Infantile Inventions
No, no, it's not a bad thing! The baby-products market is the perfect place for brand-new inventors to take their first steps.
Parents aren't the only ones delighted when a baby is born.
Entrepreneurs are, too. Grandparents, friends and other relatives
are eager to shower gifts on the newborn. And because infants turn
life upside down, moms and dads are always searching for new and
innovative ways to save time and make life easier-no matter what
the cost. No wonder the baby-products market is the most popular one for
individual inventors. And that's not just because there's a
huge base of parents ready to spend their hard-earned dollars on
new products. Often, becoming parents inspires moms and dads to
invent new baby products. And because there are so many babies
around, inventors in this category have ample opportunity to test
products and determine ahead of time whether they'll fly in the
market. Of course, it also helps that three relatively easy and
straightforward avenues exist to help new inventors enter the
baby-products market: catalogs, buying groups and trade shows. Content Continues Below
Calling All Catalogs Have you ever gone shopping with a baby or two? If you have,
then you understand why baby-products catalogs are so popular (and
profitable): They promise a more convenient shopping experience for
parents. That's good news for inventors. There are dozens of
baby-products catalogs out there, and they're always looking
for new and innovative additions. To find a listing of catalogs in
this category, simply visit your local library and peruse a
directory of mail-order catalogs. For example, check out the
Directory of Mail Order Catalogs (Grey House Publishing) by
Richard Gottlieb. Like many entrepreneurs, Jim Moritz, 32, and Greg Nieberding,
44, of Baby B'Air successfully introduced their product through
catalogs. (See "Vested Interest" below.) According to
Nieberding, "The main advantage of catalogs was [that] we
didn't need retail packaging." The Dallas company's founders got their initial list of
catalogs by simply asking moms what catalogs they received. Says
Moritz, "Once we had the catalog names, we just kept
contacting them. Our product [a safety vest for babies to wear on
planes] was unique and had a useful benefit, so the catalogs were
ready to give it a try." Some of the catalogs they sell in include Bye, Bye Baby;
One Step Ahead; and the Right Start Catalog. But
although the catalog option opens doors for inventors, you
won't succeed unless you're able to keep your commitments.
Cautions Moritz: "You can't afford to miss a delivery
date. The catalogs have a big expense including your product in the
catalog, and they expect your product to be there when their
customer orders." | | VESTED
INTEREST | | | As with most baby
products, the idea for the Baby B'Air Flight Vest stemmed from
a real problem faced by a new mother. Back in 1996, Greg Nieberding's younger sister complained
about the difficulty of carrying baby car seats onto planes. Yet
she felt uneasy about holding a child on her lap during flights, as
rough turbulence could send a small baby flying. So Greg partnered with Jim Moritz to find a solution. They
developed a vest the child could wear that would attach to a
parent's seat belt. The design meant mom or dad no longer had
to hold the baby tight. Says Moritz, "We weren't trying to
replace the car seat as a safety device in a plane. We just wanted
to provide some safety for the 85 percent or so of babies and
toddlers that ride on their parents' laps." To get their invention on store shelves, the partners started
by researching the market. They asked friends, relatives-anyone
they knew with a baby-what they thought of the Baby B'Air.
Positive feedback prompted them to approach American Airlines,
whose safety personnel also liked the idea. Unable to secure
financing, the Dallas entrepreneurs launched a Web site,
www.babybair.com, and built a base of initial sales. Based on that
success, they moved the product into catalogs and mass
merchants. Today, the product seems to be taking flight: It was voted
best of show at last year's Juvenile Products Manufacturers
Association show, and Nieberding and Moritz expect 2001 sales to
hit $1 million. |
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What makes a good client gift?
What guidelines do you follow when buying gifts for your clients? Have you ever received an unusual or inappropriate gift?
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