Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabel Fernandez.
Isabel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I come from a long lineage of immigrants from different places in the world. Both of my grandfathers were born in Spain, who in their 20s migrated to Mexico. On my mother’s side, immigration spans across countries such as Mexico, Cuba, and Brazil. On my father’s side, both French and Spanish ancestors migrated to Mexico. Consequently, my parents were both born in Mexico as were my sister and I.
My parents are college graduates and both were business owners. They got divorced when I was 5 and that was the end of their business ventures as well. When I was almost 10, Texas A&M University offered my mother a job with sponsorship for US Residency (the green card) for the three of us: My mom, sister, and I. Little did I know that her decision would change my life, forever.
Fast forward to late 2012, when my mom and I were spending a weekend at my sister’s place in Dallas. I was taking a shower when I had the idea for the Bag Bug. When I was done, I ran to tell my mom and sister, and the adventure began that day!
I am a woman and I’m a minority. I’m also a successful business owner and inventor whose product is now selling in 10 countries. So I would like to say to our current president: “Mexicans are not rapists, criminals, and hoodlums! We are capable human beings, educated, creative and capable of grand things. We have a positive impact in the US Startup ecosystem, we pay taxes, and abide by the law. We have dreams, we have lives to live, and we can have a positive impact on the world!”
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not at all. At first, everyone except my family thought my idea was ridiculous, didn’t think the product would sell, and didn’t really understand its full potential. This reminds me of Einstein’s famous quote “If your idea is not absurd, it has no hope.”
In addition, I had no idea how to take an idea from my mind into a product in my hand. I had never done this before, nor did I know anyone who had done it before. EVERY step I’ve taken on this journey, I took without knowing if it was the right one. I’ve had to guess, and I’ve had to learn and read and question. Not everyone understands the road of entrepreneurship. And often this is why you hear that entrepreneurship can be and usually is a very lonely trajectory.
People around you usually don’t understand just how many details you have to become an expert in, how many battles you have to fight, how many different things you have to juggle: from incorporating a business to filing sales taxes, to interpreting the law in agreements and contracts, to negotiating with vendors, suppliers, marketing agents, to traveling abroad, understanding import/export regulations, to learning how to create, manage and design a website, social media pages, emails, and then being able to sell your product!! I get exhausted just from listing all these out!!
Some struggles I have had were:
1. My logo design: had to fire several designers until one finally understood what I wanted
2. Quieting down all the noise of the millions of programs that are offered to you as a startup
3. Vendor issues: Because I couldn’t order tens of thousands of units for my first order, I wasn’t taken seriously nor considered important by the manufacturer in China. I had all kinds of quality issues with the product even after agreeing and selecting the prototypes together.
From the user manuals to the packaging, to the product itself, it was all bad. I rejected the entire first order. I traveled to China by myself two times to ensure that they understood what I was expecting. And still, I had to pay for a third party quality inspection due to so many ongoing issues. These are only a few of the struggles I’ve been through!!
Please tell us about Bag Bug: Innovative Accessories.
Bag Bug: Innovative Accessories is a startup that was founded from the idea that beauty and fashion should not come at the expense of comfort and functionality. We are committed to donate a portion of our proceeds to the Lupus Research Foundation as well as Shriners Hospital for Burnt Children.
The first product in our line is the Bag Bug purse accessory. This accessory is the first-of-its-kind in the entire world that combines 4 features in 1. The Bag Bug prevents the straps from constantly slipping off the shoulder, while adding comfort, and accessory appeal. The Bag Bug also allows you to keep your purse off the floor by hanging it on the corner of a table, bar, or countertop and even on the back of a round chair! We are super proud that we are now selling in 10 different countries; The US, plus 9 countries in Europe. We also had a successful Kickstarter campaign when we launched in 2016.
What sets us apart is that we are on a mission to improve our daily tasks and routines by finding ways to combine fashion with functionality AND comfort! Fashion should NOT come at the expense of comfort and functionality!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have spent more time looking for the right manufacturing partners ensuring the right design and execution during the production process. And I would have spent less money on some business programs that didn’t end up teaching me anything worthwhile…
Pricing:
- 39.00
- 55.00
- 59.00
- 75.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bag-bug.com
- Phone: 972.375.3107
- Email: info@bag-bug.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bag_bug
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBagBug
Image Credit:
Audrey Cho
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
