Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Seifert.
Perplexed that there was no specific place to store her purse while driving, keeping it clean, easily accessible, as well as keeping it out of her passengers way, Catherine was determined to solve this dilemma. As with most inventors, inspiration struck at just the right time, and Catherine’s idea for the Car Caché® was born.
As the consummate entrepreneur, Catherine enthusiastically set about creating her very first Car Caché – in true inventor fashion – on her dining room floor. After several months of trials by women of all ages and backgrounds, Catherine knew she had the perfect solution for women drivers worldwide to keep their handbags free from dirt, spills, damage and more accessible than they have ever experienced.
The first day of launch outside of Cincinnati, a professional organizer, Organize365, was Skyping to over 20+ professional organizers throughout the US sharing organizing tips as well as the Car Caché. Evidently, they began to blog and tweet about the product, and after lunch, Amazon’s Automotive Executive saw them and called Catherine to see if his team could put a store up for her because “This is going to be big!”. And they set it up!
Eight months later Catherine signed with one of the largest consumer product licensing firms in the US. They sold over 1,000,000 units in a little over a year. Upon receiving a Patent, Catherine decided to take the product back from the licensing firm so she can sell the Car Caché on her own.
In this first year of selling, in Car Caché’s new, very creative, and fun packaging (that is perfect for gift giving!), her Car Caché has been featured on Good Morning America – Strahan & Sara, People Magazine Tips & Trends, RealSimple Top Gifts for Multi-tasking Moms, Readers Digest Thoughtful Gifts for Co-workers for $25 or Less, Parade Magazine Great Gifts You Didn’t Know You Needed, as well as is recipient of National Parenting Product Award.
Catherine was inspired not to start a business, but to help solve the problem of accessible car storage for everyone. For all her valued customers, the ingenuity and heart Catherine poured into her very first prototype is apparent in every Car Caché.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
People are wonderful! So many men and women have helped me bring my product to market – sharing their expertise and not charging for that expertise!. They knew I was solving a huge problem for women worldwide and they wanted to help me do just that… So, the process has been quite easy for me – especially with my successful, diverse business background.
Having sold just under 1.5mm Car Cachés, quality issues have just not been an issue. Unfortunately, the week before Mother’s Day, I learned my Broker made some critical changes to my product to rush some inventory into Amazon. They were breaking! Nightmare! Within 30 minutes of learning of the issues, I had to close my Amazon store and remove all my inventory, the week prior to Mother’s Day! Unfortunately, hundreds had been sold in those few days as well as some were still in Amazon’s system when the inventory removal was taking place. So, that took my product from a 5 Star product to a 4.5 Star product on Amazon, with a lot of one Star reviews due to quality.
Fortunately, all of the bad ones were removed quickly, so we were back on track with the high quality Car Cachés that lasts for years. That was one of the worse business nightmares I have gone through… I just hate the thought of someone thinking that my baby is ugly!
Other than that terrible experience, all have truly been smooth sailing…
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Car Caché story. Tell us more about the business.
My Patented invention is the only solution on the market that provides a dedicated seat in the car for your handbag, giving you easy, complete access to its contents without taking your eyes off the road, and keeping it upright, clean, and out of your passengers way.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Amazing luck! My parents died within eight months of each other, and I keep thinking they are helping this along. Being #7 of 9 kids, all my brothers and sisters say, “You were always the favorite!” 🙂
There are so many things that have happened that are amazing:
* FOX19 News Anchor heard about my invention and tried it – loved it! and she launched it on Fox19 TV on June 3, 2013 – day my website was launched and my 51st birthday!
*July a woman sent my product to Kevin Harrington, the starter for SharkTank and As Seen on TV. He then sent it to HSN, saying that if they like it then they knew it would do well in retail. Their response to Kevin was “Love it!”
*September 24th Amazon’s Automotive Executive saw bloggers talking about my invention on-line and called and asked if his team could put a store up for me.’
*Eight months later signed with one of the largest licensing firms in the US and they took my product to 100,00 retailers worldwide – selling over 1mm units. (Unfortunately, they sold my product 100% incorrectly.) After two years, I received the Patent and took the product back from the licensing firm to sell all on my own.
*July 4th, 2018, Car Caché was selected as Amazon’s Choice for Car Handbag Storage – even though it was packaged in plastic bags from the Dollar Store at the time!
*December 2018 the new, fun packaging came in and it has been non-stop since!
Pricing:
- MSRP: $24.99
- Amazon Sale Price: $19.99
Contact Info:
- Amazon: https://goo.gl/chHnj2
- Phone: (859) 912-2747
- Email: Catherine@GetCarCache.com
- Instagram: @GetCarCache
- Facebook: @GetCarCache
- 44 Second Installation Video: https://youtu.be/jrlson5URuIj
- Website: www.GetCarCache.com
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