Print Email RSS DIGG del.icio.us Stumble It!

Modern Mompreneur: Ingrid Carney Transforms a Tube Top Into a Must-Have for Moms

Women always ask Ingrid Carney how she came up with the idea for her product, the BellaBand, a simple-yet-ingenious elastic band that allows pregnant women to gracefully wear their favorite clothes as their bellies expand.  Like so many creators before her, Ingrid says that necessity was the mother of her invention. “I was newly pregnant and my belly popped,” says the mom of two daughters, Isabel, 6, and Sasha, 3. “I wasn’t big enough to fill maternity wear yet there was no possibility of buttoning my pants.” Out of desperation, she reached for an old tube top and found that it did the trick.

“I un-tucked my blouse, left the house, and no one knew my pants were undone,” she recalls. Ingrid wore that same tube top until it could no longer accommodate her blossoming belly, all the while wishing she could find something similar – although bigger and stretchier --to wear throughout the next few months. “It made me wonder if other women might want something like this,” she recalls.

The stay-at-home mom, who had previously worked as an executive in marketing and advertising, decided to go for it. “I did some research and my husband and I concluded that this could be a smart investment.” She took $30,000 from her personal savings and launched her company. With BellaBand in hand, Ingrid hit the pavement, visiting maternity boutiques throughout San Francisco, and challenged pregnant saleswomen and storeowners to try it for themselves.

Some seven years after starting up, BellaBand is a seven-figure company whose products are sold in 800 boutiques throughout North America and abroad. For many such stores, it’s a top-selling product. Ingrid lives with her advertising executive husband, George, and Isabel and Sasha in San Francisco, working out of an office in Pacific Heights. Even though she’s the boss, she finds that balancing family and her own company is not always so seamless. “Absolutely, there are time when I’d like to give the whole business up,” says Ingrid. “But luckily, the storm always passes.” Here, Ingrid shares her secrets for becoming a hugely successful Modern Mompreneur. 

What was the inspiration for the BellaBand?

My “a-ha moment” happened when I was desperately trying to find something other than a safety pin or rubber band, not only hold up my pants, but appear smooth under a blouse.  In a rush, I thought (without clearly thinking) a large band-aide would do the trick.  Once I reached the first aide kit, I quickly realized it wouldn’t adhere well too clothing, but next to the large bandages was an ace bandage. This was my first leap from a localized solution to something actually wrapping around my body.  The ace bandage wouldn’t stay in place as it was too narrow but I immediately considered tube-like items, like the top portion or hosiery or tube tops. While neither was perfect, they did the trick in the short term. Soon, I realized I was wearing my less-than-perfect, makeshift maternity accessory often.

What were you doing before you started Ingrid & Isabel, the company behind the BellaBand?

When I thought of the BellaBand, it was February 2001. I was shutting down a venture-backed start-up I co-founded with two women. We’d raised $6 million in financing, employed 20 people for nearly two years and created a great business. However, our business wasn’t lucrative enough to capture investor interest for a second round of financing in a failing market so we closed our doors early enough to offer severance and help some of our people find new jobs. I personally chose to not work, take it easy, enjoy my pregnancy and have my baby as a non-working, relaxed new mom.

What made you believe you could turn the BellaBand into a business?

The BellaBand solved a problem; it was an unmet need women had been living with for years and self-remedying with rubber bands, safety pins and upsizing to ill-fitting clothing alternatives. My training taught me to test a market prior to determining a market need, as I was merely a test market of one.  So, I tested among many women in the Bay Area.  The results were overwhelming. I knew I had something that would more than solve a need.  It could help anyone who was pregnant and it would sell.

How did you finance the start up?  What was your initial investment?

Ingrid & Isabel was self-financed with about $30k. With an invention, there were added costs such as patent research, application and prosecution. Having done the research to show a potential success, my husband and I concluded it could be a smart investment, and it was.

How did you choose the name BellaBand?

This is a funny story.  When I was considering names, I first thought of “Belly Band” because it made perfect sense.  However, when I Googled “Belly Band,” two subjects would come up: 1) a body harness to conceal weaponry often used by undercover officers, the FBI and so forth and: 2) a garment for dogs in heat. Needless to say, I had to move beyond the obvious and be more creative. When I considered my brand elements—including “Isabel” incorporated in the company name, the tagline (“Yes, you look beautiful”) and what women told us of how they felt or wanted to feel when pregnant—“BellaBand” was a perfect choice.

Votes: 33

5 4 3 2 1  

Related Articles

• Modern Mompreneur: How to Manage That Cash Flow, Baby!
• The Modern Mompreneur: How Do I Find My Clients?
• Modern Mompreneur: The Secret to Creating Websites That Work

Comments