So I came up with an idea that to my surprise had never been thought of before. An attachable pram shopping cart I called the BuggyCart.

The ten months to launching my product was a huge learning curve. Google was bestfriend and my only mentor. If I could afford it, I would use freelancers to get the job done. More often than not I couldn’t.

Obstacles came at me with a vengeance. Manufacturers disappeared with my money and ideas after months of working together. Due to my inexperience I ran out of money several times and had to go back to nursing to make ends meet. Most recently I made it to the final round of Shark Tank auditions only to be knocked back at the final round. Sigh.

Innovation runs deep in my blood. My great great great grandmother Maria Smith invented the Granny Smith apple. Every time my mother baked anything with apples she would say “you know your great great great grandmother invented this apple because the others were not crisp enough!”

Everyone across the world knew and loved the Granny Smith apple. After paying an undisclosed sum of somewhere around $500m to The Beatles, Apple now owns the Granny Smith logo trademark. If Granny Smith was still around she would be amused.

A few years later I would hear my husband say “you know my cousin invented that UGGly shoe your wearing!” He was not pulling my leg. His cousin was Shane Steadman, who sold the rights to UGG to Deckers in 1983 for £10,000 and three pairs of UGG boots a year. His invention now makes $1B in sales each year.

Although I have been approached by big companies wanting to purchase my invention I am determined to make it a success in my own right. Neither Granny Smith or Shane saw any profit from their inventions. I want to break the family curse of letting our amazing ideas slip away. The BuggyCart V1 sold out and now I I have launched BuggyCart V2 on Kickstarter. 

Helen Druitt

Email : helen@buggycart.com.au

Facebook :  @buggycart

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/buggycart/buggycart-the-smarter-way-to-shop-with-baby