Good Parents LLC.

Owner: Mark Zweig, Li Cai and Joy Hagerty

Address: 4407 W. Trillium Lane, Fayetteville 72704

Phone: (508) 380-0469

Fax: (479) 595- 0317

Hours: No set hours

Startup: February 2008

E-mail: mzweig@good-parents.com

Web site: good-parents.com

An Arkansas manufacturing company seeks to change the way babies are being changed.

University of Arkansas professors Mark Zweig and Li Cai had a common bond--both became parents late in their lives. In that connection, they found the inspiration to open Good Parents LLC, an innovative baby-product manufacturing company.

Good Parents was formed around Cai's invention of the Good Parents Diaper Changing Pad, a movable system that eases the diapering process for both babies and parents. After several failed attempts to commercialize the pad, Cai launched the business with Zweig and CPA Joy Hagerty. "It dawned on us that we really didn't need outside investors," Zweig said. "It became clear that we could do it by ourselves, and that's what we did."

In addition to the changing pad, Good Parents now offers the Nature's Nest Nursing Nook, which provides a more comfortable position for mothers and infants during nursing. Zweig and Cai hope to manufacture at least one new invention each year.

After investing nearly $60,000 of their own money in the startup of Good Parents, the three entrepreneurs formed a three-part marketing plan for the company. Zweig said the strategy includes driving traffic through the company Web site, which also features a parenting blog, and getting the company's products on the Web sites and shelves of as many retailers as possible.

With plans to make Good Parents a $5 million to $7 million company within seven years, Zweig said the key to succeeding in the industry that "grows by nearly 5 million births each year" is to understand the target audience. "We know that most products such as ours are bought as gifts, mainly from grandparents or friends, so we've aimed our marketing at them," Zweig said.

Above all, the owners of Good Parents hope to make parenting an easier, more rewarding experience. "I know it sounds cliche," Zweig said. "Our inspiration comes from our own experiences as parents. We just want to help parents by providing them with the very best products."

On the web

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