A trip to a Fourth of July fireworks display in 2009 turned into a small business for Stephanie Saia. She was walking back to her car when she saw people towing coolers on wheels and carrying folding chairs.
"I thought, 'Why isn't there something for people so they can pull their chairs?" Saia says. That's when the CFL over her head went off for
Chair-iot, a folding chair carrying case with wheels built into the bottom so people can roll it along with them.
The case can handle two folding chairs. It is about the size of a golfing bag with pockets for things like water bottles and magazines. Saia is taking pre-sales right now and has ordered 1,000 Chair-iots.
"I'm hoping to sell the 1,000 units before they come in so I can order another 1,000 before the summer months," Saia says.
Chair-iot is working with an advertising agency to make some sales in Michigan and develop an e-commerce platform. Saia hopes to have the Chair-iot in local corporate chain stores this year and begin making headway for national sales.
"A goal of mine is to showcase my product on the
Ellen Show," Saia says.
Source: Stephanie Saia, founder of Chair-iot
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.