Kids love lip balm. A business started by Renee Sandler and her two daughters is banking on that theory.
Inspired by an article about women in business, Renee saw a need to teach her daughters the lessons that are necessary for them to succeed in this world. What better way to learn that lesson than to start and run a business? They put their heads together and Blamtastic was born.
Their products are geared towards kids, male and female. With a separate line of lip balm products for each gender and their unique holder that helps kids keep track of their lip balm, this mom and her budding entrepreneurs are on the fast track to success.
I recently had the opportunity to ask Renee a few questions about the business and their inspiration behind it.
Tell us a little bit about Blamtastic.
Blamtastic began as a challenge to my young children, Lily, then age 10 and Melanie, then age 9. Back in 2007 I was reading an article in the Wall Street Journal which was highlighting the fact that only 12 of the Fortune 500 CEO’s at that time were women. When you consider the fact that women make up nearly half of the workforce it becomes glaringly clear that the glass ceiling is no myth. I then realized that if I were to raise two independent young women, I had to help them find and develop their own strengths so that they can work for themselves rather than rely on others to evaluate and promote them to their final destination. I wanted them to determine their own worth. So, I read the article to them and challenged them to come up with a business idea of their choice. If they wanted to pursue it I would do everything I could to support them.
What inspired it?
A while after I proposed the challenge, Lily was looking for her lip balm. She asked “Mom, where’s my lip BLAM?” I said “BLAM? That would make a great name for a lip balm company.” We began researching the ingredients in the lip balms we had on hand and the girls decided that they could make a better formula. The girls had found their business idea and Blamtastic was born.
How many flavors do you have?
We currently have 13 flavors on the market.
Are you working on any new ones?
Yes, we are always working on new concepts and flavors. Product development is our favorite part of the business.
How did you come up with your name?
After Lily’s slip of the tongue as mentioned above, we brainstormed the Blam concept until we finally settled on Blamtastic!
What makes your business unique?
Everything about Blamtastic is unique. We are a company run by kids with products designed by kids. We are the first company to design a line of lip balms just for boys. Boys love lip balm but they don’t love girly lip balm. We’re the only company to create a line of products just for them with edgy packaging and flavors that appeal to them (no pink allowed). We are also one of the few companies dedicated to manufacturing our products in the USA. Most of our competitors go overseas to save money. But Blamtastic is committed to doing our part to bring manufacturing back home to the USA. It’s a very important issue to us. And finally, not many other companies developed their product formulas by actually cooking it on their stove at home. But, that’s how we started. That’s pretty unique.
Have you always been entrepreneurial?
I have always worked in corporate America but I don’t think I would have called myself entrepreneurial until Blamtastic came along. Now, after immersing our family in this business and meeting so many amazing other entrepreneurs, I really cannot imagine doing anything else. I now view every opportunity from an entrepreneurial point of view, i.e., Howcan I turn this (idea, product, concept, service) into a business?
What are some lessons your business has taught you?
Money isn’t everything. As the girls and I began to define what our company goals would be, I knew this experience would be their blueprint for doing business going forward. I believe that the most important lesson I can teach them is that making money is great but only if it’s not earned at the expense of others. So we made a commitment to be ethical and thoughtful about how Blamtastic impacts our family, our community, our country. This is why we manufacture solely in the United States, we never test on animals, we support local and national charities important to kids and we balance our work schedule to allow for a lot of family time. It’s tempting to work non-stop and continue to increase earnings. But, I want the girls to know that there is more to life than just work. Balance is very important.
Do you have any advice that you’d like to offer fellow mompreneurs that are just getting
started?
I think the best advice comes from Lily and Melanie. They were recently interviewed by Seventeen/Cosmo Girl about their company and were asked a similar question. Here is their advice:
LILY: “Don’t let anyone tell you that your idea won’t be successful. Work really hard and if you do become successful don’t be stingy.”
MELANIE: “My advice is to keep it original. Don’t copy anyone.”