Business Opportunities Weblog

July 23, 2009 by Angela Shupe | 5 Comments

If you’ve ever had to travel with a baby, I’m willing to bet that you have a long list of necessities that are required to make the trip as pain-free as possible. Maybe you’d have a diaper bag on that list? How about a bottle warmer that you can use in the car? A storage cooler for the formula, is that also on your list? It was for Maretta Johnson when she was traveling with her own baby just a few years ago.

With all of those necessities in mind, Maretta went to work on an all-in-one bag that would satisfy the needs of any parent parent while traveling with a baby. In 2007 all of that planning and designing came together to create the Total Travel Bag.

What is The Total Travel Bag?

It’s a mom invented product! The first diaper bag with a built-in battery operated bottle warmer and an insulated storage cooler. The bag also has an AC adapter to use with your car outlet to warm bottles in the car. It converts to a garment bag for your baby’s clothes with traveling. It converts to a tote or back pack. The TTB has plenty of storage space and comes with a changing pad.

What inspired you to create this all-in-one diaper bag?

I had my last child at 37 and I was a working mom who needed to make life easier. As they say, “Necessity is the mother of all inventions”. My husband and I were planning a drive to my mom’s house and wanted to stop at an outlet shopping center. We packed a cooler to keep the bottles cold, a portable bottle warmer to warm a bottle to room temperature and we loaded the diaper bag with wipes, a change of clothes, etc. The next day, I was watching Oprah and there were several mom inventors on the show. I told my husband, I should invent a bag that does everything we need for traveling with the baby. I got busy on it right away.

What colors does the bag come in?

Right now the bag is a basic black but we allow our customers to personalize the back with colored embroidery on the front. We wanted dads to feel comfortable with the bag’s design.

Do you have any plans to add some new colors to your line?

We would love to but since we are a small company, we have to market the product to increase awareness of the product before our manufacturer will commit to more.

How has your business grown since your product launched in 2007?

Not as much as I would like. Due to some family illnesses, I slowed up on the marketing for awhile and I just getting back to work promoting the product.

Do you have any goals that you hope to accomplish in the near future?

I would love to create 2 more baby travel items. I am working on those now.

How much does it cost to have the bag personalized? What colors are available?

Its FREE! We have pretty much any color you can think of available. They are listed on our site. We have also had special requests such as Rainbow colors and mix and match color schemes.

What are some of the lessons that your business has taught you?

To be careful of people who offer assistance and be careful of who you hire because your company is your baby and not everyone feels that way.

Any advice that you would like to offer other would-be mom entrepreneurs?

Keep your eye on the dreams for your business and don’t feel guilty about being a mom and a business owner.

Why should a new parent or parent-to-be use choose your diaper bag over the competition?

Because, it makes life easier. Traveling with your baby is fun and should not be complicated.

In Babies, Interviews, Moms, Travel | 5 Comments