Recently I had the privilege of meeting a bona fide local entrepreneur - Bianca Richardson.
This Waikato wonder-woman has spent the past few years developing and growing a business that solves problems for parents with escape-artist children. She created the 'Houdini' range out of frustration with her youngest child Jessica's ability to wriggle out of her carseat.
"She would always find a way to make a full escape. I tried the only safety product on the market which didn't work, so thought I'd go back to the drawing board and come up with something myself."
This DIY attitude is something Bianca has always had. Growing up on a farm, she enjoyed tinkering with things and making them work. After developing a basic prototype (on a budget of $30) and finding a source for the plastic clips, Bianca partnered with local Hamilton company TG Embroidery for branding and sewing the straps. The 'Houdini Stop' was born, and Jessica couldn't perform her escape act any more.
Figuring there must be other parents with the same problem, Bianca launched her product on TradeMe, and soon had a number of successful trades that proved her gut instinct was correct - parents needed something that really worked at keeping their kids safe.
She got the product safety crash tested at the Autoliv Test Facility in Melbourne, where it performed perfectly, and decided it was time to take the product beyond TradeMe.
Happy customers were approaching her to become distributors, so via this method Bianca successfully entered the Australian and UK markets, after securing stockists BabyCity and The Baby Factory in New Zealand.
Along the way Bianca was busy developing new products to add to the Houdini range.
"Once I see a problem I want to figure out how to fix it. Besides personal experience with my two girls, I also had friends and customers giving me suggestions, and out of that came the Houdini Door and the Houdini Lock."
The first product prevents little people (and pets) from exiting/breaking into rooms when they're meant to be sleeping, and the second is a nifty way to keep nappies on, bibs attached, and has myriad other uses.
As the business has grown, Bianca has had to learn new skills.
"I didn't go to university, so everything has just been picked up along the way. I learned about marketing from trying different wording options for my listings on TradeMe, did all my company set-up (InKIDable Solutions Limited) and trademarking by myself online, and figured out how to build my own website."
Now that she's exporting the Houdini products, Bianca is tackling new challenges like figuring out the right pricing for different markets, and factoring in shipping options. She balances this with time spent working on new products.
"It's gone from a hobby to my job - I've got two more products in the pipeline that I think will really make life easier for parents."
Her advice to entrepreneurs just starting out?
"Don't be afraid to ask. I've got a great mentor working with me simply because I asked if he'd have the time to give me some advice. People are willing to help you if you're willing to ask for it."
It's great to see local people making things happen!
If you know someone in the Waikato with a story to tell, let me know. Email latesha@sebandtesh.com.