This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ingrid Carney, founder and CEO of Ingrid & Isabel. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Back in the early 2000s, I was working at my third startup. One day, I was getting ready to pitch venture capital investors. I just couldn’t find anything to wear over my pregnant belly, which had recently popped.
I was desperate.
I tried cutting pantyhose to fit over my unbuttoned pants, and even using a bandage to keep them together. Finally, I was able to fashion a belly band from a top I had. When I got to the pitch and showed my business partner at the time, she pointed to the band and said, “If this company doesn’t work out, you should do that.”
From the start, I moved cautiously
That company didn’t work out — we had sales, but weren’t growing at the pace our venture capital investors wanted.
As I settled into motherhood and connected with other moms, I thought about my product, which I was calling the Bellaband. I’ve always been the friend who shows you her favorite shopping finds and helps you get them, too. So, as my friends began having their second children, I made bands for them, while researching if there were any other products like mine.
I could see from their response that the idea had potential. And yet, I wanted to be very pragmatic. I knew I would rather be out of stock and have money in the bank than spend too much on inventory up front.
I had worked in advertising with major corporate clients, where decisions took far too long. I’d also worked at three startups that moved at a breakneck speed. I wanted to be in the middle, venturing forward, but cautiously.
My parents operated my warehouse after my second child was born
I filed a patent and registered the company in 2003. I called it Ingrid & Isabel, named for my daughter and me. My second was born in 2004, and being pregnant while launching the company was a great experience. I could demonstrate the product and live our customers’ story.
Running the business after my second C-section was more difficult. I came home from the hospital with my daughter on a Friday night and opened an urgent email from a boutique that was carrying the Bellaband. They were sold out, and needed two boxes overnighted to them.
At the time, I was packing every band. My parents and sister were at my home to help with the baby, so I put them to work. It was pretty hectic. Once we got that shipment out, my parents said, “You can’t do this, but we will.” They rented office space and used it as my warehouse, while I handled sales, design, and production.
We only have 22 employees, but we have a large impact
By that point, my company had done about $3 million in revenue. I knew I could raise venture capital with no problem, but I decided not to. I thought of a favorite Diane Keaton movie, “Baby Boom.” In the movie, Keaton’s character, a businesswoman, says, “If you can do it, so can I.” That’s how I felt.
Keeping the company private and profitable isn’t the most flashy way to build a business. I think of my company as the quiet kid in the library, just working away. And yet, it has been successful, and we’re still growing: we just recently expanded into Walmart stores. I never even imagined that, and now I need to rewrite my business goals.
Because the company grows using my money, I’m very careful about how we spend it. I consult our small team of 22 employees, and I’m always more likely to look inward than at external market trends. I’ve learned there are a variety of ways to be successful, and staying private and profitable has worked best for me.
