Posts Tagged ‘Entrepreneurs’

Of all the trends to take advantage of, the earth-friendly one is probably the best one to consider. It is good for the earth and, thanks to this trend, the options to choose from are becoming much more plentiful. This includes the art in your kids’ bedroom.

Greenie2Steps is bringing a whole new theme and story to a child’s room near you. With the help of Greenie, the eco-friendly elephant, kids and parents alike are discovering the benefits of a green lifestyle. Of course, the fact that the art can easily be peeled off the wall, leaving no residue, then stuck back on without losing any adhesive is a plus.

If you ever believed the saying that “two heads are better than one”, then you can only imagine what three minds will come up with. There are exactly three women behind the creation of Greenie2Steps, Cynthia Laidlaw, Nancy Serafini, Joanne Coughlin, and each woman has played an important part in creating this innovative company.

Tell us a little about Greenie2Steps.

Greenie2Steps is a company that produces eco-friendly, whimsical wall art for children. The company was started by three Boston women. Nancy Serafini, an interior designer, Joanne Coughlin an artist / animator and Cindy Laidlaw, an advertising executive. Their collective goal is to create high quality children’s wall décor that is beautiful, educational and eco-friendly. The collection uses original art by Joanne and includes oversized prints, giant cut-outs or “Stickups”and wall murals up to 20 feet long. They feature the company’s “spokeselephant” Greenie and her friends, Taj the tiger, Lenny the lion, Geraldine the giraffe and Greenie’s brother Garrett the gray elephant. The art is printed on an eco-friendy fabric canvas, is washable and very easy to install thanks to a non-toxic backing that will not damage walls.

An important part of the Greenie2Steps company mission is to allocate a portion of profits to charities that support children, education and the environment.

What inspired the three of you to get together and form such an interesting business?

Nancy Serafini and Cindy Laidlaw have worked together for the last eight years in an advertising agency/client relationship. Cindy, the owner of The Laidlaw Group, an ad agency in Boston, designed the Web site and marketing materials for Nancy’s interior design business.

Joanne Coughlin met Nancy at the 10-year anniversary of the Art For Kool Kidz program, a charity co-founded by Nancy at Children’s Hospital in Boston. Joanne, a renowned muralist and former animator at Warner Brothers in Los Angeles painted a mural for the hospital that was unveiled at the Anniversary party.

Nancy, Joanne and Cindy met at the right place, at the right time, and Greenie2Steps was born. They have created a company that they consider to be a perfect blend of creativity, imagination, education and fun.

Who is ‘Greenie’? What are some the adventures and stories your characters have to share?

Greenie is a pink elephant from the far away isle of TelleyGreen. This magical island is where Greenie, her brother Garrett and their friends Geraldine the Giraffe, Lenny the Lion and Taj the Tiger thrive in a healthy environment surrounded by clean fresh air, crystal clear water and an abundance of flora and fauna. Greenie’s adventures began when she looked up at the sky and saw a leaf floating in the air. It was an unusual leaf, unlike any that grow on TelleyGreen. She wanted to know where it came from. So began her quest.

She travels the world in her eco-friendly pineapple plane built by her brother Garrett, an inventor. Along the way she meets new friends, discovers new places and learns new lessons about how to make our planet a better place to live.

Your wall art is eco-friendly? What are some of the ingredients used?

We use eco-solvent based inks and water-based coatings in the printing process. Our fabric canvas substrate is made primarily from wood pulp, the naturally occurring primary structural component of green plants that is a renewable resource. The materials we selected to produce our Whimsical Wall Art collection are an eco-friendly solution for consumers that are demanding green products for their families and their homes.

It was mentioned that your art uses a glue that makes it easy to unstick and restick the art on the wall over and over again, without leaving any residue. How does that work?

In fact, there is no glue in the production of our products. The fabric canvas is paste-free, self adhesive/removable and repositionable and can be placed on any flat surface. It has a soft-tack backing that never dries out or becomes permanent. This backing retains its elasticity for hundreds of applications. It will never mar walls, peel off paint or leave residue.

Nancy, Joanne, and Cindy, you’ve each got your own unique background and experiences. Would you mind telling us a little about your background and how it helped you co-found this business?

Nancy:

When I was 8 years old I knew I wanted to be an interior decorator. Today, I have an interior design business with work featured in publications such as House and Garden, House Beautiful and Traditional Home. As a way of giving back, I started the Art for Kool Kidz Program at a hospital for children in Boston which allowed me to see first hand the healing qualities art has on children. I wanted to make art more accessible to children everywhere and help them learn about the importance of taking care of our planet.

As an interior designer, I always liked working on children’s rooms and tried to find wall art that was whimsical, educational and eco-friendly. It didn’t exist, so I decided to make it myself by co-founding Greenie2steps.

Cindy:

As the owner of The Laidlaw Group, a Boston advertising agency and a true entrepreneur, I have worked with many clients who have had ideas and have come to us to help turn those ideas into powerful brands. I have over 20 years experience working with clients that range from small start-ups to Fortune 50 corporations. I have learned to recognize and develop the potential of a great idea. Greenie2Steps is more than a great idea, it’s on its way to becoming a recognized brand.

Joanne:

I learned traditional animation in Los Angeles at Warner Brothers Feature Animation studios. While there , I worked on award winning animation films including Iron Giant, Space Jam and the Tigger Movie. It was an amazing experience . Eventually I returned to Boston and started my own children’s mural painting business. Every year I try to donate one mural to a children’s organization which led to several projects for Children’s Hospital where I met Nancy and began my involvement with Greenie2steps.

Now that we know what makes you so different, what similarities helped bring the three of you together?

Our similarity is a simple one – a shared passion for art, teaching children how to live “green”, and building a successful business. Of course, it helps that we all have strong backgrounds in art and design.

What are some of the lessons you have learned from your business up to this point?

Pick partners with complimentary skill sets. Ours combine business, art and sales and marketing . While we each are strong in our own professions, it is the sum of our combined experience that makes the company work. We’ve also believe that everyone benefits from living on a healthy planet. And we’re learning how much fun it is to hand business cards to two year olds.

As a relatively new business, having just launched at the end of July, I know you haven’t had much time to reach any major milestones yet but what goals do you hope to reach before your first anniversary? What are a few of your long term goals?

Our immediate business goals are to increase brand awareness, expand the product line, establish our affiliate and retail programs, and generate a consistent revenue stream. Our long-term goal is to become a household name by licensing our brand for apparel, home furnishings, accessories and more.

Do the three of you have any advice that you would like to share with any would-be entrepreneurs that might be reading this?

First, love what you do and believe in your ability to succeed. Second, make sure you work well with your partners and have complimentary skill sets. Third, have a professional legal contract. Finally– do your homework.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.

If you have or have ever heard of Raynaud’s Syndrome, then you know that it is a condition which causes your hands to be cold and that it can be painful. There is also no cure. The only options that someone with this syndrome has is either surgery or the use of bulky warming devices. That was until now.

When Leslie Rees’ granddaughter was diagnosed with Raynaud’s Syndrome, he decided to have a look into the condition. When he didn’t like what he had found, Leslie created a solution instead. Heatbands are wrist bands that are made specifically for suffers of Raynaud’s Syndrome, although it can be used by anyone who needs an effective way to keep their hands warm. Instead of using an alternative form of heat, the bands make use of the heat within your own body.

What are HeatBands?

HeatBands™ are an innovative new type of handwarmer originally designed for Raynaud’s sufferers, they are very thin, ultra light and unobtrusive they are worn around the wrist to leave the hands and fingers free and warm.

How does it work?

HeatBands™ work by insulating the blood vessels that lie close to the skins surface at the wrist thus preventing heat loss, and by virtue of the products heat reflective core, heat is directed back to the area which has the effect of promoting a better flow of warm blood into the hands and fingers.

What inspired you to create it?

One of my grandaughters Laura Allen had very cold and painful hands and was diagnosed with Raynaud’s disease, she was told by the Doctor there is no cure, just wear gloves. I had previously designed and produced the Mediwrap range of products for patient thermo regulation for the emergency services and for in hospital use during surgical procedures, so I was very interested to research the condition and the products available. I was surprised to find other then invasive surgery and dangerous drugs, only bulky chemical handwarmers and a range of unsightly cumbersome items most requiring some form of activation or warming procedure. My plan was to design a no drug no chemical no activation product that would bring warmth and relief to users without any risk or side effects, I believe I have achieved that with HeatBands™.

What separates you from the competition?

HeatBands™ is the only product that offers a true natural remedy because it does not introduce heat it better utilises the body’s own heat.

How have your HeatBands evolved since your business was first started in 2005?

We have improved the product and the fastening and have seen HeatBands™ evolve from a medical product into a much wider and more versatile product as it has entered the sports market, the sponsorship and promotional market and the commercial market as HeatBands™ are now used by staff of some major food preperation companies and many outdoor workers.

Do you have any goals that you hope to reach over the next few years?

We plan to create a world-wide distribution network, introduce new products based upon the HeatBands™ technology. Make people more aware of safer more natural remedies for many ailments, and to make those remedies more readily available.

What are some of the lessons that you have learned from creating, launching, and running your business?

We have learnt many lessons, one is that generally a contract cannot be relied upon especially if you are a small company with little resources, the major companies and organisations will take advantage of your weekness. Keep your overheads as low as possible. Use your gut instincts. If it seems to good to be true it usually is.

What has been the hardest part of balancing time for your business and time for your personal life?

Your private and business life seems to role into one when you are very enthusiastic about what you are doing, our business is very rewarding as we know our products are bringing relief to many people and their comments and testimonials encourage us, we involve our family and our friends conversationaly in what we are doing most of the time.

What advice would you give fellow entrepreneurs hoping to launch their own business now?

You are never too young or too old. There is no wrong or right time if you wait until the time is right you will be too late. Don’t trust Banks. Get all the free help you can from central and local government run organisations.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.

The parents of young girls everywhere have probably heard of the wedgie complaint. The underwear doesn’t like to stay in place, wedgies occur, and for some unlucky parents it can be a common complaint with no end in sight.

Rebecca Winterhalt’s daughter had that problem. Her daughter was still in the potty training stages when she had an accident. Unfortunately Rebecca didn’t have a spare change of clothes on her so she had to borrow a pair of her nephews underwear. As the two children played, she noticed that her daughter wasn’t complaining about her underwear riding up and an idea began to spark within her mind. After much planning, that idea became what is now known as Girl Gotch. Taking advantage of the materials and design that makes boys underwear so great, Girl Gotch has created something that is much “too cute to be boys’”.

Tell us a little about Girl Gotch.

Girl Gotch is a company that designs and manufactures underwear for girls aged 2 thru 6 years of age. They come in 2 different styles; boxer and brief. They were designed after the traditional boy’s brief and boxer, but made ‘too cute to be boys’;)’

What inspired you to create this new type of girl’s underwear?

While I was potty training my oldest daughter, I couldn’t find underwear that would fit her. They would constantly ride up and she was pulling at them and saying how they hurt. One day when she was playing with her cousin, she had an accident and I didn’t have a spare set of clothes, so I borrowed my nephew’s gotch. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but as the day went on I realized that she wasn’t complaining about her underwear. She was running, jumping and climbing and they were staying in place. That’s when I decided that boy’s underwear were fantastic in design and little girls should be able to have them too. That is when Girl Gotch was born.

How many colors/styles do they come in? How much do they cost?

Currently Girl Gotch come in boxes of 3 boxers or briefs. They are available in a tri-colored box containing pink, purple and aqua. They are also available in pure white. I am hoping to have 2 more color lines by Christmas. The underwear retail for $14.99/box of 3. They can be purchased on-line at www.girlgotch.com or at a participating retailer. The retailers are listed on the where to buy section of the Girl Gotch website.

What was the design process like? What went into determining the materials and design that you wanted to use?

The design process was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I bought a bunch of boys underwear and literally took them apart. I worked with a local designer who was really great and she drew up the patterns for me. I sewed the underwear together and shipped them off to potential manufacturers. I had them provide samples in 100% cotton as well as a 95% cotton and 5% spandex blend. From there, I had my daughter play and wear the underwear and then I was able to finalize the style and fabric blend that was perfect for Girl Gotch. I wanted a high quality fabric that didn’t lose it’s shape as they were worn. The small amount of spandex allows for the little bit of stretch for comfort and helps hold the shape of the underwear.

Can we expect to see some new colors or patterns for your underwear in the future?

There are three different color families for Girl Gotch; cool, confident and pretty. The cool line contains the bright vibrant colors where the pretty line features soft pastels. The confident is the white line. There should be an additional cool line and a pretty line by Christmas time.

Do you have any goals that you hope to reach over the next year? Long term?

Over the next year I plan expand the number of retail partners. I also plan on launching into the USA. My long term goals for Girl Gotch is to grow the brand so that it is a ‘lovemark’ for consumers. Girl Gotch will be a household name and if there is a home with a little girl, it will also have Girl Gotch.

What are some of the changes Girl Gotch has seen since it first launched 1 year ago?

Initially, I had planned on partnering with a couple major mass retailers, however I decided that there was a better fit for my brand to partner with many smaller independent retailers. There haven’t been significant changes as I only went to market on May 07, 2009. When I started Girl Gotch, I wrote a detailed business plan and I use it to keep me in line. It is easy to lose sight of your original idea, so I constantly look back at my vision and make sure that all the decisions that I make are true to that.

What are some of the challenges you’ve had to face in business? What has helped you overcome them?

I think that the challenges I have had to face are getting the brand and logo perfect, finalizing manufacturing partners, finding the most cost effective partners in banking, website design to ensure that I can bring my product to market at a competitive price point. Patience, research and the support of my husband have helped me overcome my challenges without giving in to frustration.

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

My business has taught me that I can do anything. I have also learned that you can have the best plan and intentions, but there will always be something unexpected that will come up. I have learned that I need to stay positive and not take myself too seriously.

Is there any advice that you would like to share with fellow entrepreneurs that are just getting started?

I would say start with a detailed business plan and do your research. Be sure that there is a need for your product or service in the market before you invest all of your money. I would also recommend that you have the full support of your partner and family because you are going to need their support and help especially in the infancy of your business. Lastly, just go for it. Don’t over think it, just go for it. Someone has to come up with the next ‘it’ thing, so why can’t that someone be you.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.