Infantile Inventions

As Boice learned from experience, trade shows-whether sponsored by buying groups or other organizations-are a great way to get products to market. "I landed lots of new stores, and I didn't have to follow up for orders-people gave me the orders right at the show," she says. Virtually every juvenile-products retailer and manufacturer attends the JPMA show, scheduled for October 5 to 8 this year, and it's a great spot for introducing items. For details, call the JPMA at (856) 439-0500 or visit www.jpma.org.

Although Nieberding and Moritz didn't sell to many retailers when they attended their first JPMA show, they still recommend the event. Says Moritz, "We met a lot of other small manufacturers, learned lots of marketing information and found out which customers we could trust."

At its second JMPA show appearance in 2000, Baby B'Air started to pick up more retail store orders. Today, the product is carried by independent baby stores nationwide and has just been picked up by Babies "R" Us.

Boice, too, attended last year's JPMA show and expects to introduce several new products this year. Says Boice, "JPMA is really the one big show in the industry, and it's one where you want to make a splash."

As the experiences of those inventors show, finding success in the baby-products arena is not only possible, it's easier than in many other industries. So if you have a great idea for a product, don't just daydream about what could be-make it happen! You just might find yourself joining the ranks of million-dollar baby-products entrepreneurs.

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This article was originally published in the October 2001 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Infantile Inventions.