Cathi was pregnant and thirsty. Stuck toting her water bottle and other essentials around everywhere she went, the proverbial light bulb went off in her head. 
It took a lot of planning and work but after four years the Aquabag was born. This multipurpose bag is insulated enough to help keep a drink cold, compact enough for easy carrying, and organized enough to keep everything you would place in your wallet at hand.
What is the Aquabag?
The Aquabag is an insulated bottle bag that functions as a purse. It has a built in wallet and side pouches to keep all your essentials on the go!
What inspired you to create it?
I was inspired to create the Aquabag while very pregnant and always thirsty. I had my purse, planner, phone, water bottle, and everything else and just needed to consolidate. I couldn’t find anything on the market, thus the Aquabag was born.
How many colors and styles does it come in?
The Aquabag currently comes in 3 colors/fabrics. I am prototyping more bags and hope to add more color/fabric choices over the next few months.
How long did it take for you to take the Aquabag from idea to final product?
I laugh at how naively I thought I could do this in no time at all! It actually took me 4 years to get it to this point today (however I have to add that I did have 2 children in that time frame as well).
What are some of the lessons you have learned along the way?
I have learned that if you stay consistent and focused on an idea and are passionate about it, you can make it happen! Even if time constraints prevent you from putting as much time into your idea as you’d like, just give to it what you can and little by little it will snowball to build your business. Also, I learned that I, like most others, at first kept my idea to myself and was scared someone might copy it. As you go through the process it is about taking calculated risks and being open. I learned very quickly that opening up and sharing my idea brought me the connections I needed to make it happen! Networking with others is the best way to get your idea out there and fill the gaps in expertise/connections you don’t have. It’s amazing but you’ll find the majority of people want to help and share connections and advice!
Have you always envisioned yourself as an inventor/entrepreneur? What do you enjoy the most about it?
Yes, I have always envisioned doing my own thing. I come from a family of Entrepreneurs and my mom has a business, so this is what I grew up seeing. I constantly come up with product/business ideas. Some good some bad, but I kept at it until I found one that ‘stuck’. I love doing my own thing because it gives me the opportunity to balance my work around my family. I also love the creativity around having to jungle all the aspects of the business!
Any special tips or tricks that have helped you balance time for your business with your family life?
I’m still working my own way through how to really balance this as I still find myself up late night hours working. The one thing that helped me really dedicate time to the business over the last year is finding a nanny to share. I was able to hire a babysitter part time by sharing her with another mom. It’s expensive having a babysitter regularly, but I don’t know how you can really get anything done if you don’t have daytime working hours and if you’re a mom that usually means needing a babysitter. Having even just a few hours during the day has helped me tremendously.
What advice do you have for other inventor/entrepreneurs hoping to launch their own ideas into a business?
I would tell other aspiring entrepreneurs to keep at it consistently. Someone told me once that ‘what you do today affects what happens a few months from now’. That has proven to be so true. So staying consistent is critical in making your idea a real business. Another critical element is to network with others and to get your idea and what your current needs are out there. You never know who, what, or where you’ll get that one connection that’s going to get you that much closer to your goal!