I’ve heard of many great mom-made inventions. This one is one of the more innovative creations I’ve heard of in some time.
Laurie Gadbois was a mom who realized there was a problem with the way the baby nail clippers were, first hand. She was clipping the nails of her own child when the idea for her Baby Light & Clip was born. When awake her son’s nails were difficult to clip and while asleep it was nearly impossible to clip them in the dim light.
With one of the best niche inventions to come out of being a parent, Laurie has succeeded down the road to becoming a successful mompreneur. I asked her about her experiences and she told me what she’s learned in her new role as inventor, mom, and business owner.
What was your inspiration for the ‘Baby Light & Clip’?
Like most new moms I faced challenges. One of those was trimming my son, Tor’s, finger nails. It was difficult to see where to cut and he wouldn’t stay still. So, when I went on the internet to see what other moms were doing to accomplish this task I discovered that just about every article I read said, “It is best to trim a baby’s nails while they are sleeping”. It was hard enough to see his tiny nails in the day light much less in a dark or dimly lit room. I’d wait until my son, Tor, was asleep but even during his afternoon nap I found it difficult to see just where to safely trim. I thought, “Why doesn’t someone make a nail clipper with a light on it” and thus after 5 years Baby Light & Clip® was born! Now trimming Tor’s nails is easy and more importantly safe for him.
How long did it take for it to go from idea to product?
5 years
What success have you seen as your business has grown?
Baby Light & Clip® has won awards and was selected to appear on the “Problem Solvers” segment of the national TV Network QVC in March 2008! It’s also been featured in magazines and I’ve even met some celebrity moms! The best complements are when a parent explains their past troubles or anxiety about clipping their child’s nails and how now they appreciation my invention.
What steps did you need to take to create your business?
First step was to search for a product that would allow me to safely trim my son’s nails I found that this product didn’t exist! Many steps followed this indicial search. A Patent was filed, a working prototype was built, 3-D CAD drawings created, a steal mold was built and samples made from the mold. The difficult part was to know where to find parts and the people to help create my product. There is also the business aspect and the packaging and marketing. People are really helpful when they see passion and enthusiasm.
Have you learned anything since you’ve launched that you wish you’d known before you got started?
I’ve been pretty blessed and haven’t had anything memorable happen that I would have done differently. However, those frustrating little sample errors which wasted time and money where pretty frustrating.
Did you have any previous education or experience that you were able to use during the creation or marketing of your product?
I have no experience in any of this. Learning about inventing, manufacturing and marketing was all done by trial and error and lots of hard work.
Have you been able to take some of your experience as a parent and use it in the growth of your business?
Yes, patience.
How do you manage your time between your business and your family?
It’s a balancing act! When I began working on Baby Light & Clip® I was a single mom to one son named, Tor, who is now 7. I recently married to a man, that my son and I adore. I make sure to set time aside for my family because there is always things to be done when you run your own business and you can get caught up in it all if your time isn’t well thought out.
What types of road blocks may you have faced trying to create your product while also being a full time mom?
I wouldn’t call them road blocks but I found the terminology in each area of manufacturing and running a business to be challenging.
Do you have any advice for other moms out there who might be interested in taking an idea and turning it into a successful business?
Baby steps…but take steps toward your dream so the passion for your idea won’t fade. An example of a baby steps was building the 1st Baby Light & Clip® prototype. It was carved out of bass wood and by adding wires, a subminiature light bulb, battery contacts and a switch our prototype was fully functional.
When you find people with integrity hold on to them! Respond promptly to keep the momentum going. This tends to keep the people you’re working with on top of things and focused. Write everything down and file it in case you need the information at a later date. Until you have confidently hired a person for a specific job continue to gather leads. This way you can compare quality, pricing and you’ll learn something new from every person you talk to. Start your patent process as soon as you as possible. Keep yourself motivated and inspired by creatively working on your logo, tag line, domain name and packaging design etc…. Sit down with a S.C.O.R.E. counselor and talk about your plans. These are retired executives who can really help you get your business going and it’s all FREE! But most of all be realistic with your efforts, goals, and time. This will bring eventual joy and satisfaction.
The internet and the Thomas Register.
The Thomas Register can be found at the library or online at Thomasnet.com. This was an invaluable tool when I was developing Baby Light & Clip®. It has everything from the parts I needed to the final packaging. Because good people are hard to find I ended up putting together a resource guide.
Hiring a PR person has really paid off! For a certain amount they get the product in the right hands and hopefully get you the exposure necessary to help launch your invention. Advertising can be expensive and this is by far the most cost effective approach.
Also, remember to follow up on any material that you send out!
In general, people seem to think you get an idea, patent it and start selling it. I wish it was that easy… Be patient with them. And any advice given by those who don’t specialize in a particular area take that advice with a grain of salt. Lastly, if you really believe in your product you can make it happen, too!
danakeith on May 16th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
A great idea, no worries for mom if they weren’t able to cut the nails of their babies during daytime, for with these thing, they can do it anytime even at night, thanks to the baby light and clip invention.
Congratulations!
Moschel Kadokura on May 17th, 2008 at 10:17 am
What a great idea and inspirational story. Good luck with marketing your product. So many parents will look at this and say, “Why didn’t I think of that!” Congrats for getting it out there.
Moschel
Timely Matters