The Hustle
Years in Tampa Bay
Three
Hustle (job)
Crescent Womb: Infant Safety Bed
What do you do?
I am the creator of the Crescent Womb: Infant Safety Bed and founder of Crescent Womb, LLC. I oversee day to day operations, manage product development, and run/walk/crawl/fall my way through the world of entrepreneurship.
Why do you do it?
Originally, for my daughter Stella. Now, hearing stories from families all over the world about how Crescent Womb has benefited them is so rewarding to the entire Crescent Womb team.
Also, I love to learn. This is my first formal business venture, so every day I have the opportunity to learn something new.
What was your Catalyst? (How did you get started?)
The catalyst for Crescent Womb was my daughter, Stella. Getting ready for her birth I was beyond scared and nervous about infant safety, especially sleep. As a 22-year old student with a baby on the way the “safer” products were out of my price range. My only option was to create something better. After several requests from friends and family for a prototype for their own babies, I decided to bring my idea to market. Over a year later – after countless hours of product development, focus groups, and compliance testing I launched Crescent Womb: Infant Safety Bed on Kickstarter.com. The campaign raised over $130k to bring my brand to life.
What’s a common misconception or unknown aspect of what you do?
A lot of focus went into protecting our intellectual property and product design. While this is important, building a strong brand should ALWAYS be your first line of defense against counterfeits (especially in the e-commerce space).
What’s the most challenging part of your Hustle?
Primarily, going through the learning curves of a first-time business owner. So much more goes into a successful company than just a great idea.
Secondly, despite Crescent Womb’s fully patent-protected status we are dealing with a huge influx of counterfeit products. These guys are taking about $100,000 in market share a month – a pretty devastating blow for a startup company …
Nonetheless, imitation is the highest form of flattery so the Crescent Womb team is happy to know the market is behind our product 🙂
What’s the most valuable piece of business advice/insight that’s helped you?
Put in the hours. Although cliched, the “harder you work, luckier you get” quote is as true as it ever was.
And focus on the details, always ready-aim-fire (not the other way around).
