What It's About
A distaster at the grocery store leads a mother of two to a shopping problem solution.
Business Model
Skills Required
Complexity
Profit Potential
Words of Wisdom
One of the things that Kelly stressed more than anything is that you shouldn't wait for something to be absolutely perfect before you launch your side hustle. Because, if you do, you'll never get started. Products, services, and even prices and rates can be changed after you start!
Fun Fact
Several states in the US have laws that prevent retailers from supplying plastic shopping bags unless they provide a convenient storefront receptacle to ensure used bags are collected and recycled. At least 73 bills have been introduced in state legislatures during the 2017-18 session regarding the use of plastic bags in retail settings.
Notes from Chris
Episode 576
Kelly Santos, a busy working mom, was frustrated! As any parent can attest to, a trip to the grocery store with two kids in tow can be a chaotic affair. And it was during one of these trips to the store that Kelly had her “A-HA!” moment. On this particular shopping trip from hell, Kelly hurried to get the shopping done. Her rambunctious toddler, Jake, sat in the grocery cart seat. Her newborn daughter, Brooke, slept peacefully in the car seat carrier. Juggling Brooke—who dangled from Kelly’s arm in the car seat—while steering the cart full of items AND trying to keep Jake entertained was no small task. All the while Kelly tried to carefully navigate the store aisles, but she knocked over a display of diet pills when rounding a corner. Bottles upon bottles of pills spilled all over the aisle, and of course, Brooke woke up crying. After this stressful and humiliating experience, Kelly knew there had to be a better way to shop with her kids. Kelly searched for a way to ease her shopping trip nightmares. It would really help if she could just find something to increase space for her groceries—then she could put the baby’s car seat carrier in the shopping cart. Kelly searched high and low online, but she came up empty-handed. However, one thing was clear as she researched social media and mom blog posts—her problem was one other parents shared—so she created Cart Mama! What is Cart Mama, you ask? Kelly describes it as a saddlebag style product. Cart Mama is a reusable bag that attaches to the side of any style shopping cart to make more space for your items. But this is no ordinary reusable bag! This durable, large tote has two elastic pockets that can hold 30+ pounds of goodies! Cart Mama’s annual profit for 2017 was $13,000 and growing. What’s next for Cart Mama? In the coming months, this innovative product will be available online at select retailers. Kelly is now an approved seller for Walmart! She says the best experience so far was going to Walmart to pitch buyers at their annual open call. It was inspiring to be surrounded by others who shared a similar passion. Who knew that a stressful trip to the grocery store would let such a great idea out of the bag!MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Cart Mama: Say bye-bye to those nightmarish trips to the grocery store—snag yourself a Cart Mama over on Kelly's website!
- Squarespace: The website building platform that Kelly used to create her website for Cart Mama
- Stripe: The payment processing platform that Kelly used to process all of the payments made on her website
- MailChimp: The email marketing platform that Kelly used to connect with those who had purchased her Cart Mamas
- Clothing Store Salesman Invents Baby Harness, Earns $100k Per Year: An innovative salesman creates a baby harness that benefits both parent and child, all the while creating a six-figure side income for himself
- 5-Year-Old’s Frustration Leads to Modern Day Piggy Bank: When a 5-year-old earns money taking out the trash for neighbors, his mom realizes that piggy banks are more style than function. She then reinvents this classic tool as a “piggy box” that won’t get stuck in the mud
- Mom & Son Create 'Comfy Cup' Support for Young Athletes: A Kansas City-area mom and her 10-year-old son invent an unconventional (but essential) product for young male athletes that brings in more than $5,000 a month
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Resources
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Quote of the Day
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