We recently spoke with Zoe about her journey setting up Kiddiwhizz, the important milestones and recognition of the journey so far, and the challenges she had to overcome on her entrepreneurial journey!
Kiddiwhizz is a solo Mum founded a start-up and is home to the world’s first handheld eco-toilet for kids. The Whizzer is an innovative, award-winning compact solution that’s become the latest parenting hack and a game changer for potty training and children with disabilities.
Back in 2015 I was potty training my son and caring for my disabled Dad. I was desperate to find a product that was compact enough to fit in a packed bag and that would offer both privacy and a quick on-the-go toilet solution for them both. I failed to find anything suitable so I used my background in product design and my own specification brief to invent the Whizzer.
It took 6 years to finally be ready to bring my idea on paper to life due to my own ill health plus all the funding and logistical elements that are underestimated and overlooked when starting a business, let alone manufacturing a brand new invention. I was desperate to give it a go, as I knew there was a gap in the market for the Whizzer but just didn’t know where to start.
At the end of the first lockdown, September 2020, with a boost of help from the network I’d been growing in the background, I saw the council was funding a new programme for start-ups so I applied. I was one of the first Foundervine applicants and the rest, as they say, is history!
Throughout the real starting-up phase of my business, I was enrolled in the Foundervine LIFT: Survive & Pivot incubator programme which ended the same month that I launched my website for pre-orders.
I’ll never forget the day I filmed an interview for ITV news and then delivered my final business presentation to my Foundervine cohort, programme leaders and council funders while juggling homeschooling in the midst of another lockdown. I got voted for the best presentation and I still have a video I took with my son who sat by my side throughout as I burst into tears.
I just couldn’t believe I’d got that far and my hard work was finally being recognised.
Since then the milestones have come in thick and fast. Started out by fulfilling orders with the first batch of mass produced Whizzers then winning awards and having meetings with mentors I could only dream of learning from.Reaching the finals of Female Start-up of the Year 2021 and pitching at the first live in-person event was definitely another unforgettable milestone not to mention receiving an email from a retailer that fellow brands have waited years to approach. So to not only have my product requested but to negotiate the contracts and logistics when I was still not into a year of selling yet was definitely a milestone.
Skip forward to where I am now, about to host a pop-up in Boots which is the store I referred to in every pitch I made (come and meet me in Watford during the half term!) and have been chosen by both Google and Amazon for new exciting business opportunities.
However, I’m still not able to take a salary so that’s my next milestone!
Skip forward to where I am now, about to host a pop-up in Boots which is the store I referred to in every pitch I made (come and meet me in Watford during the half term!) and have been chosen by both Google and Amazon for new exciting business opportunities.
Skip forward to where I am now, about to host a pop-up in Boots which is the store I referred to in every pitch I made (come and meet me in Watford during the half term!) and have been chosen by both Google and Amazon for new exciting business opportunities.
Skip forward to where I am now, about to host a pop-up in Boots which is the store I referred to in every pitch I made (come and meet me in Watford during the half term!) and have been chosen by both Google and Amazon for new exciting business opportunities.
Skip forward to where I am now, about to host a pop-up in Boots which is the store I referred to in every pitch I made (come and meet me in Watford during the half term!) and have been chosen by both Google and Amazon for new exciting business opportunities.
