Soothe Operator
Word-of-mouth was the cure for discouragement.
Hell hath no fury like a woman who's passionate about
something. So says Resheda Hagen, who once walked through maternity
hospitals armed with little purple tubes. Her ammunition: pure
lanolin samples. Her mission: to soothe breast-feeding mothers'
discomfort.
As a breast-feeding counselor and mother, Hagen, 59, knew the
healing properties of lanolin, but with no support from industry
leaders, she decided to sell it herself. Hagen visited hospitals
and dispensed samples of her product, Lansinoh, and attended
conferences for referrals. Endorsed by breast-feeding organization
La Leche League International, Lansinoh Laboratories gained 90
percent of the market share and sales in excess of $10 million by
word-of-mouth.
Sales have grown 442 percent over the past five years, and in
1999, a major retailer asked Hagen to design a line of nursing
products. The entrepreneur recalls what industry leaders said when
she first approached them: "Women won't use anything that
isn't pink, pretty and perfumed." Looks like Hagen can
claim victory.
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