Three years ago, 52-year old Sandy Stein faced the prospect of unemployment after thirty-two years in the airline industry. At the same time, her husband discovered his job was at risk, too. Sandy knew she had to do something to guarantee a future income for her family, including their 10-year old son, Alex. Her solution—an invention called Finders Key Purse—started as a dream (literally). One morning she awoke with the product idea and two and a half years later, she's managed to turn that dream into a multi-million dollar business.
We at Mom Inventors interviewed Sandy to discover how she came up with the idea, launched it into the marketplace, and hit the million-dollar sales mark in just four months!
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Here is Sandy’s story:
Why did you start your company—and when?
About two and a half years ago, I came to the realization that my husband, who was 53 at the time, was probably going to lose his job as a consultant in the souvenir gift industry. I had been a flight attendant for 32 years and knew that my job, too, was in jeopardy—the airline industry was having (and still is) terribly rough times. It was imperative that both my husband and I be gainfully employed so that we could provide for our son.
Have you ever experienced an epiphany that changed the direction of your life?
That night, I went to bed, and prayed to my Dad in heaven, asking him for guidance. I know it’s hard to imagine—but that very night I dreamed of a new key chain that would decorate a purse while keeping the keys from falling to the bottom.
When I woke up, I remembered every detail of the dream, including the exact measurements of this key chain. I went into my home office and bent a piece of metal that had a flower attached to it. I added a clasp to the bottom of the piece, and hung it on my purse. VOILA!!! I knew that my heavenly inspired dream had huge potential. I sat down and thought of what to call it, and somehow knew that the name was meant to be Finders Key Purse ® (find your keys in your purse). I could barely contain myself with the excitement of knowing that I had invented a new product that could change my life!
