The Life Less Traveled

Erica Conlan co-founded Allie Walker Designs, a company with three goals in mind: 1) create quality products that are beautiful, functional and encourage re-use; 2) provide a means for generating income that’s compatible with raising kids; 3) give support to women and children in need. The company launched with Hip Grips™, a reusable insulated cup sleeve.

Conception

1) How did you come up with the idea to start a business?
Well, this isn’t a new idea. This is the third or fourth business I’ve started. I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart. I came from a family where my parents had their own business, so it was never a big leap for me. I eventually became the General Manager at my family’s business. We made measurement instrumentation for tracking steam usage where steam is being used for heating and/or cooling. I also had a marketing consulting business, managed a small advertising agency, developed a line of children’s accessories and other more traditional corporate-type jobs.

2) Why did you want to start a business?
For a couple of reasons: If I’m going to build something, I’d rather it be mine than someone else’s. I’m happy to put myself out on a limb, risk failure and invest the time - but I want my own chance to fail or the benefit and reward of success. I see failure as a stepping stone for greater success and “success” as an ever-changing illusive goal. I’m not as happy following and implementing someone else’s vision. I much prefer my own path - come what may.

This became even more important after having kids. I could never get comfortable with the daycare setup. For a while I was forced to work within that structure, but it was torture. I was always conflicted between the needs of my kids and my job and how to meet the needs of both optimally. I never did balance that act, nor do I have any greater insight on this today - at least in a traditional corporate setting. I finally concluded that a highly structured corporate environment was incompatible with the way I wanted to raise my kids.

That’s when I went to the small ad agency. That was great. It was a creative environment which tends to be less structured anyhow and I had control over how I worked in that environment. Of course you are always at the mercy of your customers, so total control over your time is never possible. But at the ad agency I could work from home when necessary. If my child was home sick, he could come to work with me and lie on the couch. I could exercise before or during work and never had to worry about the clock.

I ended up working more and harder in the end while feeling more relaxed overall. That’s how it is now. I work a tremendous amount of hours at all times of day or night and there’s no such thing as a day off. But now, for the most part, I’m at peace and juggling everything much more effectively. Plus I have the exhilaration of building something that’s important to me and the potential for great success or failure!

3) How did you come up with the idea of Hip Grips™?
My friend and neighbor, Nellie Allnutt, approached me with the concept of a reusable cup sleeve. She was a social worker with an idea. I had the business, marketing and design background. Here we are today! It’s a great partnership. We each have our important contributions; we’re each moms first-and-foremost; and we each have the same vision. For me it’s perfect. I can follow my vision and have a supportive partner on the path. It’s very symbiotic. Going solo can be lonely. Also it’s helpful to have an honest sounding board. Compromise can be a good thing.

4) What worried you about starting your own business?
If you’re going to start a business, “worry” is a luxury that you can’t afford. However I did spend time evaluating it’s viability and potential risk. You need to know and be comfortable with the risk/reward equation. Since the original product wasn’t my idea, I had to determine whether it was something I could get behind and feel passionate about. Also, I had to ask the question: “Will anyone want to buy a reusable cup sleeve?” And, it was a partnership proposition. One must be very discriminating about entering into partnerships. And finally there’s the investment: time and/or money. Clearly it all ended up being a green light.

5) What excited you about starting your own business?
See above.

6) Were there people who thought your idea was crazy?
Yes! Both Nellie’s and my husband thought we were crazy. They couldn’t believe that anyone would buy a Hip Grip™ in a million years. They were sure Allie Walker Designs would be a total failure! However, they have stuck by us and supported the venture nonetheless. In fact, my husband (the engineer) contributed the pocket and elastic concept to the product.

7) Were there people who thought your idea was brilliant?
A lot of our women friends thought it was brilliant. The reps that took on the product thought it was brilliant. I sent a sample out to a husband and wife team. The wife loved it. The husband thought she was crazy. He called me and said, “You need to let us rep your line. My wife has told me not to come home without it!” This has turned out to be our biggest market. Hip Grips™ has been a great addition to their showroom and he freely acknowledges it today.

8) Was there a specific moment when you thought “Yes, I’m going to do this!”?
Not necessarily a specific ah-ha moment. I think it really hit when I sat down at a sewing machine and designed the first prototypes. That’s when the vision became personal for me. At that point, it was clearly my product too.

Implementation

1) Was it hard or easy to start Allie Walker Designs?
It’s a long process that begins well before the products hit the shelves. In the early stages I was doing much of it myself: designing the patterns, sewing the prototypes, writing the patent, looking for sewers, creating the packaging, knocking on doors, etc. Now we have a team of people with expertise in these areas. But initially, if I didn’t know how to do something I figured it out. I’m not a seamstress, a pattern maker, a patent attorney, a graphic designer or a rep. I’m a woman with a vision and you just make it happen.

2) How long did it take from conception to actually having a Hip Grip™ in a store for sale?
I’ve lost track of the time and can’t honestly remember when we first started. I’m sure it’s recorded somewhere. I’m thinking that it was at least two years before anything hit the shelves.

3) What is your funniest memory of getting Allie Walker Designs up and running?
Coming up with our name was a huge process: both the brand name (Hip Grip™) and the company name (Allie Walker Designs). We tried combining our names with some pretty hilarious results. We also tried making up names that we liked the sounds of. Ultimately our final name, Allie Walker Designs ended up being a little tongue-and-cheek. It’s a bit of an inside joke: Nellie and I lived behind each other on an alley. We first met walking with our families up and down that alley and spent a lot of time during summers with the kids in that alley; hence “Allie Walker” Designs.

Reflection

1) What’s the most fun thing about running Allie Walker Designs?
Product design and development! Nellie is a virtual fountain of ideas and I’m good at making them into products. I love the creative design part. We’ve even added a few of my own initial concepts too! It will really be great if we become successful enough to make some sort of difference to people outside of ourselves.

2) Would you do it again?
Oh, yes - definitely! However if everything collapsed tomorrow, I’d need a breather before I could start fresh with something new. It’s a tremendous amount of work to build from scratch.

3) What is the biggest lesson starting Allie Walker Designs has taught you about life?
It’s a little early to answer this question, since I feel like we’re still beginning. Also, I don’t feel like I have any conclusive answers to “life” yet. I will say that I have learned to take steps - sometimes any step - when you feel stuck. I frequently think back to a presentation I heard from a guy who climbed Mount Everest. He made the insightful observation that when climbing a mountain, one must be willing to release one hand in order to reach above for the next grip (or help!). If you can’t let go with either hand, you’ll be stuck hanging on the side of a mountain.

In my life, when I’ve become stuck and forced myself to move forward with some sort of step - not necessarily the perfect step, not necessarily a big step, just a step - I’ve ultimately benefited. Things seem clearer from a new perspective and good things seem to come to those in motion.

4) What is the biggest lesson starting Allie Walker Designs has taught you about running a business?
Once again, I don’t feel qualified to speak to this yet. And learning to run a business is an evolution, that started for me many years ago. The big thing I come back to over and over again is don’t try and do it all yourself. Initially you may not have much choice, but as soon as you can find people with pertinent expertise, team up and if it’s a good fit, keep them happy.

5) What is your own personal favorite Hip Grip™?
First off, there’s never just one. I keep a selection in my purse. My mood dictates which one I’m drawn to at any given time. I don’t like being “limited”! Beyond that my new current grip of the day is usually my latest design.

My new favorite product is the Stadium Seat. It’s not really part of our “reusable” mission. But, I don’t care because I’m a mom who’s logged a lot of hours on a bleacher at my kid’s sporting events. I want a seat that does it all and looks great. I want it to carry my purse essentials, I want it to hold my cell phone, I want it to have and hold a matching wind and water resistant blanket (I live in the Northwest), I want it to hold my latte or water bottle - or both, and I don’t want to awkwardly fumble with it every time I stand up. I’m very definite about what I want in a seat. Since this seat didn’t exist, I’ve made one. Now you too can have this seat! And if they sell well, it will contribute to our ultimate goal to help support women and children in need.

Advice

1) What is your advice to someone out there thinking of starting their own business?
I’m not really comfortable giving advise. If something I’m doing works and you think it could work for you - then go for it! It’s all about action! And, I’ve always learned more from my mistakes than my successes, so what do you have to loose? Win or loose, you’ll learn more and be more prepared for your next venture!

2) What book would you recommend to someone reading your story?
I’m sorry to say that while I love to read, I can’t seem to find much time for reading books. When I do, it’s nuts and bolts type book about something that I’m interested in or need to learn more about. Right now that’s neuro-plasticity - not related directly to my business. The most inspiring business-related book I’ve read in recent years is called, Rich Dad, Poor Dad. This book creates a paradigm shift in the way we look at money. It deals heavily in real estate investment, which I’m also interested in, but it really goes beyond that.