 Hi, Jeff Rick here with theCUBE. We're on the ground at the San Jose Convention Center at the Intuit QuickBooks Connect 2015. It's a mouthful, but it's 5,000 people getting together to talk about small business, entrepreneurship, into it moving into the clouds and developers, and really the focus is entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, but we've got a really successful entrepreneur in our next segment, Lindsey Lorraine from Easy Peasy. Yes. Welcome. Thank you. So Easy Peasy, what is Easy Peasy? Let's jump right to it. Yes. So Easy Peasy, the name really stands it all. We're about making mealtime and playtime less about mass and more about fun. So we've got a few products. Our flagship product is called the Happy Mat. The Happy Mat. It's a silicone placement in plate in one and I don't have a table here, but they suction. So kids can't toss and throw their plates anymore. So how did this come about? We have three boys. So we have identical three-year-old twins and a five-year-old. And my husband one night was fed off with a mess and out of frustration said someone needs to invent something kids can't toss and throw. The next day I started looking, it all happened very fast. So this was March of 2014, we had the idea of dinner. And then we did a Kickstarter and launched last September. So within six months from idea to launch, we sourced the product and we're manufacturing the overseas in China. Amazing. So can you share any numbers in terms of how it's growing? Yeah. So we've sold about 100,000 units. So we've crossed over the million dollar marketing grow sales, which is really exciting. Got a phenomenal team in our community. We've had all grassroots growth. And so it's just been this organic community and so engaged. And that's my favorite part is kind of the community and the connection. OK, so there's about 1,000 angles that we can go here. So we'll try to get through a few of them, but we can go for like three days. So let's first talk about the Kickstarter campaign. Because that's interesting. Everybody, here's about Kickstarter. What was that experience like? Yeah, Kickstarter is, well, first it's a lot of hard work. I don't think people realize how much hard work it is. But we wanted to, one, we needed funding and money. We're self-starter. I'm 100% equity-older, self-funded. And so Kickstarter truly, we needed the funding. And we really wanted kind of a community aspect. And it's such a community with Kickstarter. And you have to ask people, it's a little uncomfortable because they're asking friends and family. But it was really kind of the way we started. They Kickstartered us. Our goal was 35,000. We ended up raising $72,000. They exceeded our goal. And then we shipped all of those units out December of last year. How many people kind of averaged? Yeah, we had 1,600, 1,600 contributors. So over 3,000 mats for that. And then we got product December 18th and shipped them all out before Christmas last year. And we were in our house, in our living room. We've since moved now. We have a warehouse in an actual headquarters in Castle Rock, Colorado. So what was hard about Kickstarter for people that are considering this as a funding offer that made me think, oh, I just put it up online and the money rolls in? I think everyone kind of thinks, or I'll just post it and it will go viral. You need it to go viral. It just doesn't really happen like that, right? You have to either have some sort of momentum. And we were at a trade show. The ABC Kids Expo, it's the world's largest, or no, the US largest trade show. We were at that in September, and I strategically did that. So I wanted Kickstarter during the trade show and we got some really good press there that kind of funded our role in the Kickstarter. And then it was the sharing and the good idea. It helps that it's a really good product. Oh, absolutely. But there's a ton of great products that never see the light of it. Yes. It takes a little bit of luck, a little bit of magic and a lot of hard work to make these things really happen. So I want to shift gears and talk about your PR success. Because you're doing a little research, you've got videos, you've been on TV shows, you've been all over the place, and in fact, you're a finalist for winning a Super Bowl ad with the contest that Intuit is doing. So explain to people kind of how that has worked out to tremendous success and coverage that you guys have done. Yeah, and I think being at this conference, I think has solidified that we're doing things correctly. I think we're different and I'm going to go on a little rant against corporate America and these big companies, but I think there is a comeback that small businesses are coming back and because we're authentic and we're genuine. I didn't get in this to make a ton of money. I got in it because it solved a problem. Every parent should have one because it makes a difference and we're really about doing good and giving back. And one example is the special needs community. It's been a huge community with this. Kiddos with Sarah McCoolsey. And so we are genuine and authentic and I think that comes through. And so people can relate and want to share it and tell their friends. And so it's this word of mouth kind of organic because we're true and we do what we say. And you don't get that with like the large organizations. So it's been a lot of that. It's been a lot of hard work. I mean, a lot of hard work. I don't think people realize having your businesses, it's every 18 hour days and hotels away from my family so I can work. And so I think though it comes back to Epic Core, we're genuine, we're authentic, we love what we're doing and people can relate to that. So community is a tremendous thing, right? Everybody talks about community, they want to engage in the community but you've really found a connection as far and you have this engagement. Yes. How is that different than, you know, you've worked the traditional business and you were at some big company before. How is kind of this community aspect in terms of growing a business so different than just kind of the traditional? Yeah, I think when you're smaller and you're more nimble, you can listen to people. In corporate America, they can say we listen but when you're doing, you know, you have 100,000 employees, you can't move the ship. It takes years to just do anything. Versus us, I'll give you an example is when we launched, we didn't have beveled edges so the edges were straight. The only feedback we ever got was our kid could technically peel the corner. So we listened, we adjusted quickly, we beveled the edges and I think people appreciate that, right? You're listening to your customers. I thought I was going to keep it from the liquids from spilling off the edge. They already do that. They do that a little bit, yeah. So I think it's listening, it's acknowledging it. We check every single email, every post gets a comment from me. We're in it and people can feel that. My team used to think I was crazy because I was like, we have to reply to everyone in every email. And some people have the thing of like, you don't have to really apply to everyone. I'm like, they're no different. Like a CEO is no different than the other person you email to, right? So we kind of take that approach and I think people can feel that. So, I'm hoping, yeah. Okay, so practical tips. Socials. I got a thousand platforms. I got LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat. What's kind of your social strategy? So we were extremely organized. So we have calendars that have all of our channels, our mission on each channel, what we want to accomplish. We lay out everything as far in advance as we can. And then we coordinate and we're actually redesigning our blog because content is, we want to be not only mats, we want to be a place that people come for healthy feeding and oh, it's in my bag. I could show you have a book coming out that's healthy ways to fill your happy mats. And so our goal is to even create more content and our website is not only to come products, but you're getting feeding tips. So you've got a feeding and speech therapist on her team full time. She shut down her practice in New Colorado. And so she's a huge aspect to be able to connect and make a difference in the specialist community. So I would say organization, having a vision and being genuine to that vision and then making sure everything kind of coordinate. You have the same grand boys, the same messaging across all platforms and being engaged. I mean, there's no point if you're posting and then you're not interacting with the community. So I'm genuinely interacting and I feel like I know these people, it's crazy. So Lindsay, obviously a very sharp lady. Thank you, guys, let's see you all day. You got to start right out of school and one of the people of our age will know or the classic training program of all time. People are clamoring down the road to get them the Ernest and Julio Gallo sales rep job coming out of school. So talk about that experience, what you learned from them and probably I bet there's lessons you still use today. Oh my gosh, my background, I kind of give corporate America a hard time but I spent my entire career in corporate America. So I worked at Gallo and then I worked at Pfizer. Pfizer was the majority of my career. Phenomenal company and then Humana. And so coming out of school, I never had a vision of being an entrepreneur. Some people that's all, since they were eight, they were trying to sell whatever. I've always just, I'm very hardworking and passionate and competitive. I have all the innate characteristics that make entrepreneurship possible because I think there are some that you got to have. Energy for sure, you don't bring any energy. So, and so out of school, Gallo, I mean it was similar. I was up at 4 a.m. in the grocery stores before they opened. No one really knew what went on behind the scenes and I learned a lot about sales and the sales process and objection handling. All those things that you don't necessarily get taught that you're learning on the job. So that was a phenomenal. And then Pfizer's training program was great. And I went to school, I got my MBA. I played soccer at Arizona State. So I went and I went back for my MBA. But nothing really teaches you like being in it. I went, I mean, I've done every accounting class you can imagine in school and my MBA. And two months ago to our CPI, I was like, I get it. Like I finally get it. You know what I mean? Like I get devets and credits now and when you're in it and it's yours and you're doing your business. In Costa County, right? You never can actually figure out how much that thing costs. That's the bad thing about the county. That's a whole other story. So let's shift gears one more time. You made the jump. What kind of push you over the edge guided to make that leap? Yeah, so when I started, we had the idea in March. I did both jobs. Sorry, corporate America, I was doing both jobs. At night when I went home from work I would do this job. And so for six months when I was bringing this to market, I had both jobs. We went to the trade show and Kickstarter and we had a really good response. And so I came in after the trade show and resigned. I just knew it. I knew I always knew I wanted to resign. I knew it was going well. One of my strengths and as a weakness is when I make up my mind, I'm like all in. I don't look back. There's no option of it failing. So I always went with that. I wanted to have both incomes to kind of pay for getting this started. And then once I knew I saw the market actually like people touching it and feeling it and buyers from- There's no better feeling, right? Than something that you basically burned. Yes. So then I came back and I resigned and I've never looked back. I mean, the best decision I've ever done. And now just to have the freedom. You know, that's my whole goal of this. Like I never want to sit in an interview with anyone ever again. Yeah, but you're actually working harder than you ever worked in corporate America. It doesn't even get better than that. But you have tangible results. That's another thing about having your own thing is you do this and you see the result immediately. We're corporate America, I work just as hard and not quite just as hard. But it was like not a tangible thing. Like I think I'm making a difference. Like no, now we're making a difference in the world and I feel it every day. Okay, so tips for somebody that's kind of on the edge. I think they got an idea. Everybody tells them they make grape pie, whatever they did, what is, what would you tell them? I would say hard work, passion, perseverance. You know, follow your gut. Stay true to your vision and mission. And if people tell you a no or you can't do this, figure out a way to do it. And so all of those things can make it possible. And you can learn a lot of the business tricks but like those innate quality of just working hard, being the hardest worker, competitive, all of those things matter. So I would just say put your heart into it, work hard and have fun. But the other thing is like, I want to have fun. This is my own company. So like that's my main thing is I want to be doing all this but still enjoy what I'm doing. Right, glimpses are right. You could go for a long, long time. Easy peasy, easy peasy dot com. Easy peasy fun dot com. Easy peasy fun, that's the letters in other words. Yup, thank you. Thank you for taking a few minutes and congratulations. Hopefully you get the Super Bowl ad. It's going to be just down the road at Levi's stage. I hope so too. Vote for us. We have like one second of voting left. Okay, very good. Don't run off yet. Jeff Frick here at the Intuit's Quickbook Connects 2015. Thanks for watching.