Maria Messier is the inventor of the Extendher clip on jacket extenders that grow with you, allowing you to wear your coats or jackets throughout all stages of pregnancy, and beyond. Once the baby is born, the extendher can be used as a babywearing cover. Simply invert the maternity coat extender and clip it onto your favorite sweatshirt, coat, jacket, or vest. Wear it while your little one is snuggled to your chest, in your favorite baby carrier. The following are our shownotes from Episode 93…Inventor Maria Messier and Extendher.
Interview Covers…
Maria’s childhood/career & their influences of her innovative spirit
Lessons learned: Maria’s first invention and her obstacles
How pregnancy inspired Maria to invent again
Maria’s partnership with Joanne
Naming the business
Why Extendher isn’t just for women
Extendher product design
Pricing Extendher for the right people and profit
Safety concerns: Is Extendher safe for baby carrying with a zipper?
Patent status
Marketing your product
Growing your business: The inspiration & strategy behind the growth of Extendher
What advice would you give to someone who wants create a product?
Memorable Quotes
“I’ve had the entrepreneurial mindset for some time.”
“Most of us have a great idea..It’s just ‘What do you with it?'”
“….seven prototypes later, we came up with the perfect product.”
“We really wanted to be one of those companies that kept production here [in the US] as long as we could.”
“As you know Amazon is king, but Amazon is also a big sea for little fish.”
“You can learn so much from people who have been doing this process [product development].”
Key Topics and Questions
Maria’s first almost-compled first innovation…and how this led to her currrent product
How did you come up with the idea of Extendher*How did you come up with a name?
Connecting with the right people to get your idea off the ground
Targeting secondary markets as your product gets traction
Manufacturing costs & challenges of a USA-made company
Marketing-Should you do it all yourself or let someone else do it?
What’s the most effective channel for your market
Biggest marketing challenges
Maria Messier…What’s the hardest, most difficult part of being an Entreprenuer?
One of the biggest misconceptions of an entrepreneur, is that it is has this glamorous lifestyle attached. People have said “oh it must be so great to be your own boss” or “oh you can make your own hours” “wow at that price, you must be rolling in the dough” This is a small sampling of the comments I have heard over the years.
The truth is…
The truth is, prior to embarking on this journey, I was one of those naive folks. I quickly learned that making the entrepreneur leap is anything but glamorous. In fact it is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life (including childbirth of 4 children) I say this half jokingly, yet serious because childbirth is a blip of time.
The Entrepreneurship journey…
on the other hand is a daily grind with never ending hours. Yes growth is great, but with it comes additional problems. A constant rise and fall of emotions. Knowing that my partner and I have build a tremendous product that every family needs, yet facing the constant daily hurdles of getting it into the rights hands.
Struggling…
with the daily ups and downs, the major expenses, creating consistent cash flow streams, wearing multiple hats, attempting to cut costs all while not jeopardizing the integrity of the product. The constant internal struggle of the daily grit and grind because you believe so strongly, versus the mental and physical exhaustion.
These pendulum swings of emotion…
are incredibly difficult as an entrepreneur, and can cause such an overwhelming feeling, that you just don’t know what to do first!
That is when it is time to just step away and breathe! –Maria Messier, Extendher Inventor
I think this is a wonderful invention. All you have to do is look at the pictures to see how functional and sweet it looks. Where do inventions like the Extendher come from?
Coming Soon
To find out… we invite you to listen to Episode 93…Inventor Maria Messier and her Invention Extendher…coming soon on Invention Stories on YouTube
Maria Messier Work Experience
from Linkedin profile
Extendher, LLC
Co-Inventor, Owner
Sep 2019 – Present
Chief Operating Officer
Mar 2015 – Present
Product inventor, helping to bring napkin concepts all the way to market.
Create and distribute Extendher products that have a solution for parents on the go. Our products are made with top of the line Fabrics, and are inspected carefully by our design team.
-Sold at www.extendher.com, Amazon, and local retailers. Contact us for wholesale opportunities sales@extendher.com.
Self-Employed
Operations Manager
Mar 2015 – Present
Clifton Park NY
NYS Independent Provider
Pediatric RN
Feb 2005 – Present
Home care RN
Albany Medical Center
Registered Nurse
Jan 2000 – Sep 2006
Albany, New York Area
Education
Hartwick College
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
1995 – 1999
Hartwick College
RN BSN
Nursing
Extendher Additional Links
Extendher | SCORE
https://www.score.org › success-story › extendher
Frank was a designer with more than 40 years in the fashion industry, and she started to prototype and test a jacket extender, the Extendher. Together they …
The maternity coat extendher is a patent-pending extender panel that CLIPS ON to any outerwear that has a zipper and extends it’s usefulness . It gives you that …
SCORE Small Business Success Podcast: Maria Messier …
https://podcasts.apple.com › podcast › maria-messier-creator-of-extendher
In this podcast, Ramon Ray talks with Maria Messier, the creator of the Extendher, a clip-on jacket extender and babywearing cover all in one.
Maria Messier – Co-Inventor, Owner – Extendher LLC | LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com › maria-messier-692924109Skilled RN, Co-Inventor of the Patented Extendher clip on jacket extender, Mompreneur,Mom of 4. Successfully launched Extendher LLC from the ground up, …
Extendher LLC – Clifton Park, NY – Alignable
https://www.alignable.com › clifton-park-ny › extendher-llc
Do local business owners recommend Extendher LLC? Visit this page to learn about the business and what locals in Clifton Park have to say.
Heavyweight Extendher Black Maternity Jacket Extender and …
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Heavyweight Extendher Black Maternity Jacket Extender and Baby Carrier Protector at the best …
Extendher – Baby Goods/Kids Goods – Clifton Park, New York …
https://mtouch.facebook.com › extendher Rating: 4.7 – 10 votesExtendher – Clifton Park, New York 12065 – Rated 4.7 based on 10 Reviews “Purchased this for myself and I absolutely love the style! Made of quality…
Extendher LLC (@extendher) | Twitter
https://twitter.com › extendher
The latest Tweets from Extendher LLC (@extendher). Unique and innovative baby products for #moms and #families on the go!. Malta, NY.
the extendher – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com › channel
We have created the perfect product called extendher! A jacket extender for Maternity & Babywearing.
Jessica Haynes and GET WHAT YOU WANT NOW!
Jessica-haynes is a friend of mine who invented the Socket Saver. We featured her on episodes five and six of the Invention Stories Podcast. If you would like to listen to our interview with Jessica…please click here.
For those of you long time listeners she was also our first sponsor to which I am totally grateful and now she is the author of GET WHAT YOU WANT NOW! Money, Love, Power & More: The Essential Handbook for Building A Dream Life
I’ve purchased my copy and now you can to as it’s now available on Amazon.com. Click here to learn more.
The Invention Stories Spotlight
We featured Bret Newman each episode to share his invention journey in real time on the Invention Stories Spotlight. We first intoduced our audience to Bret Newman and his Soundverter Turboscoops on Episode 67 of the Invention Stories Podcast.
The goal of the Invention Stories Podcast and InventionStories.com is to Help People Invent Smarter. Our focus is on one inventor to see if we could help him. Bret was chosen because the Soundverter Turboscoops are simple, smart, inexpensive, and work.
Simple…
The Soundverter Turboscoops are a single moulded piece of plastic that is made in the USA. No parts to fail or get broken in transition and being manufactured in Ohio…no importing problems with better oversight.
Smart-
The Soundverter Turboscoops are a solution to a problem most flat screen owners have…poor audio quality. Most flat screens have their speakers pointing downward…look at yours and you’ll see what I mean. The Soundverter Turboscoops change the direction of the sound.
Inexpensive-
I’m going further than saying affordable, the Soundverter Turboscoops cost less than $30. How many problems do you know that can be solved under $40.
They Work-
My father in law watches his tv with the sound on full blast and the distortion drove me nuts since I am an audiophille. We attached the Soundverter Turboscoops and he listens to it at a lower level. It’s still loud but clear.
So if you have a recommendation or suggestion on how to help Bret Newman become more successful…please email us at inventionstoriespodcast@gmail.com
Promo Code Stories
If you would like to purchase the Soundverter Turboscoops…use the promo code stories to receive $5 off.
How to License Your Invention for Royalties
Alan Beckley Hosts Free Webinar
So Alan Beckley hosts a FREE webinar called – How to License Your Invention for Royalties.
And Alan shares it live via Zoom Meeting. So all you need to attend is your computer or cell phone. Just go to AlanBeckley.com/licensing to sign up.
You learn in this webinar…
- how you can license your invention for less than $500, that’s right less than $500
- the one secret you must know to license your invention… that most inventors don’t know
- Also, 7 keys to licensing your invention and…
- Why licensing is more lucrative for you than DIY or venturing your invention
- get all your questions answered during the Q&A.
For more information and/or sign up for the free webinar… AlanBeckley.com/licensing
The Invention Stories Podcast
on YouTube and More…
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and here for Women Inventors and the 7 Percent.
To watch more Invention Stories on YouTube, please click here.
If you are new to inventing, we invite you to visit Episode 1 with Forbes Riley.
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Thank you for reading this and please…tell a friend.
For more information please visit https://www.extendher.com/
