| Remember the TopsyTail(TM)? How could you | | | | help him. She moved into the bed and bath |
| forget? The best-selling hair accessory in history | | | | business, designing for major department stores. |
| had a ubiquitous infomercial in the 1990's that set | | | | She never had intentions of getting into the hair |
| the standard for other fashion accessory | | | | business- "the idea I developed just happened to |
| products to follow. TopsyTail(TM) sold over $100 | | | | work for hair". Randomly, she was leaving a |
| million in a short period of time. Meanwhile, other | | | | factory with too much stuff to carry (scraps that |
| successful products Hairdini(TM), Whirl-a-Style(TM) | | | | her environmental consciousness would not allow |
| and FanTail(TM) have enjoyed longer market | | | | her to throw away), and was handed a plastic |
| longevity, and evolving product lines. All products | | | | handle, when the revelation came- "creating |
| were invented by women, who got into the | | | | handles to carry the bags of stuff was no |
| business for different reasons in unique ways. | | | | different than managing hair and organizing it in a |
| FanTail(TM)- consistently a best seller at Ulta | | | | fashionable way. With that thought, I was off and |
| stores for over five years. | | | | running". Although she wanted to be a nurse as a |
| For Sandra Lunde, the inventor of the FanTail(TM) | | | | kid, she "understood fashion early, out of |
| (which inserts in the hair to make a spiky | | | | necessity. By age 12 I was over 6 feet tall and |
| ponytail), an actual dream about inventing | | | | had outgrown ready to wear clothing, so I began |
| something for the hair was the epiphany she | | | | sewing my own clothes. That led me to making |
| needed to get into the business. "The dream was | | | | my own fashion and designs. From that I think |
| so real that I knew I just had to invent something | | | | there grows an interest in how you put yourself |
| and make it come true", Sandra recalls. She | | | | together and hair becomes a natural part of that." |
| always enjoyed doing hair as a child, and even did | | | | She thinks her "strength is in finding unusual |
| her mother's hair, while dreaming of a future as a | | | | solutions to problems". |
| hairstylist. She notes that she would have gone | | | | On success- and failure, she comments that |
| into another creative field, such as graphic or | | | | "starting a business from the beginning keeps me |
| interior design, had she not done this. She was | | | | forever humble because it never exactly does |
| quite the fashionista as well, reading beauty | | | | what I think it should do or what others think it |
| magazines and shopping for the latest trends in | | | | should do. I have had my ups and downs with |
| clothing. She has long, straight hair that, while plain | | | | developing markets---that means I get often |
| when worn down, works well with her FanTail(TM) | | | | stretched beyond my liking. Marketing is an area I |
| product, especially during the summers. | | | | have had to teach myself". Tenacity has been the |
| She attributes "perseverance, a positive attitude | | | | key to her success. "I think working with my son |
| and wanting to succeed" as personal traits that | | | | taught me that if one approach didn't work, I just |
| led to her success. She invested her own money | | | | needed to go down another street and look |
| in the product, and while she got frustrated at | | | | some more. There was no giving up with him and |
| times, "kept going" no matter what. The | | | | I have brought that same persistent energy to |
| inspiration for the product's circular pronged shape | | | | this business". She used her own money to launch |
| came during a night of ordering in- "We got a | | | | the product, lamenting that "an untried idea is not |
| pizza to go and there was a plastic thing inside | | | | interesting to investors". She came close to giving |
| the box, it was to hold the box from sticking to | | | | up on the product many, many times, but "then |
| the pizza...and from that I got a basic shape for | | | | something would happen I would realize there was |
| my product. Kind of weird I know!" Had she done | | | | an untried path and I would go check it out." |
| anything differently, she would have tried to get a | | | | Strokes of luck and good timing didn't hurt either. |
| licensing agreement with an outside company for | | | | She credits meeting the owner of Accessory |
| her first product, Clip-N-Lift, and collect royalties, | | | | Brainstorms at a trade show in Las Vegas (an |
| instead of making and marketing the product | | | | important business relationship for her) with her |
| herself. With the FanTail(TM) she got it right, and | | | | being able to get the product into Claire's stores, |
| decided to go with a licensing agreement through | | | | with their assistance. She tells future inventors to |
| Accessory Brainstorms. She tells future inventors | | | | "get some one who will mentor you. Everyone |
| to "believe that you can do anything and never | | | | needs help and good advice." |
| give up!" | | | | Hairdini(TM)- 1992 to present. By 1994 grossing |
| TopsyTail(TM) - dominated the marketplace from | | | | over $1 million a year. |
| 1991-93, selling over $100 million. | | | | Denie Schach, the inventor of Hairdini(TM) (a |
| Tomima Edmark, the inventor of TopsyTail(TM) | | | | peanut-shaped, bendable hair tool that creates |
| (which turns a ponytail inside out to make | | | | dozens of up-do styles), was always into hair. |
| interesting hairdos), simply put, wanted to be her | | | | Since the age of 15, she did the hair of everyone |
| own boss. She had climbed as high as she could | | | | from her mother to prom attendees. She even |
| and reached the glass ceiling at IBM, but tired of | | | | received a scholarship to go to beauty school. She |
| working for other people. She was interested in | | | | loved recreating what she saw in fashion |
| hair out of necessity; she had always had long hair | | | | magazines and on TV. She had thought about |
| and "was always looking for quick solutions". | | | | becoming an actress, dancer or fashion designer. |
| Fashion was always in her mind growing up, and | | | | As far as being a fashionista, she says "I did get |
| she "always wanted to be a fashion designer or | | | | into magazines and love fashion, however money |
| do something artsy-creative. I designed a hanger | | | | was very tight and I was an immigrant child at a |
| to hold clothing matched with accessories that | | | | catholic school - my dad a janitor. I had to be |
| came with instructions on how to make four or | | | | very creative to stay fashionable. This led to |
| five outfits out of the things held by the hanger. | | | | sewing my own cloths which was the key to my |
| With my surge machine I made matching | | | | latter development in designing the Hairdini(TM). |
| placemats and napkins for football, soccer and | | | | The road to success was not perfectly paved- |
| baseball teams". While she didn't consider herself a | | | | she recalls making misjudgments in people's |
| fashionista in the traditional sense, she remembers | | | | character in both her personal and business life. |
| "I certainly had my own strange sense of fashion. | | | | Certain products failed, yet they lead the way for |
| While other kids were wearing sloppy, grungy | | | | better products to be developed, and so she |
| clothes in Seattle, I made my own clothes, many | | | | doesn't see them as failures. She credits |
| of them in batik, macramé, crocheted or | | | | persistence, moving forward and believing in the |
| knitted. And I had 20 different hats!" She's still not | | | | products for her success. Also not losing sight of |
| a heavy shopper, but prefers spicing up classics | | | | her goal of becoming that artist/inventor she had |
| with accessories- "they make your clothing | | | | always wanted to be. I felt an obligation to the |
| trendy", she notes She funded and reinvested in | | | | consumer which led to me pioneering the |
| TopsyTail(TM) herself. | | | | instructional videotape in products. I worked on it |
| The inspiration for the product design came from | | | | daily if only for an hour- it all added up to the |
| a circular knitting needle, which she one day | | | | finished result. Listening to the experience of other |
| discovered she could create hairstyles with. She | | | | people that had more knowledge than I did and |
| gave it an ergonomic handle shaped like a | | | | seeking advice. I also have a good disposition and |
| toothbrush, and chose the color red because "you | | | | seldom get down. Being a healthy person is the |
| will always see it in a drawer". She still uses her | | | | real key." She launched the company with angel |
| TopsyTail(TM) daily to create dozens of different | | | | investors. The company was under-invested, |
| hairdos. Life after TopsyTail(TM) wasn't perfect- | | | | which led to some major business mistakes. She |
| "hair jewelry for the TopsyTail(TM), the Bowrette | | | | came so close to giving up at times that she " |
| and the Halo Hat all broke even but were | | | | threw the product in the garbage because it |
| essentially failures", she laments. She reminds | | | | would not sew properly. Manufacturing seemed |
| inventors that "95% of the game is showing up! I | | | | hopeless. I took a break from the idea for about |
| research and test carefully, then I go for it. Most | | | | six months". Denie feels timing was critical for her |
| people give up. I suggest not to over think, when | | | | product, as infomercial marketing was just taking |
| you believe in it, stick with it. Assume that you will | | | | off at the time, and the product probably wouldn't |
| have to be responsible for everything yourself". | | | | have had sold as much without one. Had she done |
| The only thing she would have done differently | | | | things differently, she would have gotten more |
| with TopsyTail(TM) is being more on guard about | | | | launch money and worked with people with more |
| "knock-offs" and suing the retailers who carried | | | | experience and integrity than she did. Denie |
| them as opposed to the manufacturers, because | | | | advises future inventors to make sure their |
| retailers would have removed the copies from | | | | "products are things the majority of people would |
| the stores fast. Ever the entrepreneur, had she | | | | find useful and to price it accordingly. Do not buy |
| not developed TopsyTail(TM), she would have | | | | inventory until you know you have a market. |
| done exactly what she's doing now- developing | | | | Have a marketing plan. Do not let it monopolize |
| and running an online business, in this case, | | | | your life. Persist, persevere. Be open to change". |
| herroom.com, one of the first sites for women's | | | | In conclusion, there are valuable lessons to be |
| intimate apparel. She selected intimate apparel | | | | learned from these diverse women of hair |
| because it is something everyone needs, creates | | | | accessory fame. Persistence seems to be the |
| a lot of reorders and can't become obsolete. | | | | name of the game, but following your dreams is |
| Whirl-a-Style(TM)- 1994 to present. By 1997 | | | | only so good as your business plan and the people |
| selling 20,000 units a month to Claire's Boutiques. | | | | you choose to work with. Childhoods full of |
| Lois Sonstegard, inventor of the Whirl-a-Bun(TM) | | | | creative pursuits gave these women a platform |
| Whirl-a-Style(TM)(makes buns and up-dos by | | | | on which to build their visions. Product designs |
| wrapping hair with a snap-lock feature) had a PhD | | | | spawned out of simple everyday items- a knitting |
| in hospital finance and management, and was | | | | needle, a pizza holder, a curler, a handle, went on |
| content working in the healthcare business- until | | | | to be the answer for millions of women to that |
| her son was born with a severe disability that | | | | age old question- "what do I do with my hair |
| would require her to have more time at home to | | | | today?! |