When Sara Bloom left her highly successful corporate law career, she had an even bigger work in mind – saving lives. During one of the most scary and exciting moments of her life, she set up her start-up Oliver B, began researching Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and spent 8 months developing and testing a prototype for something that would prove to be one of the few viable options for parents looking to decrease their child’s risk of SIDS.
She developed Ventilated Crib Slat Bumpers, which allow complete air flow in a baby’s crib, decreasing the risk of SIDS. With herself fully involved in the business from sourcing to marketing, Sara says her transition to entrepreneurship was one that has allowed her to use all of her professional skills and even learn some new ones.
“It’s a good thing to do things yourself,” she said. “I really feel I have a grasp on the industry now.”
One of the biggest lessons learned, Sara said, dealt with the concept of packaging. Trusting a manufacturer to do a solid job in packaging turned out to be a major mistake, she continued. She ended up sending an entire shipment back because of it.
“You would think that’s so simple,” she said. “Why would you worry about packaging? We didn’t place too much importance on it in the beginning.”
One on-going challenge that makes business somewhat adventurous is product to market time, she said. The goal is to always get product to market as fast as possible. With new colors, ideas and fabrics always popping up, Sara’s company is one of the most fashionable in the industry. While being fashionable has its perks, it also has its challenges, she added.
“The process of taking your ideas and getting it sourced is a long process,” Sara said.
But time has definitely been on Sara’s side. Recent media attention has highlighted safety hazards of traditional bumpers, causing parents to seek out alternative products like the Oliver B’s slat bumpers, which come in packages of 20 for $79.99. As a result of the media reports, Sara said getting her product to market has happened with less effort than expected.
It’s been two years since she started and her brand is already successful. She has successfully placed her product in more than a dozen stores in three states and online. Target.com will also launch her product in the next few weeks. Along with introducing three new colors soon, Sara will also release a line of sheets and crib skirts to match the slat bumpers. Sara said all of her success has happened on a lean budget with just herself, a dear colleague who has helped along the way, two manufacturers and a pr firm.
Still, Sara’s concern to reduce SIDS death cases is one that’s genuine and extends beyond profit. Because she believes in giving back, she created “Endless Blankets”, a charitable initiative of Oliver B. Through the program, the company gives a blanket to an underprivileged child for every blanket purchased. She also believes in helping parents understand SIDS and how to select better bedding products – even if they don’t purchase from her.
“As a first time mom, I thought I knew everything. I had a ton of friends who had babies. I read the books, took the classes, but I didn’t know anything about this,” Sara said. “We want to just get the word out to people. We want people to be educated to see the risks of using a bumper. Our goal in creating this product was to give people options. We want them to make an educated decision on their bedding.”
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