Entrepreneur

This Founder Used TikTok to Validate Her Youngster Security Bands

June 9, 2023

Mia Dickson was three weeks from launching her second enterprise when she determined to put up about her product on TikTok.

Along with her face to the digicam, Dickson began sharing how and why she started Protected Bandz, which sells waterproof wristbands and pet collar attachments that retailer contact numbers and different data that’s vital in an emergency. Quickly, viewers began asking questions: How do the bands work? Which colours do they arrive in? Can I take advantage of them for my pet?

Dickson fortunately responded to the questions on TikTok. Within the course of, she started constructing an viewers of fogeys, caretakers, and pet homeowners looking for a protected answer to trace their family members.

“And it simply slowly grew and grew and have become this large advertising machine for us that was very natural and really sincere to what we’re and wanting to assist,” Dickson says.

The natural momentum on TikTok helped Protected Bandz generate $10,000 in gross sales inside two weeks of launch. However utilizing TikTok to develop your corporation isn’t like a magical wave of a wand. We sat down with Dickson to learn the way she put this highly effective social media instrument to good use.

Child-Examined

Dickson is the mom of 4 youngsters she describes as “runners.”

“They’ve all picked the right alternative to simply leg it in the wrong way,” Dickson says.

Her lively household loves tenting and different outside adventures close to their residence in North Queensland, Australia. Conserving monitor of her gaggle of youngsters is all the time a trouble.

Beforehand, Dickson tried leaving her contact data on backpack leashes or writing it on her kids’s arms, however nothing appeared to resist the situations of the lively life-style of a Queensland child.

Dickson started brainstorming how you can pair connection and peace of thoughts. Fortunately, she already had a monitor report.

Dickson’s first enterprise, Social Dot, launched in 2020. It gives a contactless and easy solution to share enterprise data utilizing a sticker hooked up to a telephone. Impressed by frameworks from Foundr’s Begin & Scale ecommerce course, Dickson launched Social Dot and earned $20,000 in three months.

Repurposing the technological ideas from Social Dot, Dickson began creating an emergency contact wristband.

The primary problem was mechanics. With the Social Dot, somebody can faucet the sticker with their telephone to entry a touchdown web page of enterprise data. However a sticker might simply wash off within the ocean, and embedding the tech in a wristband could be costly. Then, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, QR codes grew to become extensively adopted. They appeared like a pure match to accommodate the emergency contact data for the bands.

Mia Dickson, founding father of Protected Bandz

“We’re not counting on tapping tech like we do with Social Dot,” Dickson says. “It’s only a scan, and a majority of telephones available on the market have that in-built, or they’ve an app that may do it as effectively. So it simply grew to become the simple possibility.”

To make sure the QR codes don’t rub off from put on and tear or fade within the relentless Australian solar, Dickson determined to engrave the distinctive codes on a metallic insert hooked up to the wristbands.

Subsequent, she wanted to succeed in out to producers that might provide sturdy bracelets.

“We most likely had a dozen completely different molds, a dozen completely different concepts,” Dickson says. “Clearly, we wanted it to be mom-proof and kid-proof. And dwelling in North Queensland, it wanted to be sunproof, waterproof, every part proof we might consider.”

She had producers ship samples and shared them along with her mates to check out with their kids.

“And I simply sort of mentioned, ‘Put them by way of hell. I’m going to do the identical. I actually wish to see how these go and the way they’re examined.’”

Testing completely different prototypes allowed Dickson to hone in on the supplies and design. Subsequent, she made the bands reflective for nighttime use and created a pet tag attachment to trace furry mates.

However would the completed product stand as much as the actions of the rigorous finish consumer—her 4 youngsters?

“We took them tenting, we had them out and in of water parks—every part we might consider,” Dickson says. “And the standard of them actually stood the check of time. So we had been actually pleased with the tip results of what we had ordered.”

In the meantime, Dickson constructed out the tech facet of the enterprise. She created a back-end web site for Protected Bandz to securely maintain the emergency data that clients related to a private QR code.

“We’ve actually tried to consider each angle we probably might as dad and mom,” Dickson says. “Our youngsters have examined them by way of thick and skinny, and we’ve give you most likely the most effective design that we might probably consider to make all of it occur.”

With the ultimate merchandise available, Dickson ready for the launch date of Protected Bandz. Then, she picked up her telephone and logged in to TikTok.

TikTok-Accredited

In three weeks, Dickson’s TikTok viewers had grown sufficient that she was capable of construct a sturdy e-mail listing for the Protected Bandz launch. Two weeks after launching, she bought out of inventory.

“Earlier than you hit launch, it’s type of like climbing a mountain,” Dickson says. “You set in all the additional hours after the children go to mattress, every part like that. You get to launch, and also you’re simply knackered. However then as quickly as you hear that little ka-ching [noise], you go, ‘Oh, cling on, right here we go.’”

Following the launch of Protected Bandz, Dickson continued to work together with clients by way of a function on TikTok the place you’ll be able to create video responses to commenters’ questions. The preliminary suggestions she acquired on the platform was to develop the colour decisions and add a GPS monitoring operate, each requests she happy within the first reorder after launch.

Dickson continued posting.

Inside 5 months of beginning on TikTok, the @safebandz account gained 30,000 followers, garnered 5 million views, and have become verified on the platform.

“It’s type of grown legs of its personal, to be sincere,” Dickson says.

“I’ve sort of found that there are several types of markets on the market, and it’s been insane how far it unfold.”

Dickson says she didn’t intend to make use of the platform as a promoting instrument or as a soapbox for Protected Bandz. The unique objective was merely to share her story. However now, TikTok is the first means Dickson connects along with her clients.

“Regardless that you could find all that data on the web site, to sit down there and chat to somebody and really feel such as you’re attending to know them, [and] you’re attending to know the particular person behind the model as effectively,” Dickson says. “And I feel that’s made an enormous, large distinction for our viewers.”

And it’s made a distinction within the enterprise. For instance, a consumer from Germany commented on one in all Dickson’s movies and requested if one of many Protected Bandz would match her grandmother.

“[Her nana] principally does the identical factor every week and goes to a specific espresso store, however she doesn’t love to do it along with her daughter or her granddaughter. She likes to do it on her personal. So now they’ve popped the Protected Bandz on her [and] she will go there,” Dickson says. “And if something is to occur, the shop can scan it and name the granddaughter or the daughter instantly to come back and assist.”

Dickson says that interplay on TikTok made her understand she had a wholly new market of elders and caretakers she by no means anticipated to succeed in with Protected Bandz. And as her TikTok group grew, so did her alternatives.

Protected Bandz expanded to work with the Australian NDIS (Nationwide Incapacity Insurance coverage Scheme) to offer individuals with disabilities and their households with wristbands. And thru TikTok, Dickson even managed to signal with two wholesalers to distribute Protected Bandz.

“We’ve slowly constructed out the product to swimsuit the wants of the customers and the wearers,” Dickson says. “And we’ll proceed to try this as a result of they’re the individuals which might be actually being the Protected Bandz champions on the market, spreading the phrase, carrying their bands, and utilizing them every day.”

Dickson reiterates that any model or enterprise must take heed to suggestions to make its merchandise adaptable to the wants of its customers. That begins by getting your face in entrance of your target market, it doesn’t matter what.

“Now we have simply put ourselves utterly on the market,” Dickson says. “I put myself utterly on the market because the face of the model and [was] capable of ask the onerous questions but additionally get nice responses after which use these to make our merchandise higher and our group higher.”

@safebandz Reply to @random.editz.682 nice query any excuse to push somebody within the pool 🏊‍♀️ sure Protected Bandz are waterproof 💦 #safebandz ♬ unique sound – SAFE BANDZ- ID and Medic Bandz

Be Courageous

Thus far, @safebandz on TikTok has 69,000 followers and a curated hashtag, #safebandz, with greater than 14 million views. Protected Bandz was additionally a featured product on Catch (previously Catch of the Day) and now ships everywhere in the globe.

Dickson says TikTok deserves credit score for Protected Bandz’s success, however extra importantly, the group has made the product viable. For fellow ecommerce entrepreneurs and founders, she suggests getting in entrance of your target market as quickly as attainable—even earlier than launch.

“Don’t be afraid to place your self on the market,” Dickson says.

“Don’t suppose that everybody’s going to steal your concept for those who speak about it as a result of it’s not going to construct a group: It’s not going to get you the suggestions that you just want. You simply should take that step and be courageous, whether or not it’s leaping on Instagram and constructing a platform there, or Fb, or TikTok, or no matter it may be.”

Dickson says the bravery of sharing your corporation concept and the issue you’re attempting to resolve makes an viewers join with you. That’s why she stays motivated to make use of TikTok to develop her enterprise.

“Don’t take ‘no’ for a solution,” Dickson says. “Do one thing on daily basis to get you that one step nearer to opening the store and listening to that first ka-ching. And you then’re hooked. You’re completed. You’ll be in ecommerce or your personal enterprise area ceaselessly.”

Maintain Studying: Learn how to Make Cash on TikTok