In this episode of The Seller’s Edge podcast, Jonathan talks to Kim Meckwood, inventor of Click & Carry and remarkable Shark Tank alumni. This compelling interview reveals how one woman’s ingenious solution to an everyday problem transformed into a product now stocked by major retailers like Walmart, Lowe’s, and Tractor Supply Company.
Defying the odds in a world where women own just 13% of patents, Kim’s journey has been one of entrepreneurial resilience, intellectual property strategy, and product innovation. Her story offers actionable insights for aspiring inventors, e-commerce entrepreneurs, and business innovators looking to turn groundbreaking ideas into market-disrupting realities.
Read the full transcript of the episode below.
Episode 25 of The Seller’s Edge – Kim and Jonathan talk about:
- [00:00] Introduction to Kim Meckwood’s Click & Carry
- [01:29] Great Products Solve Problems with Simplicity
- [03:24] Overcoming Doubts and Naysayers
- [04:40] Identifying Diverse Applications
- [06:55] Kim’s Experience on Shark Tank
- [08:49] Combatting Copycats and “The Dupe Culture”
- [10:44] Being Placed in 5 Major Retail Chains
- [18:18] Networking & Taking Advantage of Resources
- [25:09] The Constant Flux of Financial Demands
- [30:51] Product Iterations and Enhancements
- [33:22] Small Triumphs Pave the Way to Success
- [34:59] Pivoting From Retail to D2C and AMZ
- [38:02] Balance Between Vision & Operations
- [40:58] Recap and Closing Remarks
Key Takeaways:
- Protect Your IP: Be prepared to defend your intellectual property with patents, trademarks, and copyrights in multiple countries. Utilize resources like the Patent and Trademark Resource Center to research and file patents early.
- Exhaust Product Use Cases: Explore diverse applications for your product to expand your market reach. Seek feedback from potential users and early adopters to continuously iterate and improve your product
- Have a Retail Expansion Strategy: It is never too soon to build relationships with potential retail partners. Prepare compelling presentations and marketing materials–you never know when you will have a chance to pitch a retail partner.
- Stay Diligent in Financial Planning: Anticipate inventory and scaling costs while exploring alternative funding sources (investors, lines of credit, etc) but also remain cost-effective in your decision making.
- Be Resourceful and Seek Support: Utilize government resources and seek the help of eager students that want to pitch in for real-world experience. Network with other entrepreneurs and industry professionals to gain an edge.
Full Transcript of Episode:
JONATHAN: I love the product. I mean, it’s such a simple idea. I had mentioned this to you in a previous conversation. Like, it’s such a simple idea and yet it’s a problem that everybody has. So walk me through how you actually came to that realization and you came up with the product.
KIM MECKWOOD: Sure. So it’s kind of a silly story, but it’s a true story. I lived in a condo in Los Angeles, and when I broke up with my boyfriend, I had to carry my own groceries and it was a pain in the neck and I decided to not go grocery shopping. I was eating out all the time or ordering in and getting chubby. I knew there had to be a better way. So I knew I had to find something. And the image appeared to me in a dream and it was actually just the bottom portion of the Click & Carry. And it was perfect. It did the job. But the problem is when you set it down, the bags would pop out. So I knew the next iteration had to be a two piece version. So the next iteration had a magnet and I knew people would lose one of two pieces or God forbid, a kid could get hurt. So eventually, iteration number nine is actually patterned after a spring-loaded Barrett. So now it twists to form an X. So you could easily load bags, paint cans, pails, ski boots on either end. The key is to evenly distribute the weight and once you have it in place, you lock it into place and you could either carry it in your hand or better. The reason it’s curved is because you can wear it on your shoulder. And when you do that, you’re using your back as a support system. So it makes all the groceries feel like half the weight. So I love it because I could wear my groceries. And my favorite testimonial ever was from an 81 year old man who lives on the third floor. And he said he loves to wear his groceries because he has a free hand to hold onto the banisters for safety. So that’s really cute to me.
JONATHAN: Yeah, I love that. That’s actually a really. That’s a solid testimonial. You know, there’s more people who have the ideas than the people who actually pursue the ideas. But you’re somebody who pursued it. And I’m just curious, what was that like? Did you feel like there was a time where did you have doubts? Were people around you being like, you’re a little crazy for driving this?
KIM MECKWOOD: Yes, I did. I had a bunch of naysayers. A lot of people said, nobody needs that. That takes a lot to do. In fact, my sister, she said, my garage is connected to my kitchen. All I have to do is take the bags from the garage and just go down the hallway and bring it into the kitchen. And I said, yeah, no, I get it. I said, but the beauty is you could actually have all those bags gathered together in your trunk. The girth of the groceries keeps the handle, the Click & Carry handle, high. Nothing’s going to fall out of your bags. And the best part is you don’t have to regather five or six loose bags. You just grab your handle and you’re on your way. And the funny thing is, I invented it for groceries, but people use it as a ski boot for dry cleaning, paint cans, construction pails. You walk multiple dogs at once. It’s great for sports equipment. And then once you get it home. This is so funny. And I found this out just through my customers. Once you get it home, it’s actually a stand, your iPad, so you could use it all around the house.
JONATHAN: I love that so much. The paint can ones, I wouldn’t have thought about, but that’s genius.
KIM MECKWOOD: In fact, I’m going into Lowe’s. I just won a contest. I was just in North Carolina, and they brought 100 companies out of thousands who applied, and five of us made it to the platinum round. So I’m going into all of the urban lows, and beginning in a couple of months, I guess I find out tomorrow.
JONATHAN: I love that. Um, but you said you had naysayers, and a lot of people I don’t know, they hear naysayers and they kind of just give up. But you persisted, and I’m curious, like, have you always just been entrepreneurial and ambitious and, like, nothing could ever stop you, or is this just kind of a fluke event?
KIM MECKWOOD: Yes. No. I’m. I’m definitely ambitious, and I’ve always been an inventor. Well, my first real job, I might have been five or six, and I used to paint rocks and sell them door to door. When I was 15, I invented a waterbed raft. And it’s so funny because they’re actually around today. But basically, imagine a rectangular float similar to those children’s pools, where there are three layers of tubes and there’s just a thick layer of plastic on the bottom. So imagine it in a rectangular shape. So you will be in the pool, and you could feel the coldness of the pool water, but there’s no water inside because there’s three layers of inner tubing around you. And then the real benefit, and it’s because when you’re 15 and you’re a vain teenager, I had ropes at the bottom tied to, basically Clorox bottles with sand in them. And you cannot the ropes according to the depth of the pool. And you could station yourself so you’re facing the sun so you could get that perfect tan. So that was. That was my invention when I was 15. But my mom wouldn’t give me the $800 to file a patent. And she was surprised a few years later when we saw it in the stores.
JONATHAN: Yeah, I mean, she missed out. She could have been. You guys could have been sitting on a gold mine. So I hope that you kind of bring that up every time.
KIM MECKWOOD: Yeah. And here I am a million years later. I’m hoping I sit on a gold mine one day soon.
JONATHAN: Yeah, I mean, it’s a great product, so I don’t see why not. And you went on Shark Tank.
KIM MECKWOOD: Yes.
JONATHAN: Which is a really cool experience. I’ve never talked to somebody. I’ve always wanted to walk me through that. Like, how did it come about? And then what did you. How did you find that, that entire experience?
KIM MECKWOOD: Oh, well, it was one of the best and scariest days of my whole life. But it was also a long time in the making. I actually hold the record for the most attempts ever to get on the show. It took me about seven or eight years. And for season two, I was selected, and I was practicing with the producers, and at the 11th hour, they decided to nix me. And the producer said, you don’t have to even apply next year. We’ll just bring you back. Well, he left the show, so I missed that year. And then I applied the next several years. In fact, it’s funny, when I finally filmed, it was literally so exciting. When I finally filmed, all of the casting agents were there in the theater watching me, which actually made me a little bit more nervous. But it was so cute. They had known me for so long. They were all rooting for me. So I had a little extra layer of anxiety because I wanted to make them proud. And it was. It was a really one of the best experiences. I was in there for about 50 minutes, and they edited down to about eight and a half minutes. The funny thing is, at one point, I was so nervous and Lori asked me a question, and I said, hold on a second, because I literally had no saliva left. I was so nervous. And I luckily hit a bottle of water off stage. You’re not allowed to leave the stage. But I left because I had nothing left to talk with. And everyone Started laughing. So I was kind of shocked that that didn’t make it to air, but it was. It definitely gave everyone a fun laugh on the set.
JONATHAN: That’s gonna be a good tidbit for your autobiography or your memoir.
KIM MECKWOOD: From your mouth to God’s ears, I hope.
JONATHAN: Yeah, for sure. That’s a great story. You mentioned patents and I know that you and I had had a previous conversation about trademarks and patents and such. I’m just curious and this is a conversation I don’t get into a lot and it’s one of the things that I’m fascinated by. There’s the dupe culture as the kids call it now, is because there’s a product that comes out, it does well and then everybody else wants to steal it. And so it’s really important to be trademarked and protect all of your intellectual property. Is that something that you thought of like right out of the gate and had you just heard other horror experiences? Because I’ve heard hundreds of them.
KIM MECKWOOD: Yes and I have to say I escaped it for a long, long time. I have two utility patents, trademark copyright in several countries. I’m definitely well protected. But I wasn’t safe. It just happened to me recently, about a year ago. There is an overseas factory that reverse engineered my product and they’re trying to bring it into the United States. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve been able to shut them down quite a bit. There’s one that did, they made a non moving version and that one doesn’t qualify as a direct competitor to my patent. So I haven’t been able to get them taken down yet. But I did a lot of research and I’m figuring out ways to protect myself and to protect other small to medium sized businesses. I was so upset about it and it was actually something that I thought, oh, this is gonna, this is gonna end my business. And it’s amazing what a motivation that is because I didn’t wanna have to go back to a real job. I used to work in pharmaceutical sales or medical and medical device sales. And I just didn’t want to have to go back to work and have to wear real clothes and put on makeup. I love working from home in jammies. So thinking that this was going to take me down, I made a pivot and I decided to pivot into retail. So I’m actually going into five huge retailers. I just sent all my initial inventory to Tractor Supply Company. I’m going into Lowe’s, I’m going into Albertson, Safeway areas, US which is in all the major airports and travel villages. And then I’m missing another big one. Oh, Walmart US and Walmart Canada. I just flew to Bentonville, Arkansas for Made in the US. I made a new United States version. So it’s a little simpler version. This is a Walmart one I made for them. So because of this, I made the pivot number one. But number two, I called my friend who is the director of the Patent and Trademark Office. I met her because of Amazon. Amazon did a special on women inventors. So they flew me down to DC. Kathy Vidal, who was the director of the Patent and Trademark Office, is the second woman ever to be the director. She’s so impressive. She has two engineering degrees and a JD degree. She’s just brilliant. So she was in the video. I was in the video and two other women. Because only 13% of patents are owned by women. And we wanted it, we want to change that. So we made a public service announcement video or Amazon made it and we promoted it. But I called her and I told her my situation and she put me in touch with attorneys at the Patent and Trademark Office, attorneys at the White House who are phenomenal and talked to us about legislation, the CBP, which is Customs and Border Protection, also stopfakes.com and my VP of marketing. And I had numerous meetings with all of them. They’re speaking to my group, the Shark Tank Pals Group. We’re having a reunion in January. They’re speaking to other small to medium sized businesses and the CBP is trying to get Mark Cuban. I reached out to him. He didn’t respond yet, but I’m hoping he’ll reach. He’ll respond the second time, but we’re trying to get him to do a public service announcement because many of his companies have also been knocked off and we want to stop that. And what people don’t know is with the CBP you have to record your trademark or copyright. So actually the company that knocked me off will be intercepted by the CBP because now they know the factory name. There are ways to protect yourself that people are unaware of. The government has our back in a big way and they’re really trying to put more money into small to medium sized businesses because the large businesses, they could take care of themselves. We don’t have the time or money or energy to invest a lot into protecting ourselves. So the government is there to do that for us. And that’s why we put all that information together to help other companies too.
JONATHAN: That’s so great. And I love that. I did not know about the 13%. That’s just crazy to me. It just seems like a very low number.
KIM MECKWOOD: Agreed. In fact, the post IT note was invented by the inventor’s mom. She invented the post it note. And Hedda Lamar, who is a famous movie actress in the 20s and 30s, I think the 30s actually. She’s such a prolific inventor and invented WI fi actually. But she did it for World War II for sonar. It’s pretty amazing. But yeah, only 13% of patents. I, and I don’t, I can’t clarify if it’s utility or, or design patents. I have two utility patents, so I’m assuming she meant utility patents. But I’d have to check that stat.
JONATHAN: I mean, do you know… And it sounds like you caught the stat, but I’m just curious if it’s something that, like it’s always been that way and, or like it used to be like 5%. Now we got it up to 13%. So at least it’s going up, you.
KIM MECKWOOD: I don’t know. I’ll ask Kathy and get back to you. She’s amazing. She put me in touch with all these people. We learned so much. It’s, it’s just amazing. We’re gonna put it together for others, but we’re launching at the Shark Tank reunion first. But we’re gonna, we’re gonna make sure that we provide that information to other small and medium sized businesses. It’s going to help a lot of people because it’s kind of a catch 22. If you’re famous on Tick Tock or you’re on Shark Tank, people see that you have something that can sell to the masses. So instead of being smart and thinking of their own idea, they’re just going to try to rip us off and make quick money. And it’s, it’s very sad.
JONATHAN: So, yeah, I mean, I like that you pointed out the fact about like the government of small businesses because I feel like they’re, they’re more. I mean, especially since COVID because I know a lot of people have like pursued entrepreneurial dreams since then. So it’s great to know that because it’s always hard to, I mean, especially when you have an idea. I think everyone’s immediate thought is, oh, well, like there’s too many, like bigger fish in the pond. Like, I’m not even going to try to do this. And people forget that there are resources out there. And I really like that you pointed that out and I love that you’re doing that work. Because I feel like that’s something that needs to be put out there more just so that people feel more invigorated to pursue those things.
KIM MECKWOOD: I agree. We’re all about innovation. And if this continues to happen, it’s going to deter people from inventing, because why invest so much money and time into a patent if it’s going to be knocked off the minute you get a lot of exposure? So the reason I pivoted into retail is because it would be confiscated at the border if they tried to bring it into the United States. But I didn’t know that they could intercept these mailers that come from overseas. And another problem with that, I hope this is not too much of a tangent, but it’s maddening that these overseas platforms like Temu and Alibaba and TikTok, that they could send products from the Chinese factories into the United States for less than I could send it from Pennsylvania to California. It’s. It’s just not fair. But I didn’t know that the CBP can intercept those, those packages. So that it, that’s exciting. And I know that Joe Biden just signed into a law to prevent this as well. I don’t know if it’s been implemented yet. It’s brand new, it’s within the last three months, but. But the government is aware of it. And I just want to be an advocate and let them know how difficult it is for us small businesses because we don’t have huge resources like Nike and Louis Vuitton that gets ripped off and all the other big conglomerate companies. Apple, they, they have teams that. Legal teams. I don’t.
JONATHAN: Right. It’s so funny because I’ve never thought about. I mean, you think about intellectual property and just the. Where the world is now because you used to be able to, you know, you’d get a patent and trademark and all of that within the United States and you wouldn’t have to worry about it overseas because you would have to only worry about selling it here. But I hadn’t considered the part of it where there’s going to be social media content and things that are going to be going around the world, and people could easily just patent your product in their own country before you even get there. So that’s unfair.
KIM MECKWOOD: Yeah, it’s. It’s not fun. It’s just. That’s why I want to. I want to fight for them. And that’s why I think Mark Cuban will definitely do that public service announcement, because he’ll help a lot of other small to medium sized companies. And many of his portfolio, many in his portfolio are affected as well. So he would do a lot to help other small businesses.
JONATHAN: Yeah, you’d mentioned it took you like seven years to get into a shark tank. Was that with the Click & Carry? Like, how long was that actual journey?
KIM MECKWOOD: Oh, gosh, the journey. I would say I’m at least 12 years in. It took two years. No, I’m sorry, almost three years for the first patent, the first utility patent, and then about another year and a half for the second. So for the first three years, I really couldn’t tell anyone. But interestingly, everything kind of fell into place and it was just a little side gig because I had a real job. I was in medical device sales at the time, but my neighbor across the hall, he worked for Ty, the Beanie Baby company. So he hooked me up with a fact to make my molds. And I met with this girl, her name is Audrey. And I actually put her on my first patent because she helped me with the CAD design. She was at the Pasadena Design School as a student. She went to undergrad at Columbia and then was getting her master’s of business. I’m sorry, product design at the Pasadena Design School. I hired her through one of my clients, Dr. Jennifer Huey, who is one of the doctors I worked with at usc. She’s a neurologist who treats Parkinson’s disease. And she said to me, kim, you keep talking about this, we shut up and stop talking about it and do something about it. So I met with Audrey. Audrey had access to a 3D CAD printer, which if I wanted to pay for a prototype in the regular world, it would cost me $2000 a unit. But because her school had access to one, it only cost me about $200 per prototype, and it cost me about $1,800 for all nine prototypes instead of just one. So it’s so funny. There are so many resources out there that we could use for help. Like, I’ve. I’ve met with the sba, and I have friends to this day who were with the sba, like my friend Albert Napoli, who is a professor of entrepreneurial studies at usc, still one of my close friends. And I judge a competition at UC USC every year. I met with SC, which are retired CEOs or accountants or patent attorneys who want to help people. They just want to give back. And then there’s. This is so interesting, there’s something called the Patent and Trademark Resource Center. So PTRC, there are at least two in every state. And basically the librarians are all well equipped with the knowledge of how to file patents, trademarks, copyrights, and it’s all free. Plus, they have access to local attorneys or even students. So, for example, for my renderings that I needed for my patent, I hired. I hired someone who was a law student to do the renderings. So there’s so many resources out there. Or you could even go to a college like UCLA or USC. Many times in, let’s say, the MBA programs, they have to do projects. Well, you could get a lot of market research done for free by asking them if they want to use, let’s say, Click & Carry as their semester program. In fact, I. I did it last year for PR, and I’m doing it again this year for PR at Emerson in Boston. It’s amazing that these kids are so smart. They give you so many great ideas. So I ended up getting a lot out of the program by just volunteering a couple hours of my time to work with the students that semester.
JONATHAN: Very cool. I didn’t know that about. I mean, it’s really great to take advantage of those resources, but to also, like, you know, think about things strategically like that. Like, there are all these opportunities all around us. I’m wondering, you know, 10 years from now, 20 years from now, because I’m curious what people. Because, like, it’s a commitment, like, to start to finish. Like, you have to, like, put your shoulder to the wheel and you have to, like, grudge forward, and there’s just going to be people who are naysayers, and there’s going to be all these obstacles, and you just need to have the mental fortitude to keep pushing and pressing forward. I’m just curious if that’s something that, you know, younger generations are going to be able to do. And I’m. I’m like. Because everything seems so instantaneous. And I don’t know if that’s true or just my perception, because I feel like older people said that to me when I was young. So it’s just an interesting thing, but you have to be committed to it. And it’s funny, because I feel like, you know, you’ll get into Lowe’s and you’ll, like, kind of have this perfect positioning, and people are going to consider you this overnight success, and you’re going to be like, I’ve been here for a while.
KIM MECKWOOD: Exactly, exactly. And you have to. And you have to make a lot of sacrifices, too. So to answer your question, I would say it’s not for everybody. And if I were to go back and talk to Myself, I don’t know that I would take this long journey. I mean, I. I could be close to retirement now, and I made a lot of money in my old job, so that was the hardest part. I make about 10% of what I used to make, but I’m obviously gambling in the hopes that it’s going to really pay off. It requires a lot of sacrifices, but this is definitely my baby and a labor of love. And I have two other inventions coming. In fact, I already. I repitched the one to the executive vice president, Tom, at Lowe’s. So I was. My department will be hardware, actually. But the hardware executive vice president wasn’t there because they just had the hurricane and he was helping a city close by, so he was out of town. So Tom, the tool executive vice president took his place and I took the opportunity to tell him about my next project. And I just. I just love him. So that’s another thing that people have to always take advantage of. You have to be prepared because you never know when you’re going to get an opportunity. But this really is a labor of love, and I’m okay being paid a lot less because I’m doing something I love and it could potentially really pay off. But if nothing more, it’s been a really fun journey and I do believe in my heart it is going to pay off. Especially because all of the retailers that I’m going into now are varied, obviously, because my products for guys, girls, young, old, rich, poor, it doesn’t matter. Everyone needs a Click & Carry. So it’s been exciting and fun and I’ve learned so much. I love being an entrepreneur. It’s so fun to wake up and go to work in jammies.
JONATHAN: So you mentioned being an inventor when you were younger. From that perspective, do you literally walk around with a notebook looking for things to invent, or is it just something pops up to you and a dream and you’re like, I need to make this.
KIM MECKWOOD: Most of them come in dreams, truthfully, and then some just out of need. I used to keep a ped by my bed. I remember a lot of my dreams, and they’re very interesting.
JONATHAN: I love that they comes to you in. In dreams too. That’s just fantastic. They say that the more you remember your dreams, the more creative you are, because there are people who don’t remember their dreams.
KIM MECKWOOD: I didn’t know that. That’s really cool. That’s good to know.
JONATHAN: I, like, want to go on a tangent about this whole new product or this whole new invention, but we’ll Stick to the Click & Carry. What would you say has been your greatest obstacle so far with it?
KIM MECKWOOD: Okay, so right now I actually have a huge obstacle and I’m not good at asking for money, but I’ll just give you an example. So Tractor Supply company, it was going to be a test in 50 to 100 stores. And then they came back to me and they said, oh, no, we just decided we’re going to roll you out in 2200 stores. Which was great. I know. And I. I just sent off 9 of 10 pos, but I don’t have any more inventory, so I had to order 55,000 more units. And they only won black. I could have handled the whole account if they took other colors, but they just want to start with black. And I don’t blame them. 70% of their target market, their guys and guys probably like black the best. So my shipment is going to leave my factory on 13 November. But I had to get money together quickly and it’s going to be hard for the first six months to a year. So tractor supply pays net 90. Albertson Safeway is net 30. So that’s great. But I have to pay for all of that inventory ahead of time. This is for Albertson Safeway. This cost me about $22,000 for only 300 of them because I had to get the artwork together, hire a designer, prior models. That’s a lot of money out of pocket when it’s not going toward inventory. And then my new version, I have to make a mold. Just getting the iteration together. By the way, the new version is simple and it’s for dexterity issues. So if someone has arthritis, they could just simply do this so they don’t even have to twist. And it’s great for paint cans and construction pills because you could just click it in. But I have to buy a new mold. So that’s going to be about $30,000. And I’m making it in the United States. So I have to figure out the packaging because I won’t have the overseas people packaging it for me. So. So I’d say money is the biggest issue. And I have a benefactor. He’s been amazing. I’ve actually had two who helped me along, but I’ve been too timid to ask. So I’m trying to get a home equity line of credit now. I sold, just recently sold $55,000 worth of stock to pay my down payment, which hurt my heart. But yeah, I need, I need money because this is the chance of a lifetime. But there’s also the chance that it’s not going to be successful in the stores. But I’m not even going to put that out there. It’s going to be a huge success in all these stores. So be on the lookout in tractor supply company, Lowe’s, Walmart, Albertson, Safeway and areas at the airport. Look for Click & Carry and buy one help support women owned businesses.
JONATHAN: I love that. And I love that you are so committed. You’re like, yeah, this is what I’m going to do. Like there’s no turning back.
KIM MECKWOOD: Yeah. Recently just getting the confidence from going to Made in the USA and Bentonville and both Walmart US and Canada wants it. That’s great. And I’ve been trying to get into Walmart for years and then and Lowe’s. It was so cool to go back there. They have this tech building, it’s 25 floors. It’s amazing. And everyone who works there is wonderful. Everyone really loves each other. You could tell it was just a great experience and I think that really jazzed me up. So I can’t wait to launch in those places.
JONATHAN: When you started, like, like say you went back to the beginning and you had the same obstacle. Right. Like it was, I mean I’m sure you had the same obstacles then. They were just like different obstacles. But like, was there ever a moment where you’re like, this is. I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing and you like doubt yourself and how do you deal with that? Like, I mean, especially when you have naysayers around you who, who don’t want to believe in it.
KIM MECKWOOD: I figured that it was a gift from God because it just magically appeared and I know that I needed it. It, it’s something that I desperately needed. Just living in my condo, it was like competing in an obstacle course to get to the front door. And when I was in pharmaceuticals, I would have to bring in lunches or breakfast because you kind of, that’s your, your way to buy time with the doctors so you can tell them all about your amazing drug or medical device. So I would bring in lunches. I couldn’t have lived without the Click & Carry. It was a necessity for me, but it’s, it’s a real necessity for moms because they need a million hands. It gives them another hand free. It’s great for people who have arthritis so that the bags don’t dig into their hands. So it’s just something I knew in my heart that people need and listen, a lot of people don’t know about it yet. I’ve sold a ton, but it. When, when I get into these retailers and now people are really going back to brick and mortar. I think it’s going to help a lot of people, more people than I realize. And it’s just something simple that we need. I really do feel like it’s going to be the next umbrella. And I think that’s what made me believe in it for so long. Because most people would say, you’re, you need your head examined, go back to your really good job with the good money and the insurance. But I just know it’s going to help a lot of people. And I know that once I get to the point where I don’t have to worry about money anymore, then I’ll have another million ideas because I’ll have the freedom and money to be able to invest in the right help and prototyping and I’ll be able to bring a lot more to market that help people.
JONATHAN: I think it’s a phenomenal idea. And it just like having lived or living in a city now and just like looking around and thinking like, oh my God, like, these people could use that, like, delivery people. Like, people walked off. Like, it’s just like. And there’s been a proliferation of delivery people since, like, Covid. Because I think people have like, grown accustomed to having their groceries delivered or whatever it is. So, yeah, I think it’s like a. I think it’s a phenomenal product.
KIM MECKWOOD: Thank you. It’s. It’s so funny. Instacart actually buys green ones off me and they sell it on their internal website and so that the new shoppers can buy it for a discount. And it’s funny. Like my, My latest thing is I’m customizing them and I put a QR code. So I pitched this idea to Walmart and they’re going to start with the Click & Carry branded version at first, but I said you could put your QR code on there and people could scan it each week. Maybe you could push coupons once a week so they would just take their phone scan and get the new coupons. I said, or even better, a lot of people order and pick up their groceries or whatever they order at Walmart. It’s called Walmart Grocery Pickup. They have little stations, but people could have a standing order each week and they could just scan it with their phone and let’s say they delete the eggs this week, but add milk, but it’s already ready for them and they have a standing order or with Lowe’s What I told them is with your QR code, you could have people who buy paint load the type of paint they bought, whether it’s flat or glossy and whatever the color is and the brand. And that could be at a landing page where people could have that access to that information all the time because they have their Click & Carry.
JONATHAN: Your mind is a bomb factory. I feel like you just, you’re just like, what’s the next idea? What’s the next idea?
KIM MECKWOOD: That’s sweet of you to say. Thank you.
JONATHAN: Yeah, I mean, I like that you’re just like thinking of ways to iterate on it because a lot of people are. I don’t know, again, like, I feel like people are a little bit not complacent, but I think that people come to an idea, they kind of like, focus on that and they don’t, like, think about, like, what needs to be done next or how to iterate on that product or enhance it. And that’s largely where a lot of products fail. So I love that you’re. I’m so driven into just thinking about what the next thing is.
KIM MECKWOOD: Well, I think to be able to sell into retail, you have to offer them something that they could offer their customers that is really going to make their lives better. And, and that’s a double win. If people retain this and it says Walmart, and when they’re at their competitor and they still have their Walmart Click & Carry with them, that’s a win. And then, I mean, if it’s going to make their life easier and they could easily order their groceries, that’s a win for Walmart because they’re going to be making a ton more money because it’s brand loyalty at that point. So it just, it helps in the sales process, I found.
JONATHAN: Yeah. So you start out, you have these moments of doubt. What was the first thing that happened where you’re like, okay, like this. I’m onto something. Like some like the first little triumph or the first, like, big win that was a milestone for you.
KIM MECKWOOD: I would say the first big win was there is a grocery store down the street from my house in Los Angeles called Vicente Market. It is an ugly market straight out of the 60s. The manager was the first to put my product in a store. So that was a huge win for me. And then down the street again at Ralph’s, I met a buyer there just taking a chance and sending a mailer blind. He loved it. And Ralph’s is owned by Kroger, so that was my first big chain. So I ended up Getting a forty thousand dollar order. I thought it was such a big deal because, like, this was my side gig. So that was really exciting for me. But the funny thing is I’m friends with both of the managers, but in particular the buyer at Ralph’s is one of my best friends. I ended up going out to dinner with he and his wife all the time and they still call me. It’s just so funny because what happens is these people you work with become. It’s more of a relationship, you become friends. And everybody has such a unique story. So it’s been fun. I’ve met a lot of friends because of this too.
JONATHAN: That’s so great. Especially because of the place where it started with the breakup. And I feel like it’s like it helped you find a community. And it’s also like it just. There’s so many things that seem almost serendipitous just because of that. The fact that it was a dream and the fact that you just had this sales rep experience behind it that could absolutely set you up for going to chains and trying to pitch it to them, which is great. So is that always been your focus? Have you ever like, it’s always like just approaching retail chains trying to get into stores or have you tried like direct to customer avenues as well?
KIM MECKWOOD: Both, in fact. I’m sorry I didn’t start selling on Amazon sooner. I had a friend who told me I would be knocked off. So I was fearful and I just went on recently. I only. I went on right before I was on Shark Tank. So if I had just started four or five years earlier, I’d probably be a lot further ahead. So I’m sad I didn’t start on Amazon, especially knowing that the pandemic was coming. That would have been phenomenal. But my initial goal was to be in retail and it was really hard to get into retail. Really hard. I’ve been trying for years now. It’s so funny because now once you get there, it seems like all the dominoes fall in your favor. It’s exciting. So I should not be afraid to ask for money because they’d be investing with pretty much a sure win to be getting into these five big retailers right now. I’m just not good at asking for money. So there are any investors out there, give me a call.
JONATHAN: It’s funny. So I went to school for, at Emerson, I went to school for film. And like, that’s something that I pursue in my own time. And part of it is fundraising and getting investors. And it’s just something that it’s very grueling and it’s not fun at all. And I don’t think anyone is comfortable with it because I think it’s probably one of the most vulnerable positions that you can be in. So if you’re not comfortable being vulnerable at all, like, you’re definitely not going to get there. It’s something that they should definitely teach. I feel like there’s so many things that they should be teaching in high school or college to people to prepare them. Like one of them is like how to make a resume because I don’t think that’s ever like part of the curriculum. Yeah, yeah. Especially with today’s technology with them scanning everything. So. But yeah, and I love that. And it’s funny because I talk to a lot of entrepreneurs who start at a DTC or Amazon and I think the ultimate goal is to get to retail. I think that’s always. I mean, who doesn’t want to be in a brand name store being able to sell your product?
KIM MECKWOOD: It’s true. I’m absolutely thrilled. Like when Albertsons contacted me, I was thrilled. The only bad news is I took about a month longer than necessary. So I hope that they’re not too mad at me. But I wanted it to be perfect because you only have three seconds to catch someone’s attention. So hopefully it accomplishes that. And I made sure that it showed all the fun uses. And then on the bottom there’s paint cans, construction pills, and then on the sides I show alternate uses and I used really fun, vibrant colors. But I did take a little bit longer than they wanted, so I hope they’re not too mad at me. But I just wanted it to be perfect because you only have one chance. It’s so hard to get there, but once you’re there you have to do well. So I’m going to align it with some GEO marketing as well. I’m going to make sure that my social media guy targets specific areas where the stores are located. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make this successful because this could be huge for me.
JONATHAN: Yeah, for sure. My question is, you seem like you have everything on lockdown and you have a vision. How are you with delegating responsibility to other people?
KIM MECKWOOD: So I used to be terrible at this. But my, my VP of marketing, he was the vice president or president of the marketing society at his college. This kid is so smart. He was at the University of Maryland undergraduate Full Ride because he’s so smart. And he interviewed me for a Shark Tank panel and I didn’t think anything of it. And later that year, he called me in the spring, and he said, hey, Kim, I was thinking about what I want to do for the summer, and I had this option, that option, but I decided I want to work for you. I started laughing. I said, okay. I mean, I wasn’t looking for help, but I said, okay, and I could use the help. He. He’s a godsend. He’s been with me now three years. He finishes ms, which is a master’s of science in business, in particular marketing. And he is just so organized. And I am not. I. I’m the idea person, and he’s the meat and potatoes guy that gets it all done, is organized. And I’ll say. Someone will ask me for a picture, and I’ll say, chase, can you send this? And he knows just where it’s at. He gets it out in a second. I couldn’t do it without his help, and I think that’s why I’m really hitting it now. And I think it’s because of his help. He’s just wonderful. So now I’m good at delegating because I completely trust him. He’s so smart, and he’s one of those people where you tell him the finish line and he gets there. He doesn’t ask you for advice or how to get there. He just figures it out.
JONATHAN: They say most successful companies follow the trend of having an ideas person, and next to them, somebody who has just, like, got operations on lockdown. So they say that about, like, Steve Jobs and Wozniak. So a lot of the companies that fail usually have two visionary people without any sort of operational excellence, and they always kind of fall apart. And that’s like, you know, Uber in its early iterations and stuff like that.
KIM MECKWOOD: Yeah. I think I am so thankful for Chase. He’s seriously the best. I feel really lucky because he could have taken a job out of his Ms. He could have taken any job. I’m sure he was offered a ton, but he likes working with me, and I, of course, will. When we get to the point where we sell the company, he will definitely be handsomely rewarded. But he’s just great, and it’s so fun to have someone that smart to bounce ideas off of. So he’s. He’s. He’s super because I’m. I’m like, everything’s happy. Go lucky. Stuff like that. And he’s more realistic and will take me down a few notches. It’s a good combo. He’s great.
JONATHAN: Kim, you are amazing. I appreciate you taking the time to come on and chat with me about this.
KIM MECKWOOD: It was so fun.
JONATHAN: Yeah. I’m gonna have to have you back at some point just because, like, there’s so many. I mean, you’re gonna have nine more inventions that we’re gonna have to talk about at some point.
KIM MECKWOOD: Absolutely. And I’ll tell you about how all the launches went.
