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Featured WBE Interview
Jennifer Sloane
Privacy Strips, LLC

Tell us a little bit about Privacy Strips, LLC.
Privacy Strips, LLC manufactures a product that helps women avoid all of their wardrobe problems, the most common being shirt gap (when the area in-between the buttons on a button-down shirt gap open), or when wrap around shirts won’t stay closed, or when bra straps slide out from under sleeveless tops. The product consists of precut strips that contain a special adhesive on each side that will hold any type of fabric in place all day long. Each package contains 10 precut strips and sells for $2.99. Currently, the product is being sold at dry cleaners, women’s clothing stores, hair salons, and over the internet.

What made you go into this business?
As a lawyer, I always wear a suit with a button-down shirt. Each time I would put on a button-down shirt, the area in-between the buttons would tend to gap open, especially around the chest area. So, every morning I would engage in the barbaric safety pin ritual – you know, the one where you try to secure the area in-between the buttons with a safety pin from the back side of the shirt in such a way that the pin does not show or the fabric does not bunch up. One day, I got so frustrated with this process that I vowed to find a solution to the problem. After about 6 months of dealing with different adhesive manufactures, Privacy Strips were created. Once the product and the packaging were done, I took a small quantity of the product to my local dry cleaner and asked him if he would put the product in each of his three stores and then tell me how many he sold at the end of 30 days. When I learned that each of his dry cleaning stores sold at least 50 packages of the product, I knew I was on to something. It was then that I decided to go into business with this product.

What has been the worst or the biggest obstacle you’ve faced or had to overcome?
Starting a business to launch a new product has so many obstacles, not to mention the fact that I continue to run my own law practice while also running the Privacy Strips business. However, the biggest obstacle has been trying to sell a female-oriented product in an industry that is male dominated. While dry cleaners are the best retail outlet for selling the product, men own 95% of all dry cleaning distributors and dry cleaning stores. As a result, the initial sale of the product into the dry cleaning industry was met with many jokes like “why would we want to close that gap” and “you're taking away our last free peek,” largely because men don’t understand the product. They never have the clothing problems and, therefore, they don’t understand why women would buy the product. So it has been, and remains, a constant battle to keep the men focused on the numbers related to selling the product as opposed to the product itself.

What had been your biggest triumph?
I would say that the Company has had two triumphs since it’s inception. First, was when the product received the award for the Best ‘How Come I Never Thought Of That’ Product of 2006 by Accessories Magazine, a trade publication sent to various retailers. This award just reinforced the basic concept of the product itself, which is that almost all women suffer with the shirt-gap problem and that women are seeking a simple solution to this problem. The second triumph for the company was when it received its first international order. A company out of Norway loved the product, decided to retail it in its own stores, and then asked to become the distributor for the product not only in Norway, but also Sweden and Denmark! To think that there are women halfway across the world that are using the very product I created is just amazing!

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Always exceed your customer’s expectations. It sounds so simple, yet a lot of companies fail to follow this very simple piece of advice. If it costs extra money today to exceed my customer’s expectations, then I am certain the benefit will come back two-fold. For example, a customer purchased 20 packages of the product just before Christmas because she wanted to give the product to the ladies who worked in her office. However, she ordered too late to get the product in time for Christmas. So, instead of sending her an e-mail to say that she ordered too late, I sent her an e-mail telling her that I was thrilled that she wanted to share the product with other’s in her office and, therefore, I would ship the product to her via overnight mail at no cost to her just to make sure she received the order before Christmas. She was absolutely thrilled!

Is there anyone who inspired you and why?
My fiancée inspires me every day to be a better person, both in the individual sense as well as in the business sense. He is not just a brilliant person, but he is also an extremely intelligent businessman when it comes to running his own dermatology practice. He is a great person to bounce ideas off of and he always gives me great advice on various issues. Additionally, I am a very conservative businesswoman whereas my fiancée is more of a risk-taker. As a result, he is always showing me the benefits of taking a few risks here and there, which, in the end, makes me a well-rounded business person.

What is the best book you ever read and would recommend?
The Tipping Point (How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference) by Malcolm Gladwell. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to launch a new product. It provides a wealth of information, in a logical and informative format, as to why certain products become such a huge success with consumers and why others fail.

What is your favorite quote?
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” By Newt Gingrich.

What are your goals now and where do you see yourself going?
My current goal for the business is to see the Privacy Strips product retailed in 50% of the dry cleaners in the United States. Dry cleaners are the core retail medium for the product and the goal is to keep the business focused on this core outlet. As for the future, the goal is for the Privacy Strips product to be available in all of retail establishments that are frequented by women on a daily or weekly basis. In addition to dry cleaners, this includes retailers such as grocery stores, drug stores, and mass retailers.

How has being a member of the WBDC and WBENC helped you?
It has given me the opportunity to network with some key individuals associated with the larger retailers. This is priceless when it comes to launching a new product that will ultimately be retailed in such establishments. Additionally, by staying active in WBDC, I have a network of individuals who know about my product/business and who are always willing to pass along valuable leads.

What do you want to be remembered for?
I would like to be remembered as someone who was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. I am always trying to listen to the needs of others and step out of my daily routine to help those in need. Not only does this provide true personal satisfaction, but hopefully I can change someone’s life for the better.

How does someone get in contact with you at Privacy Strips, LLC?
The best way to reach me is by e-mail at jsloane@privacystrips.com, but I can also be reached by phone at 1-877-599-5998 or 1-407-599-5998. You can also read more about the product at www.PrivacyStrips.com.