Cyndi Prince with her invention
Cyndi Prince didn’t start out to create a “green” laundry product- energy-saving, chemical-free and clothes-softening. In fact, when she first took WWC’s New Ventures class in 2009, she had a completely different business idea. The birth of her first child changed everything! Not liking what she found for the effective washing and drying of cloth diapers, she created a better design for all-natural wool dryer balls than was currently on the market. After months of trial and error, LooHoo Wool Dry Balls was born in the fall of 2010.
In the spring of 2011, Cyndi came back to WWC to take Beyond Start-up, a course designed to help new entrepreneurs expand their business activities and set financial goals. “It was a reminder of key things for the business,” she comments. “I found out how much money I need to bring in and now I have a plan.”
In February of this year, Cyndi was invited to be the guest entrepreneur at an event sponsored by Women Standing Together (WST) and the Maine Women’s Fund. Cyndi benefited from the ideas she received on increasing retail and web sales of her product. WST is a network of professional women dedicated to helping to launch entrepreneurial women to new heights.
Cyndi recently received a grant from the Maine Technology Institute to help her research new efficiencies for her production process. She has definite goals for expansion during 2012 and plans to add to her wholesale accounts so her income stream can be steady. “I’m feeling good about 2012 so far and am really hopeful,” she says. “It’s wonderful to have others excited about my business in different ways and to be thinking about the growth steps.”
For more on LooHoo Wool Dry Balls visit her website!