Nearly eight years ago when her first son was born with Down syndrome, Michal Chesal scoured baby shops in South Florida and online stores for a carrier that would allow her to hold him close, but not damage his little legs and torso plagued by low muscle tone.
In frustration, she finally stitched together two carriers. Nearly seven years later, and after countless inquiries from other parents, she and another couple with a special needs baby teamed up to produce their own.
If necessity is the mother of invention, then mothers may well be the necessary inventors.
Chesal and a growing league of mothers are entering the kids’ goods market after failing to find what they need. They’re now showing up at trade shows in Las Vegas, Chicago and everywhere in between to peddle their creations.
There are an estimated five million ”mom-preneurs,” according to Maria T. Bailey, an author and owner of BSM Media, a marketing firm. In fact, moms start new businesses at twice the rate of any other segment of the population, she said.
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Photo by Andrew Uloza.
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