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Backpack business idea prompted by frustration

Written by: Sue Stockdale

Article Overview: After years of travel with bags that were miserable, non-functioning, or unattractive in a business setting, Myrna Marofsky and Karen Stinson decided to design one that worked for them and for other women business travelers. They are the founders of WiseWomen, an e-commerce business selling the WisePack™, a perfect travel backpack purse for women. The bag was designed for women by women and has many features that make it both fashionable and functional. Read about how they started up the business and overcame obstacles along the way.

Backpack business idea prompted by frustration

1. What is your business? Myrna Marofsky and Karen Stinson are founders of WiseWomen. It is an e-commerce business selling the WisePack™, a perfect travel backpack (rucksack) purse for women. The bag was designed for women by women and has many features that make it both fashionable and functional. Myrna explains...."Recently we added a Mini tote/shopper to our products in response to requests from our customers who asked for a small tote that could be tucked inside of the WisePack™. We attract customers through our web site, blogs, articles and word of mouth. The WiseWomen Foundation returns 15% of supporting organization purchases to them."


2. What prompted you to start up in business? After years of travel with bags that were miserable, non-functioning, or unattractive in a business setting, we decided to design one that worked for us and for other women business travelers. We spoke to many women who were looking for the same thing and got ideas. Then we made a prototype and had 20 women travel with it for 2 years while we ran our other business. After three prototypes, we manufactured them and began to sell them.

3. What was the market situation when you started up? Because we are entrepreneurs, we just went with our gut feel and the information we had from other women. We knew that there were many backpacks (rucksacks) out there, but most looked like college or camping bags. Women said they wanted one bag that could go from the plane, to the meeting, to the soccer field, and the grocery store. So we designed one.

4. Do you have a vision for your business and if so, what is it? Our vision is to sell bags via the web and through women's conferences. We will only add products our customers ask for. We want to stay small and personable, remaining close to our customers. We have tried retail and distribution, but the most profitable way to sell a small product line like this is though the web. Our hope is to make the WiseWomen foundation viable so that we can fund individual women as they explore travel for personal development and growth.

5. What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome and how did you do it? It was difficult to start this business while trying to grow another to sell. We employed my daughter to produce the bag and set up the business. She did that part beautifully, but she had no interest in selling the product because she wasn't the profile of our customers. I had to fire her...unfortunately that was on her birthday...now, thankfully we joke about it. We had the bags in a retail operation and they sold well, but the parent company took over the local stores and kicked us out after they wanted to steal the design for their own and we said NO!. We have learned how challenging the retail market is and how different manufacturing is from the service business we ran so successfully in the past.

6. How did you find the finance to get started? Luckily we had a highly successful business already when we went to the bank to finance WiseWomen. We got whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted it. Our bankers all got WisePacks™ too. The day we signed the loan papers we were on top of the world, then we got side tracked with selling our other business and the payments became an irritant. We paid off the original loan with the proceeds from the sale of the our business and are funding WiseWomen ourselves now.


7. What are your personal qualities that have that have helped you to succeed in business? After running a large consulting company for 21 years with my partner, I have a good understanding of what it takes to run a service business. With that in mind, we are keeping this business small, and relying on our skills to make it happen. We have hired consultants, paid good money with limited results. The success really lies in our ability to get the word about this product out there. The qualities that I possess that have helped launch this business are: Blind faith, guts, good reputation and well networked with our customers, creativity, innovation, resourceful, belief in the product, positive attitude, good communication skills, both oral and written, persistence and an "abundance" vs. "scarcity" attitude.


8. How do you keep going when things get tough? My partner and I believe in this product and our mission to create the WiseWomen foundation. Nothing in this business is as tough as running a big business like we did in the past. I'm also very glad I have a trusted partner, confidant, and good friend in the same person.


9. How do you measure success? Watching the sales come in from the web and seeing the growth from year to year are the things you can measure. Reading the comments from happy customers are the squishy things that can't be measured, but make us feel successful. In my past business the greatest measure of success was selling the company for the highest value possible.


10. If you had one piece of advice for a woman starting out in business, what would it be? Women get excited about an idea or passionate about a product, and being the resourceful people of the world, we can turn ideas into realities. What we tend to forget is that someone has to want our ideas. They need to buy our products. We need to generate revenue. That means that a marketing plan is as important as a product development plan. When people ask you, "So how are you going to market your idea?" You need an answer.

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Article Tags: backpack, backpacks, business travelers, camping, conferences, e commerce business, founders, grocery store, market situation, prototype, prototypes, purse, soccer field, stinson, supporting organization, women business, women by women, word of mouth



Related Forum Posts
Re: Are you Self Employed or a Business Woman? - Hi Barbara, I hear your frustration. I think it's great that you have a plan to change that. Did the idea about being self employed versus running a business cause you to think any further on it like it did me? I ended up really evaluating what I was doing and beginning to implement change. Have you considered other ways of bringing employees on so that your business can create more work while you might do less of what you enjoy least? Your dream sounds quite exciting. I'm curious as to why you plan to wait years until you can create a business that offers you more freedom. All the best, Tami
Finding Replacements - With the cost of training new people, the frustration in the business when they don't work out and the sheer waste of time to bring someone on board that's substandard, it amazes me how often people jump to bring in a person that isn't qualified. Having the right people is a key to a successful business, but it doesn't seem to get the attention that it should. A rush to hire is like a rush to judgement - neither is in our best interest. Chris
Mediocre Idea Can Become Profitable Through Marketing - OK, here is an interesting question for everyone. What would then determine an idea to go bad? Was it a bad idea to begin with? Or Was it due to the lack of research before formulating of an idea? Or Was it perhaps... our lack of ability to turn the idea into a profitable venture (meaning, it's a good idea, but the business owner cannot turn profit)? There are bad ideas around the world that if someone else marketed it could have turned into a million dollar idea. Not necessarily a bad idea, but.... For example, Google is widely popular in North America, but in Japan, people dominantly use Yahoo. For whatever reason, providing exactly the same results, Yahoo is marketing something better than Google is doing in Japan. Not that an idea goes bad.... but it's more of who is doing what that ensures better success. So knowing clearly and concisely what we wanted to do before formulating an idea, and thinking about the hungry market first before a coming up with business idea will outperform majority of competitors because most business don't think about envisioning the end result and working backwards. Personally, I have seen way too many people in MLM world who blame every idea but themselves for their failure. But some succeed while others fail, dealing with the same prospect, same market, same product. I tell those people that an idea presented by companies is only the front end of the picture, but the knowledge, network, and skills each business owner brings to the table will really determine an idea to turn profitable or not. Regards, Takuya
Trade secrets - Hi BizLoanz4u, I think I've only had a non-disclosure agreement with my web designer and I've never even felt the need to have one with my business coach when we were discussing my ideas. In fact, I knew that if he talked about my business with other people, it'd probably be in my best interests. When people talk about your idea, it helps provide free exposure and possibily even attracts others to get involved with your business. I believe that a person could probably have the most original idea, then write up the best business plan and even post it on the web or leave it on a college campus library table and the following would hold true: 1.) The idea or trade secret probably isn't original or a secret. 2.) The majority of people who stumble upon the "confidential" business plan would NOT act on it. 3.) The few who dare to take the risk and implement the idea would fail. 4.) And there's probably a better chance of winning the lottery or getting attacked by a shark or hit by lightning than for a person to find your idea/trade secret and turn it into a successful business.
Re: Does Your Website Make these 7 Mistakes? - Hi there, I really enjoy reading the content of this post. I think one mistake could be that it is not easy to navigate. If it is difficult to navigate, it creates frustration and soon leaves the website.


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