Crib Sheet #18: The Azula’s Laura Varn.

Laura Varn created The Azula with a practical product with her sister, became the president of her own company, prettySMART! LLC, and has completely saved our butts. Any winner of the 2008 New Ideas For A New Carolina Contest is a successful momtrepreneur indeed.

What business did you start up?

My sister Julie and I originally invented The Azula to be a fashionably designed mat for women to sit on at the edge of the swimming pool to keep their bathing suits from snagging! Our patent-pending practical product is now also being used for stadium seats, for football, soccer and baseball games, sitting on hot leather car seats, outdoor festivals, indoor water parks and more. The Azula is water-, mildew-, mold- and chlorine-resistant, is machine washable, has a cushion for comfort and can be rolled up and tied with a built-in cord and placed into a bag.

What motivated you to do starting own business and produce a practical product?

We both kept ruining our brand new bathing suits on the rough poolside surface, getting up and down so often to chase after our young children! We thought there must be something in the market to fix this annoying problem and discovered there was not. So we thought, why don’t we invent something? So we did. And we launched the business together. Our mission is to create practical product that solve problems for women in a fun, simple and creative way.

How many children do you have, and how old are they?

I have two children, a 5 year-old son and a 3 year-old daughter, and work full-time as a vice president for an energy company. Julie has four children, a 13 year-old son, a 10 year-old son, a 8 year-old daughter and a 3 year-old daughter and is a stay-at-home mom.

How long have you been running your business?

We launched the business just one year ago. So much has happened in one year!

How long did it take you to start becoming profitable or successful, however you choose to measure success?

We feel successful that in just 12 short months, we are selling in 20 states already. The trade shows have been invaluable in that regard. We caught the eye of a national major catalog, and will be featured in it this summer, and our stores are starting to reorder at a great pace. Word of mouth is really starting to spread because it’s such a different and practical product, and we feel the business is really gaining momentum and growing in this first full season for us.

How did your family react to you starting your own business?

Both our immediate family members, and our parents and other sister were very encouraging. Our dad started his own business about 25 years ago, so it’s in our genes. Our husbands have been great, and our children are very supportive. We’ve got a built in fan club, as our mom is the oldest of 11 and our dad is one of 7. They spread the word a lot! We are very lucky to have so much support. My 3-year old helps pack up the Azulas; everyone is in on it!

Easiest part of your job?

Getting to work together. We know each other so well, we can play off each other strengths. I am more big picture, marketing, PR, and Julie excels at the details, the organizing, the office work. It’s the best feeling in the world to be living your dream with your best friend, your sister. It’s been easier to conquer the fears.

Hardest part of your job?

Juggling the financial stresses of launching a new business in the midst of an economic downturn while balancing the needs of family. The trade shows are very hard to arrange, with working out logistics of whose going to watch the kids for a week, how to take that much time off the full time job, etc…so much to do and so little time!

What, if any, advice do you wish you knew then that you know now?

That just when things are looking down, something amazing always happens to turn it around. I’ve seen it happen so many times to us in the first year. The networking and support from fellow female business owners and vendors is an incredible resource…use them often. You have advice and lessons learned and this supportive framework helps everyone succeed. I also wish we knew to have our website built with SEO in mind so that we could have done it right from the beginning.

Can you recommend 3 essential websites for moms in, or going into, business?

Ladies Who Launch
Momtrepreneur.net
Startup Nation

Anything else I should have asked you that you should answer?

How did you come up with the name “prettySMART!” for your company name?
Growing up, one of us was tagged the ‘smart’ one, and the other, the ‘pretty’ one. We decided to turn these adjectives on their heads, tongue-in-cheek, to make them our company name! We hope when people see our multipurpose, affordable, fun and practical product, they will think it is ‘pretty smart’ and solves a problem for them.

A few more questions, just because American Express should be featuring more momtrepreneurs…

Childhood ambition….to be a TV news anchor.
Fondest memory….when my husband proposed to me (at a Jimmy Buffett concert, with thousands around!)
Indulgence…..a long hot bath, with candles lit, a glass of red wine and Bille Holiday music on.
Last purchase…..a fabulous pair of red shoes.
Favorite magazine…..Reader’s Digest. It restores my belief in America.
Inspiration…..my two children inspire me to be my best every day.
My Life…..is wide open, positive, chaotic and every minute is accounted for. Wouldn’t have it any other way!