Discovering the big ideas behind the products is one of our favorite parts of working with small businesses. Were they tinkering for years? Did it come to them in a flash? Is your curiosity peaked?

Scroll through these Makers’ aha moments and maybe, just maybe, they’ll spark your next big idea. You never know, right?

Innovation Spotlight

Storing bulky items just got easier

Wrap-It Storage started as a family business by Jim, a dad and entrepreneur who’s always been an "idea man." Faced with the mess of tangled cords, cables, Jim decided to create a practical solution. That’s when Wrap-It Storage was born. With the help of his wife Julie, who refines his ideas, they turned Jim’s one-man operation into a thriving family business.

Pajamas designed for hot sleepers

Lara Smith, with 20 years of fashion experience, wanted to help her sister with chemotherapy-induced night sweats. She used moisture-wicking technology to create luxurious, chemical-free women's sleepwear that's soft, comfy, and highly functional.

An innovative way to train pets

Tanya and Jennipher had an "aha-moment" when they realized traditional dog training methods were stressful and time-consuming for both pets and owners. This inspired them to create an effective, non-harmful solution to stop unwanted barking.

A windy day fashion fix for dresses

DressWeights was born in 2012 when Christina Dunn was at a friend’s rooftop barbecue wearing a flowy dress and—you guessed it—the wind kept blowing it into unwanted territory. Christina enlisted her engineer brother-in-law Peter McCullough to help solve this pesky problem for dress and skirt wearers.

Inspiring girls to dream about S.T.E.A.M. careers

While on maternity leave in Hawaii, Gayle Keller felt a strong calling to empower young girls in S.T.E.A.M. careers. Drawing from her own experiences in the tech industry and motivated by the birth of her second daughter, she decided to press pause on her corporate career to create Theodora S.T.E.A.M. Girls, a brand designed to inspire girls to pursue science, technology, engineering, arts, and math with confidence and ambition.

Solving the problem of dropped cords

After repeatedly dropping his phone cord at night and getting out of bed to retrieve it, Nick Barrett had a simple yet innovative idea. He designed CordBrick to not only solve the problem of falling cords but also to serve multiple purposes for cord management and phone accessories.With over 8 uses, this versatile tool is a real problem solver.

This shoe insert relieves pain in minutes

Laina Gossman, a biomechanist with a passion for solving foot pain, realized that hand-carving custom orthotics limited how many people she could help. Determined to make a difference, she developed Soul Insole—an effective, easy-to-use, and affordable solution for foot pain. Her innovation launched on Kickstarter in 2016 and has since improved the lives of hundreds of thousands.

Targeting the root cause of hair loss

The founders of MDhair experienced the frustration of hair loss firsthand and realized the need for personalized solutions. This led to a family business and the creation of a customized hair care system that combines natural ingredients with advanced science for tailored results.