In this episode, Teri shares her diverse experience as a seriel entrepreneur that's taken her from beauty salons to magazines, and now a baby carrier that's much more safe than what's on the market today.
As a successful entrepreneur for over 25 years, Teri Tito has a lot to be proud of. Powered by her creativity and not wanting to thrive on the mundane, she's always innovating. She is an amazing networker and constantly coming up with new ideas for community building while continuously challenging herself to grow and in the process, achieved National awards like LaunchBoom, the world’s largest crowdfunding pitch competition’s winner and European product design award winner in child product safety category. Enjoy the episode!
In this episode, Teri shares her diverse experience as a seriel entrepreneur that's taken her from beauty salons to magazines, and now a baby carrier that's much more safe than what's on the market today.
As a successful entrepreneur for over 25 years, Teri Tito has a lot to be proud of. Powered by her creativity and not wanting to thrive on the mundane, she's always innovating. She is an amazing networker and constantly coming up with new ideas for community building while continuously challenging herself to grow and in the process, achieved National awards like LaunchBoom, the world’s largest crowdfunding pitch competition’s winner and European product design award winner in child product safety category. Enjoy the episode!
In today's episode, I get to share our interview or my interview with Teri Tito. I was amazingly impressed with Teri, and one of the things that I loved most about this interview was just her mindset around growth and entrepreneurship and creativity, and networking -- networking, especially my goodness, she actually shares some really good ideas about how she became an authority in a group of other women founders. And man, I was just really impressed the whole time. So she has a lot of entrepreneurial entrepreneurial experience before she started this, her latest company Wumgo, and she'll tell us more about that. She also had a matchmaking salon. She's been featured in InStyle, cosmopolitan magazines, she's had her own magazine. It's just a really impressive story. And I'm excited to share with you so without further ado, here we go.
VA Intro:Welcome to the venture anyway, builder podcast. Insights from the trenches by those who are busy building. When I finally embraced what I was really good at, kind of felt like an adventure. Yeah, I really would have done a lot differently.
Dale Majors:Alright, hello, everyone. Today on the venture anyway, builder podcast, I have Teri Tito, who has a company called Wumgo. And we're gonna learn all about it, why she started it, what she's working on how we can all help. So without further ado, I would like to introduce you to Teri. Teri, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Teri Tito:Sure. Hi, Dale, it's so good to be here. Thank you for inviting me. I am I invented Wumgo for active parents. And Wumgo is a protective wearable child carrier that's engineered to keep kids safe. It's super exciting, because it's a radical design, no other carrier like it on the market. And I noticed a huge problem when I was up on a mountain in Aspen, hiking, and I saw more and more young families out hiking with their kids. And you know, I didn't get to do that until I got older. My son was you know, older. And so I wasn't wearing a carrier. But I was thinking I was really fit. And a lot of parents were going up the mountain jumping over rocks shooting past me, and oftentimes wore their youngest child and a wearable carrier, whether it was a front carrier or a backpack carrier. And I was like, man, they're so fit, you know, there's I was huffing and puffing, and they're going so fast. But then when they got in front of me, I saw their child in a backpack carrier. And just kind of no protection whatsoever, the child was surrounded with just a piece of thin cloth. And I just couldn't believe that they were, you know, doing something so great for their family and their kids being outdoors, very important. And yet using a product that I thought was poorly designed, and it looked out of date. And and then a lot of times I saw parents with a front carrier. And it looked like the same carrier I used for my son over 25 years ago. And so that's when I thought man, there's a huge opportunity here because these parents would be carrying these carriers if there was something more protective for them to have. I knew that. And so that's that's what I spent the last five years of my life doing designing, inventing and moving Wumgo forward so that I can offer parents a better products.
Dale Majors:Awesome.
Teri Tito:They deserve. Yeah, so it's been fun and challenging.
Dale Majors:So why, have you done an entrepreneurial venture before? Is this your first go?
Teri Tito:Oh my gosh, no, I started my first business when I was 23. I was in the salon industry in Chicago. I for a long time and I opened a salon on Michigan Avenue not and a little mom and pop shop and a corner somewhere. And that was really successful. And then I went on to open another salon with a theme that was a matchmaking theme. It was a one of a kind matchmaking hair salon and it was the go to salon for celebrities that visited Chicago models, young entrepreneurs and it was just a cool space. Every detail was designed in a theme that meet me in the parlor who knows you better than your hairstylist. We wound up in national magazines like InStyle and Cosmo. And I also then went on I wanted to grow I've always wanted to grow, be creative and challenge myself. And I started a matte magazine in Chicago. I was co founder of called Eye4Design and we featured architecture interior design innovative products. And it was also like, before shelter magazines came out in Chicago. And it was a to-the-trade very niche market. And we had a huge following of interior designers and architects, people in the design industry that that loved our product, because it was a platform for them to shine. And that's what we offered. It was fine, very creative.
Dale Majors:I love that. So the as you were telling me the story about the just the safety of lugging your kids all through the woods, I've done quite a bit of that because my wife and I have six kids. But we actually did have a bad experience once on a bike trip. In one of the trailers, I won't mention the name of the type of trailer. But this some of the safety considerations weren't it was more of an open type trailer, they hadn't been really as thoughtful as they should have. And this trailer had a rain cover and other things. My son's arm was hanging out. And we actually crashed once and he got the worst road rash on his arm. And it was so it was a little thing where I really I got back and I had a long conversation with the with the brand owner because we actually used to carry and sell that product at our bike shop. But it's interesting how you know, yeah, just some of those considerations hadn't been taken. In that case, people are hearing about that.
Teri Tito:People have seen the product and I didn't really describe it, it looks like it's engineered, we capitalize on the strength, ease of use and protection of a bicycle helmet. So when you see whoom go, it looks like a bicycle helmet. It for the backpack carrier. And so I wanted to do that it was purposeful, because I want parents to look at it and say, Wow, that protects your kid. I know what my comments do.
Dale Majors:It reminds me of the capsule that Superman was saved in, honestly, something like that - this like safe, you know, cocoon.
Teri Tito:Yeah, except we don't go all the way around the child could see from both sides, I wanted to be sure that you know, they're enjoying the ride, too. But I needed materials that were lightweight. So parents could wear this for a long period of time. And, and I want it to look active, I want parents to look cool, I could see parents going on nature trails with this, and then going into the city going up and down subway stairs. And right now you don't see parents wearing backpack carriers in the city. But there's a need for them. Because buggies and strollers are very hard to maneuver up and down stairs, in and out of doorways. So I'm super excited about that opportunity. And then because it has a hard outer shell, it snaps into attachments that will sell separately, and it turns into a stroller a car seat or bike carrier that's down the road, we're gonna launch with the backpack carrier, but it's a really cool product and can't wait to get it. I'm really super excited to that. I moved to Utah to start the business here.
Dale Majors:Yeah, I love it. Well, so you've had, you've had a lot of great experience. And I would ask, you know, lessons, what have you learned thus far, but thinking about a lot of your the history that you've had doing other businesses like you're you're showing up to Wumgo with quite a toolset, established already. Less, you know, things that you've learned, like, if you were - what are maybe your top, you know, 1-2-3 rules on when you're starting a new business, you know, here are the mindsets that you should have, because a lot of the people listening to this will be people that are considering, you know, starting a business or that we can hopefully push over the hump and give some support. So what are some of those things that you've learned that independent of the business I'm in, here's some of the mindsets I have. Does that make sense?
Teri Tito:Yeah, sure. When you have an idea that you can't get out of your head, run with it, don't get other people's opinions, because nobody's gonna, nobody's going to put their passion into it like you are. That would be my my first thing and no, it's going to be hard. And when it gets hard, take a little break, but continue on, because you're not going to get yeses, you're going to get a lot of doors slammed in your face, you're not going to know how to do a lot of things. It's going to be expensive. There's going to be a lot of roadblocks, but if you wake up in the morning thinking about something and you go to bed thinking about something, it's probably right for you. And even the hard stuff is gonna feel like fun. The figuring it out part is the part I love the most, you know, and that, you know, if I had a path and everything was set in stone, this is what you have to do. I would be bored out of my mind and I probably wouldn't stick with that. So that's why I love being an entrepreneur. And yeah.
Dale Majors:That's amazing. That is, That is so good, running with it and it is easy to get talked out of things but sometimes, you know, yeah, I love your detail around that if you wake up with that idea, if you're going to sleep with that idea, it's probably because it's something you need to do. And that's for you. So you can either do it or shrink and, you know, and yeah, I don't think anything good happens to our soul when we turn away from those types of things.
Teri Tito:Yeah, and Dale, you know, what, when, when something does isn't working, it doesn't mean it's the wrong, you're doing the wrong thing. Because you get a lot of like, you're alone a lot when you're when you're founder. You people, your friends will get sick, are you talking about it, trust me, and you know, maybe your family too. So you need to figure things out and keep trying different ways to make it happen. Don't Don't let something stop you just try it a different way. Like raising capital, for instance, you know, if, if you're too early for, you know, an accredited investor or VC, try to get the money in other way. Go to angel investors go to, you know, pitch conferences, try to win the money or get a grant or, you know, never let anything stop you, you know, enter competitions. That's what that's what I've done. It's worked so far.
Dale Majors:Yeah, cuz you you've gotten some money from competitions.
Teri Tito:I have gotten awards, like national awards, whose that's gotten me a lot of attention. I have gotten prize money, but net net money prizes in services
Dale Majors:Services, yeah.
Teri Tito:Worth, like $130,000. With a services, I won the world's with launch booms, world's largest crowdfunding pitch competition, which offered me a lot of business services. And I could use those services to market videotape, you know, just a ton of different opportunities for me to grow. And I'm really excited about a lot of mentoring. And then I also won the European Product Design Award in the child product safety category. That is huge, because I could use that bet forever. It's a badge that you can put on your product you put on your packaging, all advertising, and this year, Maserati MC 21, in the transportation category for the European Product Design Award. So it's a highly regarded competition. So I mean, the thing is that Dale, I've spent my last $300 to enter that competition. That's what a founder that's what a startup founders bootstrapping does, you know, you have to think, oh, do I, you know, am I that brave to spend like my last time on something that is going to make you have to decide is it going to make you go? How far is it going to get you if you do succeed with that? You know, and then I'm not saying that I was at my last $300, but it was pretty darn close.
Dale Majors:Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. I love it. What are your What have you learned, you know, maybe one of the key lessons you've learned in so you had salons? You had your? Your journal or magazine? Right?
Teri Tito:Yeah, I for Design Magazine.
Dale Majors:Yep, your design magazine. And now you're starting a product company from concept from scratch, a new thing, what what's maybe one of the main key lessons you've learned?
Teri Tito:This has been the most challenging thing I've ever done in my entire life. And it is also going to be or it is the most meaningful thing I've ever done in my life. So I'm so many things that I learned so far. I moved, I've been working on it for a long time. And I started I was working in working on it in the Bay Area. And I was learning how to how to raise money to be honest with you, females don't raise that much money, you know, and it was, you know, it was take took a lot of preparation, a lot of learning, I didn't really know how to, to go about talking the lingo that investors talk. And I got to be in rooms with women who, who had already done it, they were so powerful and so helpful. And that in itself, me, you know, networking and meeting people that want you to succeed has been like my has been one of the his if I if I didn't last, if I died tomorrow, I'd be happy with just that. Having built this wonderful network. So my challenge though, with manufacturing is I've never done it before. I had to learn about that. You know, I have a really wonderful partner who has a PhD in mechanical engineering. He engineered our backpack carrier and he also had a show on TV called "Make Me a Millionaire Inventor" and he's done like he's got over 25 years of product development experience abroad and in the US, so he taught me a lot, but I brought I build relationships. I bring people on board they're like well, this is my this is what I love to do is network and built from nothing He is he's a rock. He's fabulous. So those are just two of us. And I know marketing. And I know I need a digital marketing expert, like somebody who can knows how to spread the word globally. I already know the products and needed product out there. So, you know, I want I want to lean group of a lean team, you know, that can actually execute.
Dale Majors:Yeah, I love it. So, go. And I want to get into your kind of superpower later, it sounds like you've been really successful with networking, you know, even just hearing your name again last week in a random email. And since we met and, you know, so before that, though, before networking, if you could go back two years, three years, four years, I think you said you started five years ago. Is that what this? So if you could go back and give yourself a, you know, two pieces of advice, what would that be to make the journey easier?
Teri Tito:Oh, so I'm manufacturing. I didn't know Martin at the time, right? Or I did, but I couldn't afford his prototype. It was expensive. So I was trying to find a way to get the prototype done less for less money. And I spent a lot of money and time on making a beautiful design. And if I had to tell anybody who was starting out, if I was to start out again, I would say make them as ugly as possible, as quick as possible and as inexpensive as possible. Make the working prototype first. And then go into a beautiful design. So I learned that the hard way.
Dale Majors:I love it. That's yeah, that's really helpful. We've done a little bit of product, product design at Grand Trunk. And I was trying to design that product a long time ago. And I think I was yeah, maybe too focused on on some of the detail. And instead of just getting some working stuff going,
Teri Tito:Yes, I mean, I had to I took it to a lot, a lot of places to get the working prototype and it was very expensive. It's gonna be very expensive. I took it to the schools to and talk to some professors. At one point someone, one of the professor's really old school guy, and it's not true because this design won the European Product Design Award. So it's definitely I don't, I don't listen to everybody that talks to me at all, you know, I listen. But then it's always my, I guess another thing for entrepreneurs, it's gonna always be you know, your belief. It's your product, and it's your business. But, um, someone said it was overdesigned. I'm like, Well, I don't take that as a, I don't know, thank you for the compliment. I don't think it was meant as a compliment. But I take it as a compliment.
Dale Majors:Yeah, yeah. That's interesting. So going on to like your superpower. What would you say that is? Is the networking or like what's your you know, you had your in your salon and the matchmaker thing? What's what just comes so naturally to you, that's been an asset to you and your business thus far.
Teri Tito:You know, I love being creative. And I never I mean, I don't thrive on the mundane. I, I like experiences. And I like to be, I like to be surprised. I like to get the unexpected. So I think that's what I like to give people also. And I'm an artist. So that is one thing is that I love to be creative and do things that are new, and this product is radically different. The wearable childcare, your womb go. People if someone said are you man, you're brave. I don't feel brave. You know, I feel excited. And and then, so I have to do things that are different. That's why the salon was a matchmaking salon. And that's why well, the magazine had a centerfold in it that I had, you know, I was like, let's put a centerfold instead of a hot girl in there like Playboy magazine, it was a really hot high rise, that an architect design. So just something surprising. It's exciting. So and then relationship wise. Absolutely. I don't say no, too many things. Go, even if I'm afraid facing the unknown, is something that I always I do. And it's gotten me far. Really? Yeah. I sat at your table at the founders and funders. And it was a table full of guys. And there were tacos, there was a taco bar close by and I'm like, I saw the first table and I walked up and I said, Hey, is this chair taken? I don't know that I would have done that three, four years ago. So someone said, you know, and I was also afraid of public speaking. And I never needed to really public speak because I started my own businesses and I you know, did maybe some introductions and on stage but never like a true pitch and 10 minutes or 15 minutes or 20 minutes and I bombed I knew I was bad at it. I knew it made me really afraid. In the beginning, I still did it. I went there, and I choked. And I forgot everything. I was gonna say, my voice was cracking. But guess what I did, I thought I died. I thought I was gonna die afterwards. And I had mentors, and my like, talk to them. And I think I was in tears. And they were like, You need to call every single person on that panel, every judge, and you say thank you for taking the time to be on the panel. And can you give me any advice on how I could improve? And I actually got a few meetings with them, lunches, they were all very sweet, helpful, and now they're my allies, you know, they support me. So I would say, face your fears. Yeah. And don't be afraid to bomb.
Dale Majors:Yeah, that's amazing. Well, when I that's, that really is the sentiment behind the my coaching brand Venture Anyway, is that idea of, there's always it's always scary and anything worthwhile is hard. And you just have to keep putting yourself through through things I love. I love you sharing that example.
Teri Tito:Yeah, well, it wasn't just me just getting over it. I did a lot of work. I I don't know if you know, boom startup. But,
Dale Majors:yeah.
Teri Tito:one of my mentors Tara Spalding, she's fantastic. She connected me with a communications coach. Her name is Jan Nolte. She actually worked for long hours with me and made me do some really silly things because she's an actress, and took me way out of my comfort zone. And, and I am not really great at public speaking now. I still get nervous, but I'm better so.
Dale Majors:I love it. Wow, that's great. I took an improv class. Once I hated it. I hated the experience. It was still okay. But no, I hear you with she's an actress. I'm like, Oh, look out that would make me really uncomfortable. So good.
Teri Tito:But now she goes to Fortune 500 companies, and she teaches CFOs how to speak and not how to speak but like how to protect your voice. And yes, speak. Yeah, she's awesome.
Dale Majors:That's amazing. Yeah, well, I probably I still need more of that. What's maybe surprisingly difficult about being involved being in the business you're in? What was surprising, so and you've kind of talked about that a little bit like production, manufacturing was really tough. Is there anything else that comes to mind?
Teri Tito:I really didn't, I thought I was just going to build this wonderful product and bring it to market. And I would figure it out along the way, you know how to grow the business, because it's not rocket science. People have done this.
Dale Majors:Yeah.
Teri Tito:I didn't realize how hard it was going to be in raising money. When you're in an early stage, and you have a brand new invention. This is a new invention, because I thought, oh, everybody's gonna want to save kids, right? This is something that's going to protect kids, it hasn't been super easy. Although I am also one of those people that won't keep putting something out there when I know, I'm not getting the result I want. I'll wait. I'll figure out what I need. And then I'll go get what I need. And then I'll come back and then I'll hear more and then I'll go get it and then you know, just keep building and building and building. But I didn't realize that that was going to be my biggest challenge.
Dale Majors:The raising money part.
Teri Tito:The raising money part.
Dale Majors:Yeah.
Teri Tito:Um, however, I'm very close. And talking to some, you know, very interested people, and I'm learning that. Okay, so traction is super important. Product Development, how far along are you in the product development? You know, there's different things that I I know, like, we have a utility patents on our product. But yeah, so anyway, that has been challenging.
Dale Majors:Yeah. Well, I love seeing, you know, your tenaciousness and drive absolutely comes through.
Teri Tito:Oh, God.
Dale Majors:No. So I think that's really cool. For anybody that's looking at investing or seeing that and seeing your, your runway didn't just start at Wumgo to and I think that's a really important part. I don't know where that is in the pitch. But, you know, to say, hey, look, I've been in all of these other races. And this is what I do. And now I'm focusing all of that energy and taking the experience past experiences towards this market. That's something new that I'm getting on this in this conversation that I didn't have, you know, when we went to lunch, or, or when we were together the other day, that's really impressive. The past track record, and also just seeing you are definitely more tenacious and driven than you know, than the average person.
Teri Tito:I'm super excited about it. You know, when when I went I was in the female, always female founder boot camp, and I didn't really, if you don't learn something until you do it, you could hear the people say what to do, but you don't learn until you do it. And I didn't understand how important it is to network with founders. People who have already started their businesses that are a little farther along than you, who can actually want to see you succeed and can help introduce you. So that is super important. And and I started I moved here a year ago, and it was during the height of COVID. Yeah. And in Utah, and I go, Oh, my gosh, I have to do this. How am I going to meet people when I can't see people and we're wearing masks and, and all this stuff. So you know what I did? Do you have a minute? I was in the Bay Area, and I got on some webinar. And it was WeROC, it's venture dot venturecapital.org has an accompany a sister company that they help female founders raise money. It's called WeROC. So I'm on this wonderful webinar with all these women from Idaho and Utah. And I think, Well, how did I get on this webinar? These are powerful women know. So there was it was leading up to the WeROC conference here in Utah. And I just thought, man, do I really want to drive all the way to Utah from California during COVID? And I said, "Sure I do." That's one of the things that like I was like, I'm not going to sit in this place, and then meet anybody in California, or I'm going to go drive 10 miles, 10 hours. And that's what I did. And I went to WeROC, and it was not as attended because it was COVID, which was a benefit to me because totally, I got to meet so many people. And one of the books in the swag bag that I brought home was a guest speaker there. Her name is Judy Robinett, And she wrote a book called 'How to be a Power Connector" and "How to Crack the Funding Code." And so I'm here in Utah, and I go, how can I meet people? I'm reading this great book, I went on the largest female, you know, entrepreneurs. On Facebook, there are I belong to this group. And I posted I'm having a book club, Judy Robinett's book, How to be in our how to correct funding code. And all these women were like, I want to be in your book club. I'm gonna be in your book club. I had like 40 or 50 women wanted to be in the book club. I didn't even it was zoom was just starting to happen. I go, how am I gonna get 40 people on a zoom call? I didn't even know how to do that. You know. So we met for about eight weeks. And Judy actually got on the call. And one of the calls and she helped. She was just so such a great facilitator and networker. And now all those women are my friends and I met and then Judy was so grateful and sweet. And, and she connected me to a ton of people in Utah. So I mean, that's sort of one kind of lucky thing. But I think you really need to be deliberate to be lucky, you know, you you need to do something that says you need to strike the match to make the fire. Right. So yeah, yeah. So that's, that was just an example.
Dale Majors:That's an amazing example. That's next level networking. You know, do you want to get on Zoom? Yeah, yeah, book club, get on Zoom, you threw the party, you threw a party. And there's a lot of people that wanted to be a part of your, you know, that's amazing. That's awesome. I love that I used to when I when I ran my bike company, I would go to the international shows, because they were they'd only send their top people in the US to represent them. And you had a lot more face time with the right people, you just had to pay more for the plane ticket. It was, you know, that was, that was really helpful to me. Because then instead of having to deal with gatekeepers at the US trade shows, you would just go and talk directly to the national sales manager at the Taipei show or the show in Germany or whatever. Yeah.
Teri Tito:Yeah, that's it's like being deliberate. You know, you don't just bumping into people sporadically. You're putting yourself in a spot that you're hoping will get you farther, but if it doesn't, you might make a best friend, you know, you, you can't lose, you might get a free appetizer.
Dale Majors:So the I love the book club idea. That's one of my favorite takeaways. And I've had several that's one of my favorite takeaways from this though, because it's so universally, universally applicable. Anyone in any business could go to these Facebook groups that already exist that are out there to say, Oh, I've loved this book. Does anyone want to dissect it with me for a month we'll meet on Tuesdays at 5pm. And for 45 minutes, boom, and then you're the part then you're the leader.
Teri Tito:You're the leader. And if you can get the author on the call.
Dale Majors:Get the author on the call.
Teri Tito:That's awesome. Yeah, that's perfect. And
Dale Majors:Teri, I like that a lot. That's super helpful. How you know to close up Where, what are your current needs? So you're raising money, but if you could, if you could snap your fingers and have to two things kind of, you know, happen overnight in your business, for the for the good, what would they be?
Teri Tito:I love manifesting, like opening my, my heart soul to the universe and just kind of being still. So I try not to chase anything. And it works. It honestly does. So when you say what, what would I what do I need? I try not to need anything, because I know it's all gonna fall into place. Capital is great, but I mean, it's coming, you know, D'you ever just, it's just coming. I don't know what form it's going to come in. But if that would definitely help speed this up.
Dale Majors:Yeah.
Teri Tito:However this is going to get done. With or without it. I can go to parents, right. And I can pre sell just like Tesla did. Or I go on this crowdfunding thing. I mean, I would love to have an investor that understands what we're doing is passionate about it. But what would I love it.
Dale Majors:Moving forward, and it's going to happen. You know, you're doing that. I guess a lot of the reason I ask is sometimes we get stuck, just you know, when you say maybe in sometimes in indecision, you know, just like, because there's always a new thing to focus on. But just thinking, you know, what do I need help with? And oh, yeah, if I could get that problem fixed, that would be really helpful or who, instead of trying to think how I can fix something, maybe even just thinking, who might I know, that could fix this thing for me. So almost kind of like a call or an openness to help? You know, how could somebody else step in.
Teri Tito:Right now, what I'm doing I have I have, I'm gonna do the crowdfunding campaign in the spring. And right now I want to build a big community around Wumgo, parents who want it parents who will put $1 down to hold it, or subscribe and be on a waiting list, that type of building the email list and the community around it. I purposely timed this, so that I didn't put it out in the world too soon before it was going to be manufactured. But we'll be ready to commercialize summer of 2022. So now's the time to start getting the word out. So I'm actually talking to some people and going to make some decisions about like, Yeah, is there a rockstar out there who was in maybe the, I'd be in a perfect world they had, they would be in the product development sector, they'd, you know, they'd be in manufacturing, or they they had a baby product that they were already brought to market and they exited? Or, you know, that would be amazing. Somebody who, who was in that sector, and then or in the sports world sports, you know, outdoor gear.
Dale Majors:Yeah, as far as like E-commerce, internet marketing. Are those partners you're looking for?
Teri Tito:Yes.
Dale Majors:Cool. Figuring out, you know, what, do you already have identified what platform you're going to use for your website?
Teri Tito:What platform I'm going to use for my website, we have a we have a landing page. We have a Wix, Wix landing pages that
Dale Majors:Yeah, yeah. Like, will you sell direct to consumer? Will you sell these direct to consumer?
Teri Tito:Yeah, a year one will sell our backpack carrier directed consumer through the Wumgo.com website. And how we'll do that is by getting influencers and mommy bloggers and, you know, attending trade shows, like you did, and winning more awards, hopefully, and then just getting great content to editors. So you know, and there's there's baby registry. So we'll be also entering into independent outdoor retail stores, independent baby product stores, because we can get right to the the owner, you know, four yeses, we'll get in quicker. But as we do that, we want to build relationships with national brands like REI and byebye baby and see our product there. And then we'll have all the product when we have all the attachments in the line developed and launched through distributors who want to start entering into other countries.
Dale Majors:Awesome. Love it. Cool. Well, thank you. So how can people connect with you? I and I, when I post this? I can put your you know, your URL and LinkedIn bio. Are you active on LinkedIn?
Teri Tito:Yes.
Dale Majors:Okay, awesome. So is that a good way to get a hold of you?
Teri Tito:It's a great way. Yes.
Dale Majors:Great. Cool.
Teri Tito:Yeah. And then Teri Tito. Oh, no, I'm sorry, Teri@Wumgo.com, and Wumgo is spelled W-U-M-G-O and our landing pages Wumgo.com.
Dale Majors:Okay.
Teri Tito:How I got that name is of course, a womb, you know your most protected when they're in the womb and then "go" and then you know the U is spelled with a U and put an umlaut over it. So there's a little happy smiley face there. So it's kid friendly.
Dale Majors:Oh, I love it. That's great. No, I like the branding. Cool. Well, Teri, it's been awesome to spend time with you today.
Teri Tito:Same here, Dale. It's been incredible. Thank you so much.
Dale Majors:Awesome, thanks.
Teri Tito:Have a great rest of the week.
Dale Majors:Thank you.