Mompreneur Rockstar, Stacy Harfert creator of The Bobee

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a mom, wife, and entrepreneur. I have two wonderful boys, Colby (age 5) and Ben (age 3). They keep us busy and remind us of the importance of our time with them. Right now, most of our “free time” this summer seems to be spent looking for worms in the back yard! I am so fortunate to have my best friend as my husband. He continues to be a great sounding board for my business, and my biggest supporter.

What inspired you to create The Bobee™?

I was 8 months pregnant when we moved to Colorado. Colby was 18 months old, and while moving into a small apartment and unpacking his room, he would pull out wipe-after-wipe from the wipes package as a form of entertainment. I wanted to figure out a way to move the diapers & wipes up and out of the way while getting ready for our second baby. I looked for a storage solution online and in stores, but didn’t see anything I liked. So… I created my own!

The Bobee™  Diaper & Wipe Dispenserr is a wall-mounted diaper caddy and wipe dispenser proudly Made in the USA. The caddy holds diapers up and out of the way, yet is convenient to the changing station. It comes white (a blank canvas) and includes 4 colors of polka dot decals to match the nursery room décor.

The Bobee™ is a Huggies Mom Inspired grant winner, winner of the PTPA Media award and winner of the Mom’s Choice Award. 

What’s your favorite thing about running your own business?

I enjoy having flexibility and continuing to learn everyday.

I’m able to set my own schedule and take vacation when I want it; I’m not subject to someone’s requirements. Even during the week I have the flexibility to duck out early and pick up one of my boys for some one-on-one time.

I also get to set my own goals, which can be a challenge, but something I enjoy. I think that is a trait any successful entrepreneur must have; the ability to map out goals and hold themselves accountable to the process to achieve them. Given that I am the only employee of my company, I do it all. Accounting, social media, shipping, patent navigation, etc. The list goes on and on. I love learning about each specialty and realize that I’m building valuable knowledge not only for myself, but for others in my situation. I consistently find myself providing advice and know-how to other “mompreneurs” in various online social groups. 

What are your biggest challenges with work and life balance?

Any exciting plans for the future of your business?

This retailer will also be carrying a separate line of decorative decals we’ve designed and produced. We’ve added navy, lavender, gray and orange to our palette, giving that many more options for people to customize their Bobee™ dispenser or use for other decorative purposes. 

If you could give one piece of advice to women and moms thinking of starting their own businesses, what would it be?

I recently went though a situation where a small blogger asked if I could ship them a Bobee™ dispenser for them to review. My answer was no, as her reach and blog impact didn’t meet the minimum criteria I had set. Her response back was incredibly rude and demeaning, and she threatened to notify “all of her blogger friends” about how uncooperative I was. It felt like a personal attack, and kept me up late that night stewing over her response. But the next day, I resumed my focus and my strategic plan, knowing that her opinion really didn’t have any bearing on my past- or future successes.

 

Congratulations Stacy, and thank you so much for sharing your story with us! I can’t wait to grab your product from one of our local stores. All the best to you and your family! xoxo

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