Freep.com:
After nearly a year of delays, disappointments and small triumphs, it had all come down to one pivotal event for Merrill Guerra and her Ypsilanti start-up company, RealKidz Inc.
Could the business obtain the $150,000 it so desperately needed?
Without the money, the company, which designs and sells plus-size clothes for young girls, wouldn’t be able to produce a line of spring clothes, market its existing products or significantly expand its fledgling network of independent sales consultants.
In early November, forces beyond Guerra’s control threatened to derail the first-time entrepreneur’s dream. Stung by the stock market plunge, wealthy people who invest in start-ups began snapping their wallets shut, afraid to take more risks.
At the time, Guerra, RealKidz’s 38-year-old CEO, had been waiting for weeks for the $150,000 that a few of these investors had agreed to put into her company.
Nov. 7, the day Guerra thought the money would arrive, came and went without the promised checks.
She didn’t panic. Her investors had assured her that they were still on board. But with so much bad news in the media, Guerra couldn’t help but worry.
A week later, RealKidz’s long struggle for capital finally came to an end — at least until spring. It secured its first round of financing, no small feat given the meltdown in the financial markets.
“It’s a huge relief,” Guerra said a few days after picking up the checks. “There’s so much I can do now that I’m freaking busy. I’m going in 20 different directions.”
Logo from RealKidz.