The Story Behind GaBBY Bows
As seen on BlackandMarriedWithKids.com...
by Chassidy Goggins
What better example is there to set than actually fulfilling a dream in front of our children? To have them realize that they don’t have to settle for what’s been handed to them?
Rozalynn Goodwin not only achieved this but stemmed the reality with her seven year old daughter, Gabrielle when they teamed up to create GaBBY Bows.
The Idea
Rozalynn and Gabrielle Goodwin of GaBBYBows, created the first of its kind, double faced, double snap barrette hair accessory!
According to Rozalynn, this all began with a simple Twitter rant, her pastor’s gentle nudging and a “broken record in pig tails” that kept losing her bows during recess.
“I literally prayed, Ok, God. If there is something here, you are going to have to show it to me,” said Rozalynn.
“Inventing the Double-Face Double-Snap Barrette was not what I had in mind when I logged on to Twitter that day to blow off some steam”, she said.
At the time, Gabby was only five years old and as parents can easily relate to, was persistent in asking, over and over again, when she’d be able to get her new bows. Bows that stayed in her hair and ones she didn’t lose.
And like many parents often do, Rozalynn gave in to her daughter. She approached the problem as a science project where she and Gabby would examine bows together and take notes on their similarities and differences.
That science project turned into drawn up plans of the solution to their problem. Next came colors and names and shortly after a prototype was born.
The Whirlwind
Still, Rozalynn wasn’t planning on being an entrepreneur. She originally wanted to sell the design.
She landed a focus group with a major company but in the end they passed on GaBBY Bows.
After their decline Rozalynn still insisted on their product saying, “I can’t show my daughter that anything is impossible. Can you help me make just one bow?”
Nothing fuels us like the love for our children. Parents will give their last and very best for the sake of their children.
Thanks to one mom wanting to set the best example she possibly could, GaBBY Bows has exploded, filling online orders 50 states and eight countries in just three years of operations. The bows are also sold in 50 Once Upon a Child stores in 16 states across the US.
Their company was one of 15 national finalists for the 2015 US Small Business Administration InnovateHER Competition, a 2016 SCORE and Sam’s Club American Small Business Champion, and the national 2016 SCORE Diverse Business of the Year. Gabby was also a 2017 national finalist for Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the Year.
Rozalynn and Gabby’s story has been featured in Kiplinger, Washington Post, Chicago Tribute, Essence and US Chamber of Commerce Free Enterprise Magazine. They have also been featured on The Real, Tom Joyner Morning Show and the TODAY Show.
Gabby now has dreams of running the business with her daughter and hiring employees so she can continue the legacy.
She may not have been fully prepared for how fast the project took off but what impresses Rozalynn the most is seeing how much her daughter has grown through the whole experience.
Rozalynn told WIS-TV Awareness last month that seeing the growth in her daughter’s confidence and personal development has been the most rewarding.
Gabby is thriving as a young entrepreneur who knows her stuff!
The youngest ever South Carolina Young Entrepreneur of the Year and self-proclaimed company President and CEO tells other kids that she meets or that desire to start a business of their own to try their best, “work hard, persevere and never give up. Obstacles will be in your way and you’ll have to never give up in order to get through them”.
Well said Gabby. Well said.