to produce a prototype. The product has two elements: the sewn product and the printed cards, so it actually takes two manufacturers to product it. It took 12 prototypes to get to the final product! What process did you follow to determine your product's marketability? I started having co-workers and friends look at it and give me feedback. I also used the prototype myself, and people would ask me where they could get one. When I finalized the prototype I approached appropriate blogs and asked if they wanted to review it. This was a great way to get feedback for free or little cost. Click here to read the rest of Wendy's story, including her marketing secrets! 
Back to School Sale: Good Bites Crustless Sandwich Cutters! (back to contents)
Just in time to create fun, crustless sandwiches your kids will love to take to school, we're offering a big price break on Good Bites Crustless Sandwich Cutter 4- packs! The 4-pack includes one of each shape cutter: Good Bites slices sandwiches in half. Mini Bites slices sandwiches into quarters. Love Bites slices sandwiches into heart shape. Round Bites slices sandwiches into circle shape. Now you can buy the 4-pack for just $9.99 plus shipping & handling! (regular price is $14.95.) Plus, if you buy two 4-packs for $9.99 each we'll also give you FREE shipping. Offer good until September 30, so hurry to take advantage of this back-to-school special! To order (or for more info) click here. The Mom Report™: Entrepreneurial mom shares QVC experience (back to contents) 
Joey Carlile, creator of the Joey Jam Pack and founder of JoeyJean Inc., recently contacted us to tell us that The Mom Inventors Handbook was her "bible" for launching her products and business. We caught up with her to talk about her products -- and her progress -- since she launched in 2006, including how she landed on QVC.
What is your product line and how did you develop it? My first product was developed because as a busy mom, I needed a product that simplified my life and allowed me to track my valuables in one compact place. I wanted something that was versatile, affordable, and more fashionable than an outdated fanny pack. You mentioned that the Mom Inventor's Handbook was your bible. How so? Can you give any specific examples of how it helped you? Tamara's book helped me every step of the way, from "Taking Your First Steps" to "Finding a Partner." I read the book from cover to cover, took notes, dog- eared important pages, highlighted helpful advice, and stuck yellow Post-its on the "must remember" pages. (If you saw the book, you could tell how much I referred to it). I loved the fact that she shared a lot of her personal experiences, so I knew what to look for and what to be careful of. Because I am a very sequential person, this book helped me stay organized and it gave me confidence that all bases were being covered. How did you get on QVC? What was the process in getting there? Through networking groups, I was referred to Lianne LaReine of Star Selling Inc. who helped me break through the doors of QVC. QVC gets thousands of product submissions every year. I thought it was well worth it to hire someone who already had relations with the buyers at QVC. Although the Joey Jam Pack did not sell out on the initial airing, the sales exceeded my expectations. I was very happy that many more people (thousands) are walking around with my product! It truly is a dream come true! For more information or to visit Joey's website, click here. 
How patent law change could hurt small inventors (back to contents)
There's a debate occurring on Capitol Hill about amending existing patent law - changes that could potentially negatively impact smaller, independent inventors. In Tamara Monosoff's column for Entrepreneur.com this month, she explains those potential changes, and shares why you should care -- and what you can do. To read the article, Click here. 
StartUp Smarts: Should you go into business with your spouse? (back to contents)
Countless husband-wife teams have made it work. But is it right for you? In Tamara's latest StartUp Smarts article for WomenEntrepreneur.com, she examines what it takes to run a successful business with your beloved - and how to figure out if you are business-compatible! Click here to read the article. Mom to Mom: Managing those back-to-school mornings. (back to contents) 
Love the promise of the back-to-school schedule - but feel daunted about going back to crazy, chaotic mornings? Heather from Burlington, VT shares these tips:
Prepare the night before. Yes, you're exhausted after dinner. But you will thank yourself in the morning if you've already laid out your clothes (and the kids' clothes) and prepared lunches. Create a system. Give each member of the family a designated area for their stuff - somewhere right near the door. It might be as elaborate as a mudroom with a separate cabinet, shelf or locker for each member of the family - or as simple as individual baskets or bins. Either way, everyone should use their designated space to deposit keys, wallets, backpacks, books and all other daily essentials as they enter each evening. This way there's no frantic morning rush trying to find everything. Get a good night's sleep. Barring that, get a coffee maker with an automatic timer, so it's prepared and piping hot the minute you enter the kitchen! Each month we share a new "Mom to Mom" tip aimed at making your life easier, more fulfilling, and fun! To submit your own Mom to Mom tip for future publication, click here. Businesses You Should Know About (back to contents) Wallant Design - Product Development, Design & Illustration Services "The Eye Patch Kids" DVDs - For children with Amblyopia (Lazy Eye) or Strabismus {Place your ad here - just $25 per month. Click here to contact us.} Quick Links... Buy the Mom Inventors Handbook! Buy Secrets of Millionaire Moms! See past Featured Moms! About Mom Inventors Shop our Mom Invented Store Get to know Tamara Monosoff Disclaimers and Subscriber Information Mom Inventors Newsletter © Copyright 2008, Mom Inventors, Inc., except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprint only with permission from copyright holder(s). All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents provided as is. No express or implied income claims made herein. Your business success is dependent on many factors, including your own abilities. Advertisers are solely responsible for ad content. Access to the complete archive of Mom Invetors Newsletters is provided to Gold Members. Learn about Gold Membership To contact us with feedback, questions or praise, email jrung@mominventors.com To subscribe or unsubscribe, please email jrung@mominventors.com Please feel free to use excerpts from this newsletter as long as you give credit with a link to our page: http://www.mominventors.com Mom Inventors Newsletter is an opt-in newsletter available by subscription only. We neither use nor endorse the use of spam. Thank you! Author's Note: Tamara Monosoff is the Founder and CEO of Mom Inventors, Inc. She previously held the positions as CEO of Scout Asia and as Senior Communications Associate to the President's Initiative on Race in the Clinton White House. She has her doctorate in International and Multicultural Education. She invented the TP Saver™ which was launched nationally in the fall of 2003. To reach Tamara directly, please email tmonosoff@mominventors.com. | ||||||
