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In her position as a real-estate agent, Joya Machabee was always on the go. When her son Luke was born, he traveled with her to appointments. All went well until Luke started wanting a little play-time in his carseat. He would play with some toys or take a drink from his sippy cup, but inevitably things would end up out of reach or on the floor. The cries of frustration would begin, and many a mom can relate to Machabee’s desperate groping while driving to retrieve the items.
Machabee became as frustrated as her son with this daily exchange. After unsuccessful searches online and in stores for something that would keep items within reach, she decided to make it herself. Since Machabee had little experience with a sewing machine, she enlisted the help of her mom and a close friend to help create what is now the Kiddie Kangaroo. She hired a patent attorney, made a pattern, found fabric and manufacturers, located marketing experts and set up LAM Products, Inc., naming it after her son in 2007
Machabee launched Kiddie Kangaroo on Sept. 16, 2007, and her daughter, Eden, was born just 10 days later. Today Kiddie Kangaroo is carried in more than 50 stores nationwide and has received four national awards in just the last six months. “Each day is a new challenge,” says Machabee, “but for me it is exciting to see an idea born out of need become a successful product. Life is just too short to let it pass you by while standing on the sidelines.”
Biggest Business Challenge:
“Finding a manufacturing company to produce Kiddie Kangaroos from the pattern I developed,” says Machabee. Many business owners told her they would not share resources. After much persistence, she met a woman who was manufacturing baby blankets and bibs in Los Angeles that was extremely helpful in giving her information on which manufacturers to contact.
Founded in 1979 by Barbara Ottmar, Tatutina Inc., is a mother-daughter, owned and operated business that designs and produces its own line of unique products for children and adults. Gift collections are developed from original art and drawings that utilize bright, vibrant colors in their own “Tatutina” style.
And what about the cliche “never go into business with your family?” There are endless examples of families torn apart by unsuccessful business ventures. But after creating and working together for more than 16 years, Roberta O’Neill disagrees. “It is important to surround yourself with good people not only in your personal life but your professional life as well. In order to start and grow your business, I believe some of the best people that we can work with are the people in our lives. My mom, Barbara, my sister, Georgia, and I each have our own strengths and we all bring something important to our company.”
Biggest Business Challenge:
“The most difficult problem for us was how to manufacture a quality Tatutina product in a reasonable amount of time, within a reasonable budget,” says O’Neill. “We started our production right in our studio located in Massachusetts. O nce we realized we could not continue with rising costs and an increase in demand for our product, we had to outsource making our items to China. While this helped grow our business, we also faced another set of challenges by working with suppliers so far from our business. After a learning curve, we have achieved our goals and are able to manufacture new products, at better pricing, still maintaining our quality. It requires travel and long lead times, however, our solution is in constant evolution.”
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