TRAILBLAZERS
Q: What was the impetus behind the creation of your nowfamous freezable tote bags? a: Personally, I was going
through a devastating divorce. I was in financial dire straits with three kids in tow. It was the third week of school, I was packing lunches as usual, and when I went to pull out an ice pack to stick in their lunch bag, I discovered they were gone. I was so frustrated. I thought, “There has to be a better way to pack a healthy, fresh lunch for your kids without constantly having to buy (and lose) all these freezer gel packs.” That was my “aha!” moment.
Mogul Mom
An intimate conversation with mom-preneur, founder and CEO of PackIt, Melissa Kieling. By Dana Claudat
In 2009, Westlake Village, California-based Melissa Kieling embarked on a journey from terrified to triumphant, slowly but fiercely building a multimillion dollar business around a practical and pretty line of freezable tote bags carried by the likes of Target, Walmart and The Container Store. Here, the stay-at-home-mom-turned-mogul-mom graciously lets us in on the ups and downs of her story. 92
What did you do next? I started researching and testing, trying to find out which materials would stay frozen the longest. One day I passed my bathroom and it hit me: the shower curtain! I pulled it down, laid it across the dining room table, ripped it apart, pinned it in place and took it to my dry cleaner to sew together. That was my first prototype. It gave me a tangible tool for discussing the idea with friends and family, getting feedback and ultimately landing my initial funding. How were you feeling at this point? So scared! Often times I had no idea what my next step should be, and it would paralyze me. I forced myself every single
