Swinga Baby in the Top 100 and in the Top 10 of the “Greenest and Most Innovative” Categories
Congratulations to Swinga Baby Products Limited, located in Barrington, Illinois, for being named in the Top 100 for 2014 Home-Based 100 Business Winners and in the Top 10 of the Greenest and Most Innovative Categories. We caught up with business owner and entrepreneur Elizabeth and Mark Furman and asked them to answer some questions and share some words of advice and inspiration with our StartupNation audience.
Tell Us About Your Journey
StartupNation: What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Elizabeth: Having the freedom to create our own goods for sale. My husband, Mark, always had the desire from within to produce out of raw materials his own productive output to satisfy peoples’ wants and needs. Consequently, with the invention of the Swinga Baby harness, it so happens that our sons’ wants, to be comfortably lulled, coincided with our own needs of comfortably lulling them. Fortunately, for us, others took notice and soon found that owning a Swinga Baby was a necessity for lulling a baby comfortably in comfort.
StartupNation: To what do you attribute your success as an entrepreneur and business owner?
Elizabeth: Really, it comes down to a number of other people, without them, we would not be producing anything remarkable. But the cornerstone for our success is certainly our first son Alexanders’ discontent with the existing selection of baby swings on the market and that sparked Marks’ vision to invent a product without the drawbacks of traditional swings.
StartupNation: What ignited the spark in you to start/select your particular business as an entrepreneur?
Elizabeth: Both Mark and I have always maintained a high level of regard for children. It has been our mission to bring quality, safe and innovative products to the baby durables market in an effort to improve parent-child interaction. Also, by being green-minded parents, we are encouraged to produce safe products that offer more and leave less of an impact on nature.
StartupNation: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Elizabeth: Specialization in a field, working knowledge of many other fields, and gumption. An entrepreneur should always seek to do more with less for the sake of improving efficiency overall in order to be able to generate profit for investment.
Words of Wisdom – Inspiration for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
StartupNation: If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out, what would it be?
Elizabeth: Anyone starting out a business must be passionate about it. Start-ups are a lot of hard work, the entrepreneur cannot lack passion for the business.
Inspiration
StartupNation: Where do you find your greatest inspiration?
Elizabeth: The creation of life inspires me to act on my visions and create beauty equally.
StartupNation: What is your favorite motivational/business quote as an entrepreneur?
Elizabeth: Time is of the essence.
StartupNation: A motto you live by?
Elizabeth: Carpe Diem (translated to “seize the day”)
Tell Us About Your Business, Experiences, & Funding Your Startup
StartupNation: How did you get funding for your startup?
Elizabeth: I have self-funded my start-up with savings from my day job.
StartupNation: Recommendations for others starting out?
Elizabeth: Take the time to grow the start-up by means of a grassroots style growth
Learn more about Elizabeth and Mark’s and business and view other businesses that entered and placed in the competition by clicking here for the top ten and a full list 2014 Home-Based 100 Business Winners and entrants.
Do you have a startup? Are you a passionate entrepreneur with an idea that has taken off and want to share your success with others? Would you like your business to receive priceless exposure in the media and be positioned to take your business to the next level? Then join us this fall for the 8th Annual StartupNation Home-Based 100 Competition which ranks outstanding home-based businesses and the amazing people behind them! Watch for your change to enter! In the meantime, be sure to visit us daily for new content to support and grow your business!
