Who knew her active lifestyle would lead her to fulfill a dream she has had for a long time. Joan Kahn is an active woman who loves hiking, biking, playing tennis and other sports where she is on the move. She and her girlfriends who have grown kids often experienced an ooops moment and wondered if there was a type of undergarment that would eliminate an embarrassing situation from athletics, a sneeze or even a laugh.
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Joan went on a mission to develop an underwear that was fit to wear on all occasions with extra protection for such moments. “I had always wanted to create a product for women.” Joan has children who are 17, 21 and 23 and has an interior design background. She felt there was a need for a sexy, comfortable everyday undergarment that wickes away light leaks any moisture whether from an ooops moment or from perspiration. “I didn’t see anything on the market so I went on a mission to create it.”
Finding the fabric was her first step. Through many months of trial and error, visiting multiple textile factories and testing fabrics, she finally came up with some choices. “I also met some people along the way who helped me immensely. One was a woman in the textile industry who taught me about how fabrics behave.” Who knew? Joan wanted something soft, feminine and comfortable. From a design perspective, form was just as important to her as function. She even attended the textile show in Los Angeles to gather information.
Joan created a three layer product, a soft fabric against the skin, a water and moisture repellant beneath and a soft feminine shell that feels like skin on the body. “I was able to find a US manufacturer who could take the idea with the fabric, and make a prototype of the panties.” She started with two styles, a modified bikini and a thong. Once she had the correct sizing for her patterns, she needed a name. “Ooops!” seemed perfect.
She started with one size and one color, black and black with blue trim. She was able to place a small order of 500 in each style. True to VentureMom form, Joan had the panties shipped to her home and set up a distribution center in her garage. “Designing the packaging was fun too. I came up with the idea of a cardboard CD case designed to hold the panties and developed my logo and packaging around two Caribbean colors, orange and aqua blue as an homage to my Jamaican heritage.”
Her first sales came from friends, “It was kind of anti-climactic, the best part was setting everything up.” But now Joan is selling on-line and plans to attend the Atlanta gift show in January to show her product. If things go well, she hopes to add more colors and sizing for her Ooops! Intimate Wear.
Her children were naysayers, “Who’s going to buy those?” But the Ooops! undergarments are selling and Joan’s husband is quite proud, she says, “I did this all myself and with the help of an incredible mentor.” To other wanna-be entrepreneurs, Joan’s advice, “Find one person who will be your cheerleader and keep you moving forward even if it’s just one phone call each day. I feel so proud that I’ve made this happen and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.”
VentureMom Tip
Find a mentor to guide you in the industry where you need support.
