Please note that this is a re-post from a 2011 Spotlight on Mommy Post. I am sharing as Question Mom and Mom Impact is currently running a wonderful giveaway, where one reader will win a pair of bibs and a drying rack, from Annie Pryor. Please show your support for this fellow mom entrepreneur by entering their giveaway. If you missed my interview with Annie in 2011, you can read it below. Enjoy!!
I
just love Annie Pryor's Bib Drying Rack and wanted to share her product
and inspirational mom entrepreneurial story with you all this week.
Being a mom to a 1 yr. old daughter, with another daughter on the way in
Nov., I have been going through bibs like crazy on a daily basis for
the past year. Now that I am trying to teach Savannah to feed herself
and introducing her to more solid foods, I find myself going through
more and more bibs. But, instead of running to the washing machine 2-3
times a day, I end up hand washing her bibs in the sink and hanging them
on hooks around the house or on the dish drying rack to dry. But,
either Savannah finds and pulls the bibs down, dirtying them again, or I
have to move the bibs on the dish rack, as I have dishes that
accumulate over the day. Well, thanks to Annie's invention, moms
everywhere now have a more convenient and stylish way to dry their
child's bibs -- enter the Mommy Genius Bib Drying Rack. This
innovative invention is so economical and takes up a small amount of
counter space. Now, when you are done washing your child's bibs after
each feeding, you simply hang their bibs on the drying rack and you are
good to go. No more searching high and low for places to hang their
bibs. Finally, you will get your kitchen back and it will not look like
a laundromat or baby boutique, displaying the various styles of bibs
you have accumulated.
Watch
this fun video Annie put together about her Mommy Genius Bib Drying
Rack. And, then, scroll down to read my Spotlight on Mommy interview
with her.
Annie's products make
great baby shower gifts and gifts for new moms. She even does custom
orders!!!! For example, if you want a gift set with 3 or 4 bibs, simply
email Annie and let her know.
Enjoy!
Name: Annie Pryor
Company Name/Product/Service: Mommy Genius Bib Drying Rack
Company Location: Bellbrook, Ohio
Company Website: http://www.mommygenius.com/
Twitter Handle: @MommyGenius
Age of Company: 1 year
Favorite Book: Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum Series
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How many children do you have? What are their ages? Your hobbies? Etc.
I
have 3 children. My son, Jon, is 7. My daughter, Katie Scarlett is 3.5
years old. My baby Michael is 10 months old. I enjoy being a
stay-at-home mom and spending half of the day in my pajamas.
Briefly explain your business. How did it come about?
Once
I became a mom, I noticed that there were a few products that I needed
to make my daily life easier that were not available. Originally,
I just made these inventions for myself. However, after using my them
for a while, I really felt that my inventions would benefit other
mothers as well. I did not have any business, manufacturing, or
marketing experience, but I decided to start my own business anyway. So
far, I have brought my Bib Drying Rack to market, and I hope to bring my
other inventions to market in the future.
The
Bib Drying Rack is the perfect place to hang wet baby bibs to dry
between meals. I invented it because all the dirty baby bibs were
driving me crazy! I hated putting food-covered bibs in the laundry after
each meal, because the laundry became moldy. Plus, I needed to own so
many bibs in order to have a clean one ready for each meal. I was
constantly throwing away moldy bibs and buying new bibs. I liked
rinse-off bibs but there was never a convenient place to put them to
dry. I had bibs lying all over the counter top and the lunch bib was
never dry by dinner. I frequently had 4 wet bibs at a time draped around
my kitchen. I decided that I needed to hang the bibs up to dry.
Originally, I just shopped for something that would work. I tried every
fingertip towel holder, mug tree, and banana hanger on the market but
nothing was right for hanging bibs. I felt that I had to invent a Bib
Drying Rack.
My
Bib Drying Rack sits right next to my kitchen sink. It holds 5 bibs but
takes up less counter space than 1 bib laying out. After meals, I
quickly wash the bibs in the kitchen sink while I'm doing the dishes and
hang them upside down by the pocket on the Bib Drying Rack. The bibs
dry fast and are always ready for the next meal. Now, I only need to own
1-2 rinse off bibs per child. The Bib Drying Rack is also a great place
to hang kitchen towels and washcloths.
What is a typical work day like?
In
the morning, I package up any Bib Drying Rack orders that I received
during the night and my husband drops them off at FedEx on his way to
work. I answer e-mails and do other business work during nap time and at
night when the kids are in bed.
What has been a struggle while starting up your company?
My first struggle was finding the right manufacturer for my Bib Drying Rack. I did not expect it to take so long. It
took over 2 years to actually get my product made and my business
started. Now that I am actually in business, my biggest struggles are
getting the word out about my product and generating consistant traffic
to my website.
What did you do in your past work life?
Before
I had children, I attended The Ohio State University and earned my
Ph.D. in biochemistry. I attribute my ability to invent to all those
years that I spent problem-solving in the research lab. Now, instead of
solving problems with experiments, I find creative solutions to problems
at home. After I graduated, I got pregnant with my first child and
"retired" to be a stay-at-home mom.
What have been some of your major successes?
I
got to make my television debut in March 2011! I was invited to present
my Bib Drying Rack on a local Dayton Ohio FOX morning news show. It was
so exciting! I had never been on TV before.
What have been some of your major challenges?
One
major challenge has been finding a way to keep my Bib Drying Racks
manufactured in the USA. People expect a product like this to cost $9.99
at Walmart and that is only possible if it is manufactured overseas. My
Bib Drying Rack is manufactured in a small factory in Indiana by
workers who get good wages and health insurance...but it makes the
product more expensive.
On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?
I find that eating a few Dove Dark Chocolates in the morning after breakfast helps keep me motivated and energetic.
What is your balancing secret in managing a business and family?
I
try to do most of my business work when my children are sleeping so I
still have lots of time to spend with them when they are awake.
What is next for your business?
I
am currently working with my manufacturer to determine if there are any
small design changes we could make to the Bib Drying Rack to make it
less expensive to produce.
Do
you have any advice for other mom entrepreneurs that are starting out
and struggling, or are on the fence about starting a business?
Read "The Mom Inventors Handbook" by Tamara Monosoff. It is full of great information and helped me get my business started.
Read "The Mom Inventors Handbook" by Tamara Monosoff. It is full of great information and helped me get my business started.
---BUY NOW---
Head on over to Annie's website
to place your order for a Mommy Genius Bib Drying Rack today.
---GIVEAWAY---
One lucky Question Moms & Mompact reader will win a pack of the Tuckaroo bibs and the Bib Drying Rack. To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
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