By Julie Cope Saetre
IndyStar correspondent
August 20, 2007
Running a small business can be all-encompassing. Now, think about starting small business number two.
Impossible? Not if you happen to be Janet Harris.
President of Mission Coffee & Tea Co., a three-year-old Indianapolis- based coffee-distribution business, Harris is launching a new venture.
The Original Pot-Tee Prize Grab Bag — a potty-training system based on positive reinforcement — began online presales this month, and Harris hopes to see the product available through a major retailer after the first of the year.
The Grab Bag includes a chart with stickers for marking potty- training milestones, toy prizes and a diploma to commemorate “graduation” from diapers, along with a guidebook for parents.
Why the leap from coffee beans to the crayon set?
Harris got the idea two years ago, when a friend’s frustration with potty training reminded her of a sticker chart and prize system she used successfully with her son, Kyle, now 8, when he was a toddler. “This idea just came to me — of doing a prize bag,” she said.
Somehow, she found the time — especially when she realized her product could fill a void in the bustling child-product field.
“We did quite a bit of extensive research, and there is just nothing like this on the market. . . . It is one of those things that totally makes sense. As busy as mothers are, whether they’re working outside the home or at home, anything that makes such a difficult process easier is going to be beneficial.”
That ease factor is key to the success of a product, says Bruce Kidd, director of small business and entrepreneurship for the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
“All products and companies come down to one of two key things to be successful: You have to make life easier for someone, or you have to solve a problem,” Kidd said. “Because . . . consumers buy products that make our lives easier or better.”
The Grab Bag is filling that role for Allison Julian, mother of Austin, 21/2.
“Austin loves the bag,” Julian said. “This is definitely a good incentive. It definitely encourages (him) without being forceful.”
Such positive reinforcement helps to keep a sometimes difficult process from becoming a battle of wills, said Robin Chaddock, an educator and author who also leads coaching groups for mothers.
“It can be so very emotional, and there can be lots of tension around it sometimes and performance issues and things like that. And what the Pot-Tee Prize Gift Bag does is serve as a neutral influence. . . . It takes a lot of the emotionality out of it, because it’s not a struggle then between the parent and the child.”
Still, a great idea that fulfills a need is only the beginning. Turning that idea into a tangible product takes a fair amount of marketing savvy — and great connections don’t hurt, either. Harris is a firm believer in networking.
“I’m very well networked,” she said of her involvement with the Rotary Club of Indianapolis and other business and social groups. “I think that being networked has helped both of my businesses.”
She found key sources for the Grab Bag through her Mission Coffee clients. Carmel-based Kipp Brothers provided the 35 toys that accompany each bag, and a source at Litho Press recommended commercial designer Eric Kass at Funnel to design the packaging.
The Hoosier state offers fertile ground for key networking opportunities, Kidd said.
“People in Indiana tend to be helpful,” he said. “And it’s easy to get networked around . . . making strategic contacts with people in the community that you know can turn around and let you know other people that they know. It’s not as daunting as it sounds.”
And in the Hoosier spirit, Harris is committed to giving back to the community: A key component of both Mission Coffee & Tea and the Original Pot-Tee Prize Grab Bag is a commitment to charitable giving.
Mission’s motto is “coffee with a conscience,” and every quarter the company donates 10 percent of each client’s sales to charity; the client designates which organization receives the funds. Likewise, $1 from each Pot-Tee Prize Grab Bag presale purchase is donated to Ambassadors for Children; other charities may benefit in the future.
“We will always, always have a charity component,” Harris said. “That’s definitely important to us.”
Guide
When your child uses the potty, when they’re supposed to, they can pick a prize from The Original Pot-Tee Prize Grab Bag. It’s up to you to determine if a prize is earned each time the potty is used or every three times, etc. Much of your potty training success will depend on the age and readiness of your individual child. All children are unique, so don’t get discouraged if at first things don’t go as hoped. Simply try again in the coming weeks or months. The Pot-Tee Prize Grab Bag Potty Training System is designed to make potty training easy for parents and fun for kids.
