PortaPocket Notebook

When my daughter & I were at the GORGEOUS Casa Loma in Toronto at the end of last month, I visited the restroom and went into a random stall and found.... a cell phone balanced atop the toilet paper dispenser. Gah!! Now, you can imagine what that means. 
Some woman is (likely) in a foreign country without her cell phone & having a complete meltdown. This is where the phone was: 

  (I should've taken a pic of it on there), but due to the situation, I rushed through my business and bolted out to shout to anyone there..."Anyone lose your cell?!"

   It was with luck the gal who had done so rushed over and was profusely thankful I had found it & returned it to her, but OMG, why does this have to happen all the time? It's 100% preventable.

  Travelers, I beg of you...  PLEASE don't wait for a really bad moment or circumstance to "get it.

Just GET IT before you go and you will have way more fun with less worry. Seriously.

  Love, PortaPocket Gal

.       

This will be my first Mothers Day on the planet without my mom. It is crushing to know I'll never see her alive on Earth again with her smiling face in front of me saying, "Every day's a bonus!"

I've seen nobody else in my world ever be so steadfast and positive. She was one who was ALWAYS there for me, no matter the challenge. I was grateful to have won the lottery for mothers when I got the chance to cell her 'mom' for all these years. But even though one can say to make it to 94 is great and that she lived a long & productive life...yes..she did. But when you love someone and she's your one and only Mom...the number of.years seem never enough. and 94's really just a blink in the passage of time.

Hug your mom a little tighter today. Because it's all so temporary. And you never know how many chances you get before the sands of time run out....

I love you forever, mom. No matter where you are...

xo

It's been a few months, but still recent. This one happened on June 19th at Kings Island in Ohio when a 38 yr old man lost his keys out of his pocket while riding the Banshee roller coaster.  And, as James Young did in August of '15 while looking for his lost cell phone and wallet (after the'd flown out of his pockets while riding the Raptor coaster at Cedar Point), Arntanaro Nelson made a similar mistake of trying to retrieve his personal items by entering a restricted area under the ride.  He was hit in the head by the ride and died a few days later on June 24.  

These kinds of things should never happen.  First, never trust your clothes pockets to actually work on high speed attractions. And second, please never go after anything that you lose on the rides in any case, ever. You may not get a second chance. 

Driving around town I've been hearing a "make more of what's yours"radio ad by Chase Bank
that includes a part where a woman ponders how she wished her skirt had pockets.

well, umm... actually...

no.

Pockets in skirts may be a nice idea in theory, but in practice you'd almost assuredly end up
with bulges in areas where you might not want them while those pockets are in use.

Instead, choose better.
Choose freedom.
Choose PortaPocket.

No doubt by now you've heard about the implosion of the Titan submersible. On its way to the wreckage of the Titanic, this namesake ship found itself in its own emergency situation and ended up taking its place practically next to the other skeleton on the ocean floor. It was a horrible end for the 5 people on board, but not entirely surprising considering how OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush seemed to bat away safety concerns like they were simply gnats in the way of his quest for innovation and greatness.

The whole incident can seemingly be an analogy to what is going on elsewhere on Planet Earth. Where some companies forge ahead with questionable business practices no matter what red flags and alarms are going off. Make no mistake. Safety of participants is being compromised but the flies in the ointment are just being papered over and whitewashed with glossy platitudes about how these businesses claim safety is a priority.  (Even though it actually isn't). 

(Photo: OceanGate/ Getty Images)

For all those participants in this camp, we've got you covered!

While weed may or may not be your thing, for the humans who like to use it it's always nice to have a place to stash your hash (...or your cell phone, rolling papers ID/cards, keys, or whatever else it is you need), yes?

With the new laws passed in Congress allowing more legal usages of marijuana, there are now many cannabis dispensaries in the area here in Chicagoland. Maybe that's true in your area, too?

We've visited a few of these places and noticed that some of them stock a variety of pot leaf decorated merchandise like shirts, bags, hats and the like. Perhaps these places should add our mary jane style pockets to their assortments to help out their people, too?

What say you? 

 (checkout our leaf pockets here and here)

• What were the main driving forces that prompted you to create the Go Caddy?

The development of my GoCaddy grew out of the simple need to carry the fewest essentials in the smallest package on my visits to the gym. First, I needed a water bottle, so that became my basic shape. Next, I added a pocket for ID, money and cards, an elastic pouch, a carabiner for my keys, and a shoulder strap. When friends at the gym asked me where I got it, I realized that I could develop my idea into a saleable product.

• What’s been your biggest challenge along the way?

• Do you have a mantra that encapsulates your mission?

• What are three pieces of advice you would give to someone who is about to embark on their own version of entrepreneurship?

First, tell everybody what you’re doing. Many of them will ask how it’s going from time to time, and you’ll want to be able to report your progress. Also, you never know who might have an idea or a contact you can use. Second, take advantage of SCORE, and share your excitement with your mentor. Nobody knows your product better than you. And third...be bold! Don’t be afraid to borrow money to invest in yourself. Confidence is contagious.

• What is your favorite business success?

An article about my Go Caddy ran in the San Francisco Union Tribune just prior to Christmas. As Go Caddies make excellent gifts, we sold over 500 of them as a result of that free advertising.
Also, I was interviewed on my local TV station, which brought many orders to my website. Plus having Go Caddy being talked about by Kathie Lee & Hoda on NBC ...wow...that kind of editorial PR is truly invaluable!

• Where can folks find Go Caddy now?

Currently we've partnered with portapocket.com and sell our totes via their website. Here's the actual page where you can find them: https://www.portapocket.com/products/go-caddy-water-bottle-holder Thanks so much for the conversation! :))

 Q: What's your main driving force behind the creation of 'Pockets for Women UK'?
A: After years of being a developer for hire I was looking for something to
build for myself, but why pockets? I have always loved clothes with
pockets, but I had seen it more as a bonus, rather than something to be
expected.  It was when I took my youngest son swimming and realized he
had his hands in his swimming shorts pockets, that I thought, this is
wrong.  I then noticed that my husband had pockets in his PJ's ( which i
didn't even know was a thing) after that I couldn't unsee the pocket
disparity and set on a mission to change it.


Q: What's been your biggest challenge developing your brand & your business?
A: I am a developer by trade and design and marketing is not something that
comes naturally to me at all, so that part has been a bit of a steep
learning curve.  Getting the word out there is still a challenge to be
honest.  however, I have been luck to feature in some national press,
which was lovely.  People seem to love talking about pockets.

Q: Do you have a motto or words to live by that encourage you on your path?
A: Pockets are a feminist issue

Q: How has your experience in previous jobs made a difference for you
in your entrepreneurial journey?
A:  As I've  done work for other eCommerce companies, I've had a great
opportunity to see what does work, and what doesn't. I've also had to
learn quickly about something new to meet a specific need of a client,
which I hope has helped.

Q: What are 3 pieces of advice you'd offer to other folks who may be
thinking of starting their own venture?
A: 1. Be prepared to go out of your comfort zone. Nobody is good at
everything, and certainly at the beginning, it's often all on you. For
me, this is putting yourself out there, but this is something you really
have to do. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
 2. Be patient, success probably won't happen overnight, unless you're lucky.
You'll make mistakes, everybody does, but making mistakes is part of the
learning process.
 3. Be prepared to take advice.  Often it's hard to see your baby
objectively, so it is really useful to have an outside take.  That said,
don't let be railroaded from something you feel passionately,  you'll
probably have thought more about the issues than anyone you know.


Q: Please share your favorite business success moment to inspire others
to reach for their dreams :))
A:  I think it has to be featuring the Times newspaper. For me, that was the
encouragement I needed to convince me that what I was doing was indeed
worthwhile thing.

Well, here we are again at the Ides of March.

I wonder how many people even think of what happened on this day in the past
and who even knows what the 'Ides of March' means?

Anyone?

Hellooooo, Hollywood!

Anyone in the USA probably knows about the Oscars and what it's all about. That annual gathering of the rich and famous walking down the red carpet is always a sight to see, and leads to countless photos, vids, and shoutouts about "Who are your wearing!?"

Sadly, despite their wealth & privilege, even these folks who seem to live charmed lives STILL don't often have useful pockets in their outfits. It just goes to show that at the end of the day, humans are all pretty much the same as far as basic needs are concerned. We all have stuff to carry, and often nowhere effective to put it. 

If more people knew about PortaPocket, we'd solve this everyday problem.

Want to help change the world for the better? PLEASE SHARE.
We've been here helping humans for 15+yrs, yet still an unknown for 99.9% of the country.

thanks to all for your generous spirits.

xo,
portapocket.com