No Guts, No Glory (page 2 of 2)

"This Is More Than a Business"

After weeks without a response, Clark called The Right Start's headquarters. "I was trying to sound like a big executive," says Clark, "even though I was on the floor changing a diaper." The receptionist dropped a bomb: Wendy had left the company.

Undeterred, Clark asked to speak to Wendy's replacement. She got voice mail, but kept spinning her story. "I said, 'Wendy loved the Baby Einstein video. I wondered if you had a chance to see it yet.'" Then she hung up and hoped for the best.

A few days later, Clark's phone rang. It was The Right Start calling to order 100 copies of the video to test in their stores. Three days later, they called again. The initial order had sold out. They wanted more.

"I took some risks," Clark admits, "and, yes, I told a little white lie. But that was how I got my 'in.' From that point on, it was word of mouth -- moms telling moms telling moms."

That tenacity, and being passionate about her product, launched the company and Clark's new career. But even Clark was surprised that she "got addicted to the creativity." The Baby Einstein video was followed by Baby Mozart, Baby Shakespeare, Baby Van Gogh, and more. The company grossed $100,000 in sales its first year, then skyrocketed to $1 million the second, $5 million the third and over $20 million its fifth year. Clark was the CEO; her husband, the chief financial officer. "It was more money than we ever thought we'd make in our lives," says Clark. "We were thrilled."

But also overwhelmed. "Baby Einstein started out as a fun way to have a professional life outside of my mommy life," explains Clark, who by then had a second child. "Bill and I looked at each other and said, 'The people who were supposed to benefit the most -- our children -- are benefiting the least.'"

The Clarks sold Baby Einstein to Disney in 2001. It was a choice that was initially wrenching, says Clark, but in the end "was totally worth it." They are able to spend more time with their kids, taking trips to the Galápagos Islands, to the Sea of Cortez, to Africa.

In addition, Clark has the money to finance a new venture: The Safe Side, a collaboration with John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted, that presents safety information for parents and children.

"I wanted to make sure my children understood the right choices to make if confronted with situations that could be dangerous," says Clark. "But there was nothing on the market that would teach them how to stay safe."

The Safe Side line of products includes DVDs, safety packs and an ear-piercing whistle. Clark contributes ten percent of proceeds to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. "Keeping kids safe -- this is more than a business," she says. "This has become a cause."

That's the secret she shared during a speech at the Harvard Business School. "I was surrounded by these people who wanted to start businesses and make jillions of dollars. But I didn't start my company for that reason. I started it because I believed in what I was doing and believed I could make a difference. Sometimes when you start a company for the right reasons, it comes to fruition even more so than if you just wanted to make a million dollars. And that's a great place to be."

And FYI...

• Author Judith Wright says in The One Decision: Make a single choice -- and discover the life you were meant to have.



• In need of your own personal life coach? Read Cynthia Kersey's Unstoppable Women: Achieve Any Breakthrough Goal in 30 Days.



• Do you have what it takes to start your own business? Check out the Small Business Startup Guide at sba.gov. A wealth of free info, including financing and managing.

From Reader's Digest - May 2006

 

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• Courage Under Ire
• I had a choice -- cave in to the bully or do what I loved.
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• The Problem-Solver
• She was too naive to know her idea couldn't work. The fear came after she succeeded.
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• Against the Odds
• He was just another dropout -- until he got the measles and a goal.
•