• About
  • Article PDF
  • White Papers
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Advertising & Sponsorships
Thursday, January 26, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Times Of Entrepreneurship
Growth and Equity for a Changing World
Times Of Entrepreneurship
No Result
View All Result

Changemakers: A Simple Startup Idea to Help People Remember CPR

The Idea for CPRWrap Came to this Chattanooga Entrepreneur in a Dream. She Quit her Job to Follow her Business.

by Skyler Rossi
October 11, 2021
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
black woman on a balcony
Felicia Jackson quit her hospital job to pursue her startup — because she thought it would save lives.

When Felicia Jackson’s son was two years old, he choked. Jackson was a medical professional in a hospital’s physical therapy department and was CPR certified. But at that moment, she froze. She couldn’t remember what to do.

Her husband stepped in. Their son survived that day, but Jackson couldn’t get it out of her head. What if her husband wasn’t there? What would have helped her?

She later learned that people typically only retain CPR certification for a few months. Just one year after being certified, you can forget how to perform CPR.  

That was in 2002. Over a decade later, Jackson founded CPRWrap, a single-use translucent sheet that lays over a person’s chest and mouth with instructions to remind the performer exactly needs to be done.

Now, Jackson has raised $600,000 from single investors and is working on raising $1 million. CPRWrap’s e-commerce site, where the sheets sell for $9.99, brings in $100,000 of revenue. Jackson expects revenue to grow as she begins selling in bulk to CPR training facilities and first aid organizations — those deals can be up to $1 million for one transaction. 

Jackson’s Dream Journal

The idea came to her in a dream. She saw the design. When she woke up she drew her dream device in a journal she kept by her bed, she said. 

“I’m a serial inventor, but I’m a procrastinator. Those don’t mix at all. So whenever I have a dream about a product, I keep a book by my bed. And I traced what I saw. And once I get to that point, where I knew I wanted to mass produce my product, I actually took it out and found a manufacturer.”

Then she took a leap: In 2017, she quit her job at the hospital. It was a decision she was so nervous about that she didn’t tell her husband right away. 

“I went to college for so long to get this degree, and now I’m not doing it anymore,” she said. “I’m working twice as many hours, not making any money. I was kind of scared he wasn’t going to understand my drive.” 

The family struggled financially, nearly losing their house. But she wanted to see her purpose through.

“Shame on me if I had a product that could potentially save lives everywhere and I didn’t share it with the world,” she said. “So I just stepped out on faith.”

Jackson never went to business school and wasn’t sure where to start to build a business. Her first step was Chattanooga SCORE, which offers free mentoring to business owners.. Then she took her rough drawing of the product to Launch Chattanooga. She initiated her patent and formed an LLC with their help. Then she went to CO.LAB, where she learned how to identify her customers and bring her product to market.

She was accepted to Techstars Austin in 2019. Now, she’s a fellow at Washington D.C.-based Halcyon. 

The programs have pulled her across the country and away from her family in Chattanooga. She said it’s hard leaving her family and town for long periods of time (she’s been in D.C. for five months during the Halcyon program). But it’s a little easier because her daughter, Carlicia Woodruff, who works for CPRWrap, travels with her. 

Lessons Learned

Keep a journal. Not everyone’s ideas come to them in dreams, but however they arrive, keep track. Look for connections. Many entrepreneurs say that the ideas that keep resurfacing are those that should be followed.

Mentors help entrepreneurs avoid costly mistakes.  “Connections are key,” she said “You really have to really make those connections through networking, build up your mentor and your advisor pool. Because those are the people that you can really go back to that can help you from making some big mistakes that can be costly.”

Not all money is good money. It’s more important to align yourself with investors that see your vision, she said.



This story and others on Times of E are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

Tags: Co.LabCPRWrapFelicia JacksonHalcyonLaunch ChattanoogaSCORETechstars Austin
Skyler Rossi

Skyler Rossi

Related Posts

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

by Ellen Chang
January 26, 2023
0

Marie Rocha is the founder and general partner of Realist Ventures. Photo: Tiffany Hagler-Geard After spending over 20 years working...

Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

by Nina Roberts
January 25, 2023
0

Regina Trillo is the founder of Nemi Cactus Sticks, made with Mexican nopal. Photos: Nelipot Project, collage: Nina Roberts. Authentic...

Editor’s Note: We Are All Jacinda Now

Editor’s Note: Burnout World; Dark Web’s Criminal Minds; Small Biz Gets Stuck w George Santos

by Elizabeth MacBride
January 23, 2023
0

Jacinda Ardern, PM of New Zealand. Before the holidays, I wrote two pieces for CNBC about cybersecurity, which is a...

Weekly Newsletter: The Dark Web’s Criminal Minds See Internet of Things As Next Big Hacking Prize

by Time of Entrepreneurship
January 23, 2023
0

Times of Entrepreneurship Stories There are now 17 billion lightly protected IoT devices – but there are new solutions, including...

A Great Financial Backbone For A Social Enterprise

A Great Financial Backbone For A Social Enterprise

by Elizabeth MacBride
January 19, 2023
0

Evergreen Lodge near Yosemite National Park, California. Photo: courtesy of Evergreen Lodge Finding investors for a social enterprise that combines...

Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

by Lori Ioannou
January 18, 2023
0

The Last Gameboard cofounders Tim Schukar and Shail Mehta, also the CEO. Photo: courtesy of The Last Gameboard. Shail Mehta...

Subscribe to Times of E’s Free Weekly Newsletter

Learn about the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders

Popular

  • Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

    Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Top 20 U.S. University Entrepreneurship Competitions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • With A New Way to Make Furniture, Locally, Baru Has Nearly $1M In Revenue After Two Years

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Capital Returns Are More Skewed Than People Realize

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

January 26, 2023
Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

January 25, 2023
Editor’s Note: We Are All Jacinda Now

Editor’s Note: Burnout World; Dark Web’s Criminal Minds; Small Biz Gets Stuck w George Santos

January 23, 2023

Recommended

  • Health
  • Climate
  • Deep Tech
  • Finance
  • Education
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • Mentorship
Insight Into The Top 20 University Entrepreneurship Competitions

Insight Into The Top 20 University Entrepreneurship Competitions

2 years ago
Asian woman looking at the camera

Commentary: A Lack Of Diversity Among Clinical-Trial Regulators Puts Women’s Lives At Risk

2 years ago
  • About
  • Partner
  • Bespoke Research
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy

(703-966-7357)

© 2020 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 
Facebook Twitter Linkedin
No Result
View All Result
  • Research
  • Finance
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • New Builders
  • Ecosystem
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Editor’s Note

© 2022 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Support Times of E

Times of E covers the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders.

With your support of our journalism, you will receive our weekly newsletter and one of these resources for free: 

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?