Today’s guest has brought a game changing product to the lives of all parents that are grocery shopping with their infants. Lindsey Fleischhauer is the creator of Totes Babies, which fits onto a grocery cart to help keep your infant carrier out of the bottom (hello, GENIUS idea)! Lindsey starts by telling me how she came to the idea after experience this problem every time she went to the store, and how her dad played a huge role in making it a reality. She then gets real about how she had some big naysayers that told her it wasn’t a good idea — and how she moved past that.
We talk about how she found different partners she’s worked with (hint – it’s something you can all do) and then she opens up about changing her perspective on working motherhood which really resonated with! We finish with her Shark Tank experience and how that impacted her then and now. I love that Lindsey took a problem and found a way to make a solution, and continues to be so involved in getting this product into the hands of parents who need it! Make sure to check our their site and follow along on social.
Also, for the Amidst the Chaos listeners, we have a special discount! Use code TOTES25 for 25% off and Free Shipping.
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The Totes Babies car seat carrier is “Shopping With Babies Made Simple”. The car seat carrier allows full shopping cart access when shopping with a baby in a car seat. It holds over 75 pounds and for babies up to a year old. Totes Babies also has an ipad holder, iphone holder and is coming out with new products in 2022.
Full Transcript:
Dana: Are you dying at the thought of missing a single one baby’s first. Oh idea how you’d give up the security that your nine to five job brings. My name is Dana Graham, and I had no clue how to escape that vicious 40 Hour Workweek cycle either until I did as the wife of a traveling husband and mom of two tiny humans and made the terrifying and totally bizarre leap from health insurance broker to successful newborn and family photographer, all with the amazing craziness of a two year old and newborn. Into when I’m not the only one. I’m so glad you’re joining me as I chat with other moms who took the leap into entrepreneurship and created the ultimate festival worlds life doing it all amidst the chaos Alright everybody, welcome back to another episode of amidst the chaos. We have a great new mom here who I am just so excited to finally be sharing her story, guys with a move to Turkey and us being so sick and just back and forth with both of us rescheduling. I think we’ve rescheduled this episode like three or four times so I’m so excited to finally welcome Lindsey fly shower to our podcast here. So thank you so much for being here and welcome.
Lindsey: Thanks for having me. I know I think how we just discussed we both have kids the same age and with sicknesses and everything. I’m just so glad we’re finally able to connect.
Dana: It’s amazing and it’s so funny, like, that’s just how it works. And everybody gets it now which is so nice that like even dads who just would go to work and they wouldn’t have to worry about whether a kid was home sick because it wasn’t their responsibility like with dads working so many dads working from home, they’re seeing this happen in real time and they’re like oh yeah, like that is very stressful. So I love that so many people around the world are like getting how hard it is. For working moms, especially moms that run their own business to function. I love that we’re actually seeing that now. So I appreciate you being on this fun rescheduling journey with me. So, Lindsay, give us a brief overview of what you do right now. Give me a little bit of an elevator pitch about your company and then we’ll rewind all the way to before kids and before being an entrepreneur and talk about how your life has transformed on the journey.
Lindsey: Okay, great. So I am the co founder with my dad of totes babies. It is the totes babies Carsey carrier so when you’re shopping with your baby, no matter the size of the shopping cart, instead of having to put your car seat into the shopping cart, and not be able to put anything in there, groceries etc. The totes baby’s car seat carrier lays horizontally on to the shopping cart to hold the car seat where you can get everything into your shopping cart. So this is something that my dad has many patents and I went right to him when I had the idea with my son who was mind you 10 pounds when he was born. So looking at car seat around was a mess for me. I was like, I’m not going shopping, you know, you don’t put in the basket but then just like not getting groceries and the anxiety of being a mom already but wanting to leave the house and get doodled up and look nice and just it was an idea that came to mind went to my dad, him and I have been co founders now we started in 2018 and it’s just been an amazing journey. And now like I was telling you before we started recording that my kids three and four both boys are now we’re finally getting back into a routine because of the pandemic and illnesses and, and all of that so it’s been a blessing to be able to work from home but also get back into a routine which I thrive off of.
Dana: Yes and kids thrive off of it too. You know, they’ve had such a hard time with this whole pandemic, you know, not only from the confusion of like, I’m gonna go into school today like what’s the what’s gonna happen next, like what are even my kids like? No, we’re talking about COVID They’re like, Oh to somebody have COVID Like they they totally get it even at such a young age. But it’s the lack of routine for them that I have found, creates even more chaos and they totally feel it and recognize it. So I’m so glad that you guys are getting back into a schedule. I feel like we’re finally in sort of a routine here and I hope for everybody listening you’re, you’re starting to feel the same way. So Lindsey let’s go back a little bit. What did your life look like before kids before totes babies like what were you doing career wise? What was your plan for the you know your foreseeable career? What was what did your future look like pre any of this craziness?
Lindsey: That’s a blur. I don’t even remember because of my it is no. Before I had, you know, got married, had my head my boys I was a national account manager for I was a sales rep as a national account manager for actually my dad’s retails for a fixture company he had at the time so I was literally single traveling the United States you know sightseeing when I’d be there but then also exhausted on the weekends because I’d be working and traveling. But I always have worked from home so that kind of went nicely in with me being an entrepreneur and starting my own business. But you know, well so with my husband and I we met and he proposed a little over two months after we met and we got married the same year. So it was kind of boom, boom, boom, and then had a child, you know, what, like six months later, so, it it was a whirlwind. But yeah, it’s just, it’s crazy how life changes so much with marriage, kids, and it happened very fast for me. And so it’s still I still feel like it is due for me, too.
Dana: Yeah, absolutely. How did you manage all that change? Like did you realize at the time that everything was happening so quickly, or was it something that like, it hits you, you know, after your son was born or tears later or whatever it might have been? And you’re like, oh my gosh, I need to realize that my life has just taken a ton of turns like how was that for you emotionally?
Lindsey: Well, I believe I’ve always dealt with anxiety since I was a little kid so it’ll happen so quickly, and it was so fun and great. I think it’s still hitting me now especially with the pandemic with when my kids were home all the time and I’m working from home I’m working from the kitchen while one screaming for something and then my husband working home at home sometimes and I thrive off of I wouldn’t say being alone but having my routine and having my space. So the constant sensory overload is something that I’m working on and I know now I’m learning. Okay, I need a good five minutes to just sit in the other room by myself. I need to put my earbuds in for a minute and listen to a podcast or listen to call me music because I think that we as Moms always feel like we have to go go go and we can’t pause and and try to better ourselves in any way or do something for us. So I’m learning now to try to do little things to for me, because that makes me a better mom.
Dana: I love that and it’s so funny you say that about popping in your headphones. I’m telling you that invention of the earbuds that are noise cancelling as well is the greatest thing ever. And it makes me sound like a terrible mom because i i especially the year Shawn was gone for the whole year and my kids were home and not didn’t have childcare. I there had there were times where I was like I I’ve been with these kids for, you know, five days with no other humans like I would put in my headphones and I would make sure they had an activity or whatever they were doing or watching their TV, and I couldn’t hear them and it was great and it was the only thing that would reset me and give me a chance to actually catch my breath and take that time for myself. And it is so sad that you know taking time for myself was popping in noise cancelling headphones, but that was what I could manage at the time. And I think, you know, for anybody listening that’s struggling, finding their own space and time for themselves, like do what you have to do, but realize that like, if you’re listening to a podcast, it’s like go take a calming bath like that’s not possible for a lot of people, you know, so I love that you you just provided such an awesome solution for those of us that just that’s not really an option.
Lindsey: What’s funny is I found little things because recently to last week was the first week my kids were able to go back to daycare full time, literally in months and months and months because we did have COVID as a family and and different things but one thing I found very therapeutic was on my iPad my son put on a paint by number like paint by number and your Yeah. And then you know like when they’d be watching a show or doing a craft I’d be doing the paint by numbers with like, when just listening to music and I was like, Oh, wow, this is relaxing. But finding those little little tidbits throughout the day that Okay, wow, I realized cooking something is relaxing to me. I’m gonna do that and I’ve realized that shutting my computer off for a minute and putting it away. I mean just little things that us moms need to know that it’s okay to one not be okay but it’s also okay to do things that make us feel a little bit better in the moment to settle down because yeah, we can’t we can’t just go get by kids. I’m gonna go take a bath or I’m gonna go I’m gonna go get a pedicure. See you later. You know you got they have to be realistic things that we we can do. And so I’ve tried to find little things that I’m still working on it and just to the calm when it’s chaos sometimes in the household with little ones.
Dana: Yeah, absolutely. So talk to me about how you actually came up with the idea of totes babies and then transferred from working full time as a sales rep to being a founder of a company. So talk to me about how the idea was born and then how logistically you got started with totes babies.
Lindsey: Okay, so I first of all, I ended my career with the retail forces store fixture company before I got married and I was just strictly doing a network marketing business. I had that I still do it to help him on this one just now as a hobby. I do it as but so I was just doing that then just during the whole wedding planning, which was like I said, very Yeah, it’s in planning it in like four months. So I was doing that and then when I had and I kept doing that then once I had my son and again he was a big boy my first son who’s now almost five we were again I get you know all doodled up to go go shopping and get groceries and I put them in that the shopping cart and I was just like, okay, I can get what like two things otherwise your cover these germy groceries and a head of lettuce that was wet and just I just was gunned down by it all and I’m like, I’m going to have my husband go later you know and so I just thought of like if there was something horizontal but also that adjusted to the cards but was also very strong because my son is very big, and then would last until they’re into their convertible car seat. So up until it goes 12 months you know or then however long they’re in the car seat. So I thought of the idea and went straight to my dad who holds over 40 patents and retail store fixtures and here we are together we we thought of the idea sketch it out. He went to Home Depot made made a prototype out of adjustable curtain rods, duct tape on the ends and drop cloth and I was using it at Trader Joe’s and there were different moms that were asking me about it and I was like okay, I think this is something that could work. And I saw that it worked for me and I would use that prototype with my son. I use that until we got a really nice good prototype not made from Home Depot. And I think that’s when we kind of knew okay, this that’s what I went full throttle of, I’m not looking back. This is going to be the idea this is going to be the name of our brand tones babies, and we’re gonna run with it so I didn’t I just did not look back because I knew if I did, I would overthink things and I would try to you know, let other people in my ear so anybody looking into doing their own business, just don’t look back, just keep going is a piece of advice.
Dana: I love that and this happens on a micro level too for me. So like if you get some momentum and your something just goes really well with your business, you’re feeling like you’ve hit a new milestone and then all of a sudden somebody says something just minor that’s like a little bit negative and then you sit back and you think and you’re like, huh, like that’s kind of true. And then it spirals into this like and there’s so many times for me where that could have made me stop or I’m sure it has made tons of entrepreneurs stop when you’re at that point where somebody pointed something out that just maybe a flaw or something that is constructive criticism but it doesn’t feel that way. Sometimes, you know, and it feels so discouraging. So I totally agree. It’s great to learn from your past mistakes, but also to harp on them just really feels like you need to shut things down sometimes. So I totally totally understand that.
Lindsey: Oh, yeah, and I think too with the anxiety part of just mommy anxiety, work anxiety, life anxiety, it likes to hang his hat on things. And so for me, I know that it’s a snowball effect. So I had lots of friends, family members, people that thought you know, and I would hear it either from them or behind my back that that is just a dumb idea. I would I would never use that and there are times that I’m like, That’s really rude. But however, they might not use it, but other people would use it not everybody’s gonna like it. Not everybody’s gonna want to use it. It’s not for everybody, but it’s for some people and we could really benefit people, especially new parents that just want to get out of the house. Just want to not have to make that extra grocery trip. And so seeing and hearing from customers that are so grateful for this product is something that I thrive off of because just that little teeny bit of extra help for parents is huge. And I think too, even if it’s a small thing in life, like should I quit my job and stay home and stay at home mom, should I you know, start this hobby, this passion that I have, I think to just go for it. And to not listen to the naysayers is huge because other people are not paying your bills. They’re not you know they’re not so it’s absolutely. I’ve learned along the way.
Dana: Yeah, and it’s not and it’s you know, even just because somebody is your friend or just because somebody is your sister or your brother or you know a co worker. Just because you have some things in common doesn’t mean that the things that are most important to you and where you truly value you know something in your life. They’re not all always going to align with those people, you’re always going to have so many big differences with even the people that are closest to you. So you can’t just dip into one resource and say, Hey, is this a good idea? Yay or Nay like doesn’t work that way. You really have to be able to pull from a much larger pool of people to see if an idea that you have is really going to be able to take off. So let’s talk about that. How did you obviously you got feedback from people in stores but what what were the next steps in how you actually grew your business and came up with actual product and got it out there on the market.
Lindsey: So we got the prototype we have friends actually over in China. So my dad has been working with these manufacturers for years and he’s dear friends with them. So we just went with them with the idea had multiple prototypes made. We test them out and just say okay, this is what we want. This is what we don’t want. We wanted to keep it very safe, simple and we had a lot of safety testing done. It’s a baby product, we have to do it right. Obviously people ask is it safe? Yes, we did everything and then some and past everything. So then from that point on we just did pre sales and have to do I mean you have to do everything the packaging design the social media is a huge battle in itself. Having all that together so and for myself as far as reaching out to retailers and different things like that. I just started kind of cold calling, as I’d say through like LinkedIn and reaching out to people. And that’s how we actually got on to byebye baby is just from this person knew this person knew this person and taking those small steps that made a huge shift. Daily, weekly monthly that you don’t think it’s doing anything until you start seeing those seeds you planted start becoming something so when we launched in August of 2018, we then slowly got into byebye baby actually we found out we were on byebye baby they caught they emailed us when I was in the hospital with my now three year old and so I said my gosh, and I sent her a picture of my son and she’s like are you in the hospital? The buyer? She’s like, don’t be with your baby like no, this is a huge opportunity like just tell me from flying or what to do or you know and so have was hysterical in itself and then slowly then we got into Amazon and having people help us along the way and again, none of it has been easy. Obviously the biggest thing that happened to us was going on to shark tank here on ABC. And my husband actually was the one that pushed us to fill out the form. And we heard from the casting person the next day and I was like, I can’t do that. No, I can’t walk down that aisle. I can’t do that. But I I had to think of my family and my kids and show them that you can do hard things. So it’s been a roller coaster of a ride, lots of ups, lots of downs, but learning from those mistakes has been huge for our business learning from things that didn’t work out.
Dana: Absolutely. So I want to come back to like many of the things that you just talked about but let’s go back first to where you started in saying you know we had to do all the things we had to do the testing and the in the marketing and the you know all the things that social media talked to me about how you did that with a then what one year old, right? Like how what is your days look like at that point of starting a business and being like a pretty new mom still at that point.
Lindsey: It was very challenging. I think one thing that did help is that he was kind of my motivation or he my son was the reason why I thought of the product. Right? So a lot of the social media at that time I was doing all of it. I was doing on my own and all of the marketing things I’m on the packaging because I was a free model, you know? So it’s like, I just I’m like I’m free. I’m not you know, I don’t want you to pay anybody. I’m just gonna I’m a mom. You know, I’ll just be picky but having a one year old and then you know throughout the process then I became pregnant again. And it just, it’s something where I just kept going because they are my why’s and they are the reason why I do want to show them. You can do anything no matter what it is. But it did have its challenges lack of sleep. I mean that in itself can make any parent any mom just feel terrible. I mean, even today, my four year old got up at 430 He’s been getting up between like four and five. And I, I’m I’m like, Whoa, I’m tired, right? It’s trying to find a balance but there’s never a balance. It’s just taking it one day at a time and also soaking in the time to be with my son because he was so little and taking those moments to put work aside and just hold like hold him and just rock him or read him a book. And I think sometimes we miss out on those moments because working moms want to just work work, work, work work, but we still have to also soak in our kids because they grow so fast and I hate it when people tell me that but now I’m like yeah, these going to your garden next year and what you know and so soaking in that time, but it was challenging, for sure.
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It’s so funny that you say that because as you were talking I’m realizing so many moms that I’ve interviewed on this podcast started their businesses because they had to get like they thought of the idea it’s a baby product or they just didn’t want to go back to work because they couldn’t leave them and then what happens is you really only have like these five years right where they’re not in school yet, like full time and obviously some kids go to daycare full time which mine by now are in preschool full time. But you really only have these five years. But the problem is is that you’re not inspired. Like you don’t realize how vital those five years are until they’re born and so then you spend so much of those five years growing this business that now I’m like, well, by the time they’re both in school full time, I’m going to be like much more on autopilot than I was, you know, so I’m spending all this they’re tiny years that I wanted to just be home with them building a business so that I can be home with them. But then by the time that happens, they’re like in school so it’s just so funny the timing of doing this and the why for so many of us is because our kids because we want to spend more time with them and to show them that you can do anything. But you’re right you have to sit back even if you know that you know spending the extra two hours of work is going to put your business XML much you know, further forward. You have to be able to sit back and spend the time with them because you’re right we’re never going to get this time back ever
Lindsey: Right. And I think to something that I’m learning lately is that I used to always say, Oh, I’m never gonna put my kids in daycare, never. I’m going to be with them. And, you know, now I have the, you know, the one in full time preschool daycare. They’re both there now, all week long, because it makes me me personally, this is not for everybody. It makes me a better mom, because I’m getting things done, especially as moms that have been going through this pandemic, where we’re being touched by kids all the time. We’re hearing this it’s, you know, sensory overload. It’s, you know, at the end of the day, my husband gives me a hug and I’m like, I’m just going to be touched. And it’s just because, I mean, literally, my kids were home and me trying to work from home in the kitchen for I don’t know for two years because the school was closed down or they’d have to quarantine and so I think that I’m finally realizing it. Is okay that my kids are in daycare because one of their before daycare, and after daycare, I really soak up those times more and I’m not so frustrated with the little things because even I could tell when they’d be home for 14 days, quarantine year, whatever, whatever it was, that my patients would get so little with them and I had about yelling and I feel so bad. My guilt was stronger. With them being home me trying to work with them home then me having them at daycare. So I think that working moms need to know what works best for them and not feel bad about it because I mean, we need to be at our best as we can for our kids and whatever that looks like for everybody. We know what we need as women so that’s where I’m at.
Dana: Totally and, and it’s pretty it’s actually very similar for me to like, I just didn’t go back I was like, distraught after my daughter was born that I had to go back to work and leave her but it is I have recognized that now that my kids are just turned three and just turned five that for me. And I ended up leaving my job after my son was born. So I just didn’t go back after maternity leave. So my daughter was just over two and he was obviously three months old. But for me, I don’t think I could have put them in daycare at that point because they were having all their first those were the years that I really didn’t want to miss where they’re having all their first but in my mind, I made it out to be such a big deal like oh, they are not going to daycare like I need to be with them. 24/7 so I don’t miss anything. But what you you don’t know what you don’t know. And for me, I didn’t realize like the first really slow down like it really does. Like once they’re talking and like you know making false complete sentences like the first slow down and maybe do this thing where like, I can only hear mom can I like 50 times a day before I lose it right and so I had to like give cut myself a break and be like, Okay, what you were thinking about how Parenthood was going to be until kindergarten wasn’t actually what she thought it was going to be right because they’re first do slow down and they do want to go and have to meet to see their teachers and have their friends and so I definitely had to take a step back and be like, what I thought about parenting is a little bit different now that they’re older. But i How can I know that right? How could you know what your kids are gonna be like when they’re older when you’ve never had older kids like it’s just one of those things that you just you can’t know until you know it and even hearing me say it right now somebody who’s listening with a you know, three month old and they’re about to go back to work. I know I sound like a crazy person. Because you just can’t understand until you’re there. So I totally, totally get what you’re saying. So what did your days look like with a one year old and being pregnant and running a business? Like how did you manage that logistically?
Lindsey: Also, again, is a very big blur. I laugh because I’m aware and you know, and I took a lot of my friends have kids that are older that are in grade school middle school, my sister has a 14 year old and a 10 year old and so I’m kind of one of the only ones in my circle that have little kids, little toddlers. So for me I I’m kind of still in I’m sure as you are to kind of in that pace, and especially with the pandemic. What happened last week, you know, I don’t even know I happen to smoke. Getting my kids ready with this small storm here but I think back then it was more of because I didn’t I didn’t have my son. Both my sons weren’t in daycare until they were one a little after one but so it just my days looked like pretty much just trying to carve out little play time and then work time and scheduling things and it was just kind of every hour was different, honestly, something where I didn’t have a set schedule and I didn’t have it all together at all. And so again, learning from mistakes as not only an entrepreneur starting a business but as a mom, a new mom not knowing what the heck I was doing, and not having a lot of friends going through that with me. So it’s like they it would have had already been a blur for them. And so every time I’d ask them oh what did you do with this or like, I don’t remember. It was one of those things kind of navigating through and then also my husband. I have three older stepped sons. So he has five boys five boys altogether, but the older kids are actually potty trained. They’re they’re all in their 30s, early 30s. And so he kind of had forgotten like, what it was like with little babies and oh wow, they use pouches now for food and that glass jars and you know, things were so different for him too. So we were both kind of navigating it together. It was a lot
Dana: yeah and I think and I think that’s so true like the that fog really is there it’s like this weird like haze the kind of settles in over your life and I think that it does it does get better as the as they get older but they’re still in this pandemic has created a new layer of haze for every parent regardless of what you know stage you are in parenting as its teens are you know, I’ve always said gosh, this, this pandemic has been so hard for so many but I am so glad that I haven’t been required to teach my kids algebra or geometry or anything. I’m so glad we’re not in that stage but but it’s true this like layer of haze has settled in for everybody. So talk to me about how you know you obviously got a gun to byebye baby, which is amazing. And then Amazon talk to me about how you are feeling during each of those new portions of your business right because it takes you to a whole different level and very quickly. So how did you manage each of those amazing steps because people were like, oh, you know, that’s so great that that happened. You must be so excited and you’re like, I’m so excited, but it’s obviously a lot of work. So how did you handle all of that?
Lindsey: Right and I think something too. I told my dad early on with the business I said we need to celebrate big and small wins because I think that a lot of people in business or as moms, we think oh my my son can spell Oh, that’s great. But what about the fact that he was so nice to a kid on the playground? You know, I mean what are things that we kind of skate over sometimes but that’s one thing that I think with anybody in business or with kids or just anything in life always celebrate the big and small wins. So it was something that you know, getting onto byebye baby that was huge but a lot of work. A lot of work getting there and also after the fact it still is. And also Amazon we went through a couple companies before we found the right company to help us along because Thank you Miss Sara Blakely who has Spanx, the she’s the founder of Spanx, she said when you’re able to higher up as a working entrepreneur, higher up like Dude, if you don’t know what you’re doing with something, try to hire somebody that can and that’s how it was for us with Amazon. That is a whole different thing that we that was a big struggle for us to get in there how to manage manage it, so we finally now have a good team with that but it’s again, I keep saying this but learning from the mistakes and bettering yourself in the business as you go through it. And it’s not easy and it’s not for the weak to start your own business. And you I mean some people are like I oh my gosh, this this did this happen. I’m done with my business. I’m done. You can’t have that mindset because you cannot set yourself up for success by quitting the first second something bad happens. So each step and each milestone we celebrated yet then we kind of buckled up or, you know, pulled up our bootstraps and said let’s go we got to get to work. Now big time like big tagging.
Dana: It’s so true. And being an you know, being able to recognize those small things is awesome and I think so many people do gloss over that especially with our kids too. I love that you that you brought them into that because it is so true. Like, you know my daughter came home the other day and she was so proud of like she’d written something Oh, you know, this whole thing. She like written a caption of a photo or whatever. And she was so excited. And I was so proud of her and I like notice and then I’m like I saw it got the note from her teacher that said she helped a friend when he was hurt today and I was like, I’m happy about that. I mean, I’m really I mean she wasn’t but then we had to talk about why she should be just as proud of you know about that than the other. But you know, true business too. But the problem is, is you’re right. It is so hard to be able to look back at your mistakes and not get wrapped up in well how are we going to I just that’s I am never going to be able to figure that out. Let’s just quit. How have you been able to turn those past mistakes, to view them in a positive light and to make yourself confident that you can fix it without falling down that rabbit hole? Like what are some things that you’ve actually done to make yourself say Okay, let’s keep going.
Lindsey: I think minding my mind me personally just minding my mind and not hanging a hat on all these different folks are letting it snowball into something to mine my mind and say Okay, wow. This this is not what we wanted to happen or while this was not a good business decision. A How can we fix this be? How can we move move forward and better the business because of this mistake? Yes, this might have taken us a couple steps back, but a lot of the mistakes we’ve had have taken us four steps further. So it’s again not dwelling on it as best as possible. Sure, there’s been more than a handful of days that I’ve just cry and be like This is This is so crazy, you know like but then the next day it’s like okay, Today’s a new day, let’s go you know, and I think especially for me being a woman and a mom, my there’s some days that I’m more emotional than others and I allow myself to just live in that. You know, it’s okay to not be okay mindset and then know tomorrow’s a new day. But just learning from the mistakes and growing from them and not hopefully making those mistakes as well.
Dana: Yes, that is so true. It’s it is so hard to when you’re like I’m trying this and I think it’s gonna work and then you know it doesn’t and you’re like well let me just try it with a little bit different like no, that’s still not gonna work. I’ve definitely definitely fallen into that trap. So So talk to me about shark tank like how are you said your husband had encouraged you to apply like what was going through your mind when this did you even think you’d have a chance first off like that. I feel like that’s the first step like I don’t even I don’t even think I’d have a chance. No, and
Lindsey: it’s funny because my husband and I when we were dating, you know, for the two months we were dating, so to get engaged. So pretty much we’d watch our tape and we would like laugh and like make up fake things like Hi, I’m Lindsay and I’m the inventor of the you know, and we would like joke about it and I was like, I could never walk down that aisle like I’d probably pass out or you know, faint or trip or, and so we’d always joke about it. But then as the business went along, he kept telling me apply, apply, apply and I’m like I know we’re not ready or no I don’t want to or whatever. So then when he was like just here’s the link go on and do it and I was like fine, they’re never gonna You don’t mean like they’re never gonna respond. Yeah, no. Then the next day. I was sitting on my couch actually Becky back here and we got the call from the casting person. And I was like, in my gut, I’m like, hang up for a minute. Like, you can’t do that. So and from that point on, it was like, Okay, you made it to this round. I mean, it was like boom, boom, boom. And this was in the, I mean the depths of the pandemic. So nobody was really going anywhere. This was, I mean, a big, big thing where everything was online. So we never flew to La first or did any of that. We just did everything virtually. When my dad and I would have we and we didn’t even know if we’d get booked to or if we’d be flying at this they actually then had it in Vegas. And not LA where it was they had a whole half of the Venetian bubbled off for Shark Tank. So we didn’t even be able to go so they we would practice every week outside because of COVID My dad and I and I’d have my sister my friend or my husband tape us and we just kept practicing and practicing and we were just ready in case we got that call. And we got the call. We had to leave 24 hours later for 10 days. Yeah, and so we we had to quarantine. We had separate hotel rooms we had to practice virtually my dad and I and I saw him the daily the morning we pitched so after nine days. We couldn’t leave the hotel room because of COVID so we yeah we it was
Dana: three getting meals delivered like what?
Lindsey: Yeah, and it was insane and I hate to say it but it was actually very relaxing to a certain extent being a mom of two little kids and I was able to actually like take a bath and watch a couple shows and watch a Netflix series and do a workout you know, totally thrived off of it a little bit more than I should say but it was crazy because it was right in the pan deck like crazy pandemic, the bottle of it.
Dana: Yeah. So obviously your husband was super supportive of tooth babies at this stage. It was he liked that from the beginning. Like talk to me about having the support of your spouse when starting a business.
Lindsey: He’s been beyond supportive. He, I mean, he still helps me do pick up orders because there’s still orders I do personally Amazon fills all orders, but I still do the web byebye baby Walmart because I’m kind of a control freak with that and I just like to see what’s going and so anybody gets a totes babies. It could be me vaccines, probably it’s not from Amazon, but he’s very supportive with helping in all aspects. I say almost sometimes too much but he’s, he’s working downstairs right now. So I need to be quiet when I say quiet. No, he really he really is I couldn’t find a more supportive spouse. Because sometimes spouses aren’t where they you know, they want you to be in mommy mode all the time are doing this and that and for me, I I did get to a point in the middle of the pandemic where I was just burnt out. I mean, I was burning the candle at both ends. And I just I just kind of told him like I just need to just I can’t have the house spotless anymore and that’s me. That’s just me personally. I love having a clean house. I love Porter but I had to let things go like okay, I need to let the dishes be in the steak. I need to order pizza tonight for dinner. I need to let some things off my plate, or I’m going to completely lose it. So he he’s been very supportive and knowing Okay, why don’t you just why don’t I get up with the kids today? Or why don’t you know we switch off days of getting up with them. And so it’s been very helpful.
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I love that. Yeah. And it’s it is so true. Like you have to have somebody that’s going to support you while you’re doing this because it it’s full time like this is it’s like having a whole nother child like it is so much so much work to have a business and keep it running and to have somebody that’s supporting you is so so very crucial. So I sorry I touched on that. I just I think that it’s so important to highlight the help is crucial. Like it is so nice to be able to rely on somebody to even just encourage you to keep you going or to do the extra tasks you can’t get to that day and it sounds like your husband was super supportive. So I love that I love hearing those stories
Lindsey: also asking for help. I’m not good for help. Like I feel like oh, I’ve got I’m flying high with my cape. On float around and I’m I can do it all I’m going to have dinner and I’m going to Instagram that dinner and I’m going to I’m going to you know, have the kids all cleaned up and bathe and then finally like I’m to the point now at their ages where I’m like you’re doing best. You’re doing bad on it. I just now just I have to edit was not easy for me to ask for my husband just because I’m not like that I’m not wired that way. But I got to a point where I had to or I would lose it. We have to ask for help or whatever it is get a babysitter one night or do things just I just I find that very very important.
Dana: Absolutely. Okay, so sorry I went off on the on the spouse tangent I just I had to know but let’s go back to okay so the end of your quarantine in the hotel was trying to take you finally see your dad as you’re like literally getting ready to pitch to the shark. So how did that whole process go? Was it you know positive like tell tell me about how you were feeling like we want to know from like behind the scenes of Shark Tank how what was running through your mind because I would have I’m like you were when you were dating your husband like no never could do it. Never Not a chance.
Lindsey: Well, first of all, I’m thinking why am I wearing heels like what I’m going to be staying all day. And I’m thinking while we were kind of walking around the set before I was like I really was extremely nervous. I mean I I was like I I was like kind of pacing around. I didn’t I thought what if I fail? What if I you know, I just was overthinking way too much. And finally, when we were about to walk out where they open the doors, something just switched where I was like we are so overly prepared. Preparation is the key to success we were so prepared that I’m like we have been preparing this for months I mean months and months and months and virtually in these hotel rooms and like we have I was saying in my head while I was dreaming pretty much everything I had to say. So I just thought this is it and I kind of had like that Eminem song in my head like you only get one shot you know, I’m literally it we only get one shot like I mean, if I pass out the world’s gonna probably see it since it makes for good TV, right? I’m like, Just keep it together. Don’t fall over. Just go. So it was it was very nerve wracking. And I think what people don’t understand is that once everything’s done and over with we taped in August, we didn’t air until March. And we didn’t know if we’d air when we’d air so that whole timespan I went struggled a lot mentally just with that because you go through this whole process and you know my husband sacrifice what he was doing for nine days to watch the kids and I are you know you put so much time into something and you don’t even know if it’s going to happen. So that whole time span was a lot for me mentally to just because I knew how like important I wanted it. For me it was so important to actually air just to write for our business, you know, so that was a lot. It was crazy, but it was so worth it and the all of the sharks were incredible. They all I mean to have them all have such positive feedback to have three offers it was insane. I think when we walked out and we were done, my dad couldn’t even really talk for like a couple hours because I think it was just so emotional and just so like did that we we kept we were like, what, what just happened? You know, like, what, what is that and we’re just very lucky that it was a positive experience all around being in there and getting all their feedback and what they told us we ran with it the second we everything they said to us in there because we’re in there longer than they show. We ran took an angry thing they said and built it into our business and that was you can’t get any better. You know, advice then from these amazing entrepreneurs, business people so that was amazing.
Dana: It is so surreal. And you’re and you’re so right even just to have the opportunity to get their feedback and to hear what they have to say like, let alone what it does for your business for the episode to actually air and get a deal and all those things. But just to have that feedback from people who are so experienced in such a different level of business, then, you know, the normal person. The normal entrepreneur is just so so incredible. So I’m so thrilled that you had such a great experience. So talk to me about when it aired and what happened like business wise at that point like how were you feeling like how long before it aired? Did you find out it was going to air like talk to me about that time?
Lindsey: We found out just a couple weeks before airing that it would air right and actually the week of airing was just a very crazy week we lost her dog. It was like I was like kind of just emotional about that. We had a little party plan like a viewing party, but we couldn’t have a lot of people because of you know right and hammock and things like that. So I and I was just nervous to watch it. I I was excited but I was very anxious that whole week leading up to it because you don’t know what you don’t know the editing of it either. So seeing it and knowing that it was edited so well. And it’s just the orders, you know, came piling through and we were doing all of them. ourselves except for again, Amazon orders so just getting a lot of orders out there and really taking every opportunity that came our way. We I just did not want to say no to anything. So it was kind of like every day something doing something for the business but it you know, it was it was great. We we ended up now we’re in grocery stores. We’re in Harris Teeter stores down south in 240 Harris Teeter stores which is huge and now we have a really so huge so that that’s a big in for us and then I think just having really good people that we work with right now to it’s been great. So it was an amazing thing, but then it was like Okay, now we’ve really got to get to work. Like it’s like okay, let’s celebrate it but then it’s like we were gonna celebrate this big win like we’re like I talked about before. We need to get to work like we need to also realize that this is only a small little window of time that people are going to care. Right? You know what I mean? Like it’s kind of like okay, it’s cool. Oh, wow, she was on Shark Tank or while their product was on Shark Tank, but they’re not gonna care that much longer. I mean, as far as the product and retailers so just we had to kind of jump on everything we could.
Dana: Absolutely it’s so funny. Well first off, you’re getting into grocery stores so so clutch because okay, it’s a baby product right? Awesome and byebye baby makes total sense like to be in a baby store. Absolutely. But to have a baby product in a place where the problem exists. Like for a mom that’s literally walking on a grocery store aisle like where am I going to put anything in this car that’s filled with the Spirit baby seat to see the product that will solve her problem right there. That’s just genius. It’s amazing. So I
Lindsey: love that. And I think that’s something to or when we were in there that was advice we took from Mark Cuban because he said this needs to be in grocery stores. You walk in a store he’s eating, you know, you have the problem in front of yes, we have a solution. So we’re really, really working on growing more into other grocery. It’s about the placement though too as to where it’s place. And so that’s something we’re 2022 we’re really working on that and then new products as well.
Dana: I love it it is this so exciting. It’s so fun to hear your story and just like hear how all the behind the scenes happen because I think especially for new moms there’s there’s always going to be a struggle as a new mom, there’s always going to be something that you have a hard time with. And that has a solution. You’re like, I wish there was something that would do like, like this is going to be a thing for forever. Always for new moms. There’s always going to be a new problem to solve and I love that. You know you’ve solved it and kind of brought it out here into the world. So Lindsay, tell everybody where we can find you where we can come buy one of these awesome products. Give me your website and your Instagram and all the places to find Yeah,
Lindsey: sure. So it is totesbabies.com is our website. And then we’re also on buybuybaby.com Bed Bath and Beyond combos, walmart.com Amazon and an all here’s theater stores. So yeah, and then hopefully just lots more this year we’ve been planting those seeds so hopefully they come to harvest and a new product coming out this spring so definitely keep an eye out for that. And then our social media handles are at totes baby so Instagram, Facebook, and then I’ve recently gotten into tic tac. So I’ve been doing I’ve been doing that which my husband was just And that made him do what we’re at the grocery store. I’m like that I’m gonna do that so he was like my model but he’s had all these like views on tic tac so I laugh at them I’m like oh, are you like not going to work stare you like to go sign autographs for your tic tac video. Yeah, it’s at totes babies for all the handles Instagram, Facebook, tiktok?
Dana: Yes. And I’ve seen some of your Instagram rules reels lately that are not just about your products but just about mom life in general and I’ve been cracking up so it definitely go check her out for sure because it’s been so so entertaining. Well Lindsay, thank you so, so much for joining me. This has been so awesome. I’m so excited for everybody to hear this episode. Thanks so much. And we’ll we’ll talk to you soon.
Lindsey: Yes, thank you.
Dana: I’m so honored you spent any minutes of your day listening to me babble about living this entrepreneur life into the chaos any mom’s normal day to day. If you love what you learn more snippets of knowledge about this last life, head over to our website at amidstthechaospodcast.com For show notes and links to anything in today’s episode. If you’re really feeling inspired the world to me and my family if you take the time to thanks for joining us.
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