Canadian Moms Invent Baby Monitors for Active Toddlers

Notes from Chris

Episode 845

One morning in Calgary, Alberta, Krista Teare woke up to find her two-year-old son cuddling the lawn sprinkler that had been on the porch the night before. Although her first reaction was to laugh, it quickly turned into a terrifying revelation: her son had left his room and their house that night, and the baby monitor she had set up hadn’t alerted her to it.

Krista’s maternal instincts kicked in and she immediately began looking online for a solution. But she came up short. There were baby monitors that tracked in-the-crib movements and there were expensive video systems that tracked out-of-the-crib movements but couldn’t be used while traveling. There was nothing she found that could tell you your child was out of the crib or had attempted to make a break for it.

She turned to online parent communities to ask for their stories. Little did she know, this would be her first venture into market research. Her questions returned endless anecdotes—and sadly some tragic stories—about children who’d attempted to flee their bedrooms.

Hearing these stories, and feeling the terror herself, had an impact on Krista. She felt it was her duty to solve the problem. But she also knew she couldn’t do it alone, so she enlisted the help of her friend and co-founder, Lisa Caruso.

Over a few glasses of wine one evening, Krista and Lisa brainstormed the look and feel of the baby monitor they wanted to create. It needed to be:

● Easy to manufacture

● Even easier for parents to use

● Affordable for families to buy

They eventually settled on a concept that could hang on a door handle and detect when it opened.

To create the design, Krista and Lisa connected with a local industrial designer they’d met through friends. He helped them to turn their wine-fuelled ideas into a real-life design, and advised them on what materials they could use.

With the product blueprints in hand, they needed a name. They settled on DECCO, a shortened and conjoined version of both their son’s names, DEClan and COoper.

Buoyed by the success of a hit Kickstarter and an appearance on Canada's Dragon’s Den, they’re currently seeing sales of over six-figures each year.

There was one challenge though—after the initial momentum created by the campaign, the team tried to accelerate growth. They paired with numerous people and agencies, only to find that they didn’t deliver as expected or wasted lots of valuable time and resources they won’t ever get back.

But when they do get DECCO in front of parents, they love it. So much so that Krista and Lisa don’t seem to show any signs of slowing down.

In fact, they’re now beginning to explore a second market for this product. The door-monitor capabilities of the tool can work great for adults with disabilities or elderly people who suffer from conditions like dementia. Whenever someone needs to be alerted to someone leaving a room, DECCO has a positive use. Krista now sleeps easier, knowing that her son is safe in his room, her lawn sprinklers remain on the porch, and together with Lisa, she’s helping other moms and dads feel better too.

 

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Toddler Monitor: Have an active little one with nighttime extracurriculars? Put your worries to bed too—learn more over on Krista and Lisa's website!
• Shopify: Krista and Lisa used Shopify to set up their site for Toddler Monitor, and they're offering a 21-day trial and exclusive discount for all Side Hustle School listeners!
• Kickstarter | DECCO the Toddler Monitor: Check out the Kickstarter campaign that started it all

 

SEE ALSO:

• Clothing Store Salesman Invents Baby Harness, Earns $100k Per Year: An innovative salesman creates a baby harness that benefits both parent and child, all the while creating a six-figure side income for himself
• Working Mother Sells Coats to Buckle in Babies: It’s unsafe for your child to be in a car seat with a puffy winter coat—but it’s a pain to dress and undress each time you enter the car. This working mother solves the problem
• Frustrated Mom Grows Hair Brush Hustle to Seven Figures: Hoping to work the tangles out of her kids’ morning routine, a Colorado mom creates her own solution to the struggles that come with having curly hair

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,