Perseverance

  1. Take a problem that you have in your own life and create a solution.
  2. Be creative
  3. Have perseverance!

Perseverance. It's not only a big word, it also has big meaning. Nothing good in life is easy to obtain, and that is just a fact.  Unfortunately that's a fact that a lot of people from my generation have missed, but that is neither here, nor there. What I mean by this is that people have to be willing to put in effort, sometimes a great deal of effort, to get somewhere in life. Unless, of course, your name is Honey Boo Boo, in which case you just need trashy mom and some Go-Go Juice.

Now, because I'm a sap I always love to look at quotes to encourage me.  No matter who you are, if you are an entrepreneur there will be days that you feel discouraged.  And when that happens, just google "Entrepreneur Quotes".  That'll give you a sure-fire pick-me-up :)  This is one of my favorites:

"Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” 

Something else that I do to get over the hump is look at other entrepreneur's stories.  Like Mark Cuban, for example, who reports looking at his bank account in his 20's and seeing that it was essentially empty.  He is now worth $2.3 billion.  Or the story of Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx.  She couldn't even find a manufacturer to make her product for her when noone believed it was worth anything.  Today she is the youngest female self-made billionaire. Or lastly, Kathryn Stockett who received 60 rejection letters over 3 1/2 years before finally having her book "The Help" published.  "The Help" is now a bestselling book and has been made into an Academy Award Nominated Movie.

So there you have it.  Some things are truly overrated, ie The Mona Lisa, Larger than average breasts, and Vicodin.  But perseverance is not.

Being Creative....

  1. Take a problem that you have in your own life and create a solution.
  2. Be creative
  3. Have perseverance!

So I had conceived the idea, now it was time to be creative.  I began conceptualizing how to make this work.  It needed to be something safe and secure that would hold onto the jewelry securely, something small and out of the way, and something that would be able to remind the user that the jewelry was there in case they forgot. I pictured one of the old change purses that kept coins inside...a small, flexible pouch with a slit at the top. 

I took to the all-knowing Google and found a company near me that created prototypes, called Mydea Technologies in Orlando, FL.  My husband and I took a little road trip down and began discussing how we could make this work.  After about 5 months and a lot of problem solving, we had a working prototype.  The next step was to apply for a patent, which my husband and I did on our own. 

*Little tip here for anyone interested in getting a patent or trademark...Do not! I repeat, DO NOT let an intellectual property attorney talk you into paying thousands of dollars for them to do your work for you.  Not worth it.  Go online to the USPTO's website, www.uspto.gov, and at least try to do it yourself.  They have an Inventor's Assistance Center that you can call, as well as a ton of information and videos online to help you with the process!

In the meantime I found a manufacturer to produce the Ring Clings and initially ordered 3,000 units. Then with working full time, being pregnant and trying to stay somewhat active, things just came to a halt.  I had my baby and cut my hours at work, and finally have decided to put more effort into the Ring Cling. I was issued a Notice of Allowance for my patent and have applied for my Trademark as well.  And now, I need to sell.  Sell, sell, sell.

Ring Cling Conception

OK, so I'm going to switch things up a bit here.  Instead of blogging as this vague being from the Ring Cling, I'm going to be myself.

Meredith Pike-Meher.

I am a mother, a wife, a Physician Assistant, and small business owner. So far I feel very successful from the first 3 descriptions of myself...however I still have yet to see success as a small business owner.  And that is what I want to start blogging about: my experience going from being a PA and knowing only about medicine, to the successful entrepreneur that I hope to become.

I used to watch the Television Show "The Big Idea" with Donny Deutsch and there were a few prevailing themes of the show. In order to create a successful business you should:

  1. Take a problem that you have in your own life and create a solution.
  2. Be creative
  3. Have perseverance!

I loved that show and I'm so sad that it is no longer on the air. But that's neither here nor there.  The point is, it inspired me. And thus, the idea for Ring Cling was born.

It was conceived on a sunny day in late 2009 when I had left my wedding rings (the most valuable thing I owned) at work....AGAIN. I worked in Interventional Radiology, performing procedures on a daily basis. I would remove my wedding rings each time I performed a procedure as recommended by the CDC and the WHO to decrease the chances of spreading infection to your patients.  Each time I would put my rings in a different place; my scrub pocket, my purse, the pocket on my lead vest.  Each time I would almost lose my ring and I would go through a 5 minute heart-stopping search for where my rings were.  Sometimes I would find them on the floor from bending over. A few times I threw them in the laundry with my scrubs. And I even left them at work more frequently that I care to admit.  Either way, it was a problem...the head rush I experienced each time as my heart jumped into my throat and my blood pressure went skyrocketing was not enjoyable, to say the least.

I started asking around to see if this was something that other people were experiencing as well. Just from the people working in my department, 6 people had either lost their wedding ring or came close at some point.  People had all sorts of crazy things they did with their rings, but there was no one sure-fire, safe solution. So, while driving back to work one day to retrieve my rings from my lead, I called my husband and said, "I have a problem and we need to solve it." My husband replied, "I think it should be called the Ring Cling." And that is where it all began....

500,000 Ring Clings

Alright, listen up because we have a hefty goal to achieve!  We are going to sell 500,000 Ring Clings by the end of 2012!  That's right, we have decided that if we can sell 500,000 Ring Clings by December 31, 2012, we will donate $500,000 to wonderful causes. $100,000 will go to each of the following 5 charities:

1. Operation Smile
2. Doctors Without Borders
3. Susan G. Komen for the Cure
4. Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
5. Myasthenia Gravis Foundation

Even if we do not achieve our goal, we are dedicated to donating 20% of all proceeds to these charities. Ring Clings (www.ringcling.com) were created with the goal of helping people - helping them keep their wedding rings and jewelry safe.  But if we can help people in a much bigger way - why not?  But we need your help! Please tell as many people as you can...anyone that needs a Ring Cling - and there are lots of those people!  Go to www.ringcling.com and order yours today - these foundations will greatly appreciate it!!

The Ring Cling

I thought I'd take a second to introduce the Ring Cling (www.ringcling.com) and give a little background for those of you who don't know already.  

My name is Meredith Pike, I am a Physician Assistant who graduated from the University of Florida. I have been practicing medicine for four years now and in order for me to do my job, I have to remove my rings to scrub for procedures on a daily basis.  I did this for approximately six months and in that time period almost lost my rings more times than I care to remember!  I would leave it at work or put it in my shirt pocket and then bend over only to find it on the floor hours later.  It was a big problem.  When I asked others what they were doing with their rings, they all understood the problem and many people told me that they had already lost their first and even second wedding bands because of this!  I couldn't believe it - there was no solution to the problem that we were all experiencing! 

Therefore, my husband and I set out to solve the problem.  We began working on the Ring Cling (www.ringcling.com) in 2009 and in 2012, it has finally come to fruition. Now we are ready to help people all over the world save their wedding rings from getting lost!

The Ring Cling is a small (approximately 1 inch x 1 inch) flexible rubber pouch with a slit at the top.  Squeeze the pouch and the slit opens, allowing you to safely store your wedding bands without worrying that you will lose them.  The metal clip that attaches to your clothing also rattles...that way if you remove your clothing with the Ring Cling attached, you will hear the rattle and remember to get your rings out before they end up in the laundry! The best part is, this clip can be custom engraved with your name and phone number, therefore if it is ever lost - it can again be found!!

This is a wonderful product and can help millions of people, from surgeons to scrub nurses and techs, to chefs, massage therapists, etc. Even those millions of working people who go to the gym after work - put your rings in the Ring Cling and worry no more!  The nice thing is it only costs $12.99 - and can save you thousands of dollars on a new ring.

Check out our upcoming blog to see how your Ring Cling purchase will also help multiple charities....