Business Opportunities Weblog

August 8, 2008 by Angela Shupe | 2 Comments

Kelley Daron has formulated a product that helps all parents with a problem that was previously unsolved. Her Buckle-Pals products fills a niche, and any parent who has used her product would probably tell you that they would never be able to live without it.

When our children are babies we have to put them into those annoying car seats, with those straps that always get in the way of just trying to set the child down in there seat. Thanks to Kelley, her business – Little Bumble Baby, and her creative mind, there is now a product we can all be thankful for.

What is the difference between Buckle-Pals and Buckle Pals Cling ‘n Go?

Buckle-Pals and Buckle-Pals Cling ‘N Go are part of The Buckle-Pals Collection of seatbelt strap holders that add convenience to buckling up children in car seats. Each product, though designed differently, holds the seatbelt straps to the sides of the seat (out of the seating area) so that the child doesn’t sit upon them while getting into the car seat. Moms are spared the hassle of having to dig beneath and behind a squirming child to try and find the seatbelt straps. Buckle-Pals fits universally to convertible car seats. Buckle-Pals Cling ‘N Go fits universally to infant carrier car seats.

How long did it take for you to build the original Buckle-Pal and what was that process like?

Buckle-Pals went through many prototyping phases – the duration of which took a year and a half; though, even now, we have found new ways to improve the product and are working on adding to its design. The process requires intense focus on minimizing material costs while still achieving function to claim. Additionally, it requires adhering to safety standards for childrens products. Finding a factory with which to do business and building that relationship is an integral part of the process as well. When you are designing an entirely new product concept you almost start backwards (with the answer/solution) in your mind and then build the product. So, in my case, I knew my solution was seatbelt straps that stay at the sides of the seat. So then, I had to begin asking questions and developing answers (product features) – such as…how will they stay on the sides? Answers(s) tape, Velcro, hooks, loops, etc and testing out all the possibilities.

How long was it before you felt it was ready to be manufactured and offered for purchase?

Product design and development is a constantly evolving process. Look around you; everything progresses: cars, computers, ovens, even pens…so it is never stagnant. But the very first product that I knew could go to market successfully took one and one half years to achieve.

Do you intend to stop at Buckle-Pals or do you have any plans at all to expand on your brand?

Buckle-Pals and Buckle-Pals Cling ‘N Go are certainly my flagship products. Recently, I have signed an agreement with H.I.S. Juveniles (a New York based corporation) for them to license my products for sale under the JEEP® brand. This is an extraordinary development for our company. We will continue to develop and market additional products for the juvenile industry. We have several in development now, one of which is called The Side Snacker, though we are unable to disclose its confidential details until we have our patent pending status.

What are some of the stores that your product is currently sold in?

Buckle-Pals and Buckle-Pals Cling ‘N Go are currently available at Walmart.com, One Step Ahead, Amazon.com, buybuyBaby (a baby mega store chain owned by Bed Bath and Beyond), and many specialty retailers.

If you could go back in time, is there anything about the process you would change?

I made a few mistakes along the way, for sure, but I would not say there is anything I would change because I have learned that mistakes are opportunities.

Is there anything you’ve learned as an entrepreneur that you feel has really affected you when it comes to life in general?

As an entrepreneur, I have truly realized the significance of a global economy and how it influences commerce and the domestic economy. In addition, I have learned that entrepreneurial people possess a different perspective than other people which is what, to me, truly makes them entrepreneurial. Being entrepreneurial doesn’t necessarily equate with wealth – an association that I, and others, most quickly draw – as much as it does with a spirit and sense of extraordinary tenacity and ability to “think outside the box” and to believe and see what no one else can. Being entrepreneurial means seeing things that others can’t and bringing them to fruition through an inner vision. And letting that come “through me” for the first time has been invigorating and given my life and whole new energy.

Where do you see your products in the next few years?

I am excited to see the power of word-of-mouth marketing take its hold on this product line, permeating the daily dialogue amongst moms sharing ideas with other moms, which is what ultimately propels sales of items like this. My vision is to maintain its exclusivity (without a contending competitor) and to appeal to both the specialty stores with its uniqueness and to gain broad access to the mass market store chains.

As a mompreneur, how do you handle your time between family and working on your business? Any tips for other potential mompreneurs reading this?

Balancing family and work is always a delicate act, whether a mompreneur or otherwise.
I have been a full-time working mom (for a total of 2.5 years), a part-time working mom (for a total of 1 year) and a stay-at home mom (for a total of 4.5 years) and a mompreneur (for 3 years) for a cumulative 11 years of parenting, so I have dabbled in each “ratio” of mom and family balance. And I can honestly say that each scenario comes with challenge. Staying at home (solely) is likely one of the most challenging because in the bigger picture (society) its contribution is immeasurable despite its extraordinary value. The grass isn’t greener on any of the “4 sides” of the fence I have seen. It is all a matter of personal satisfaction. When you are the Mom, you are the nucleus of a family, the center of your children’s universe – if that “center” is off center, the entire family unit doesn’t revolve right. Sort of like driving a car with oval wheels.

I worked a lot at night and through the night so I could keep myself available to my children during their day. I love being at all their activities. I love coaching their soccer teams and volunteering at their schools. I love being here to make them breakfast before school, to kiss them good-bye, to get them off the school bus, to tuck them in at night, to kiss them good morning, to bathe them, to read bedtime stories to them,….to just devour them with love…each day with them is a gift and the best part of this entrepreneurial dream of mine, is that I am making it fit like a perfect missing piece of the puzzle into their world – rather than removing a piece of their world to impose a piece of my own. I thank God every day for this once in a lifetime chance.

Mom needs to feed Mom’s desire’s first before she can fuel her child’s. So if Mom finds
where that is (in which “ratio”) then, that is where Mom should find herself gravitating. I never set out to do this for money or fame or even at all. This all came upon me quite by accident! For me, it just sort of happened and since day one, I have never told anyone (when asked what my goal was for my company) any sort of a response that had to do with dollars and cents. I deeply enjoy what I do. I am passionate about this business. I love exploring my creativity and undertaking tasks that others might think unimaginable or unattainable.

My children were my biggest fans and cheerleaders through all of this. What child doesn’t find their Mom amazing?! That is what is beautiful about children. My advice to any aspiring mompreneur is to really give it some introspection and forethought. Do you have a strong support network? Is your husband or partner a dependable source of emotional support for you – it is a wild ride of highs and lows? Do you have the ability to proceed without jeopardizing your family’s financial welfare? (if you think it is going to cost $50,000 to start your business, plan on it actually, then, costing $75,000 – as that is the reality once it gets in motion – cash and cash flow are two entirely different concepts in business. A hard lesson in reality) But most of all, dig deep. Really deep. And if you can truly feel it is there within you, you know. You just know. And love your children every moment along the way, because at the end of the day, they are what truly matter.

Last, but not least, what is one thing that has helped the growth of your business and could not live without?

My tenacity and determination are what helped the growth of my business. I had a dream, I saw the dream, I felt the dream, and I lived the dream as if it had already come true. Each day that is how I worked – as if it was all already mine. And if it seemed like a door shut,, I looked deeper into it and saw how it was actually just that a different door was opening. I can not emphasize enough how important the will to succeed is in a process like this. If you don’t dream it, it can’t happen.

In Entrepreneurs, Interviews, Invention, Women | 2 Comments