Snot your average wipe. That’s the attention- getting title on the home page of a relatively simple product developed by two very clever moms, with a name that says it all—Boogie Wipes!

The innovative wipes are the brainchild of Oregon moms Mindee Doney and Julie Pickens, who weren’t happy with the results from dry tissues on their kids’ noses.

According to an article in a local newspaper, The Oregonian, in October 2006 Doney was struggling to treat her daughter’s bad cold by putting saline drops up the screaming baby’s nose. Doney soaked a wipe in the solution to finish the cleanup. The light bulb went on.

“We got tired of chasing our own kids’ runny noses with ordinary tissues, and trying to squirt saline up their noses to get them some relief,” said Doney.

The idea was relatively simple. Combine pediatrician-recommended saline with a soft moisturizing cloth. After doing some checking in stores for just such a product and not finding one, Doney and Pickens decided to go for it.

“We couldn’t believe someone hadn’t thought of this before,” Doney said.

So in May 2007, Doney, 33, and Pickens, 41, formed Little Busy Bodies, Inc.

But “simple” ended at the product’s concept and funding the venture became the biggest challenge.

Doney and Pickens initially used money from their own savings and retirements, along with loans from family and friends, to get things going. They found a Florida company that agreed to manufacture the wipes in Israel. The first shipment of 10,000 arrived in Portland in November 2007 and went to the multi-department store Fred Meyer, the first retailer to sign on.

In January 2008, Doney and Pickens appeared on “The Big Idea” on CNBC, which led to a call from Rite Aid. But more money was needed as the deal gained momentum and they put together a business plan and spent eight months finding investors. Although some wanted them to give up control in exchange for financing, they said no way and remain majority owners of Little Busy Bodies.

After only nine months, the new company predicts first-year sales to hit an astounding $2.9 million.

The company’s web site, www.boogiewipes .com (did you think it would be named anything else?), says Boogie Wipes are made with natural saline, are hypoallergenic and alcohol free, moisturized with vitamin E, aloe and chamomile, lightly scented, phthalate & paraben free, and gentle enough for all ages.

The wipes are now available in 18,000 retail outlets, including Babies “R” Us, Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart and Rite Aid, and by November 1, the moms are pushing for their product to be sold in 30,000 retail outlets nationwide.

Doney and Pickens hope to reach $9 million in annual sales in 2009 and $20 million in annual sales within three years. To date, the company has 12 employees. This isn’t a sell-job for Boogie Wipes, even if we are heading into the cold and flu season. It’s a testament that innovation is everywhere—even at the end of a 2-year-old’s runny nose.

And if you’re like me you’re probably saying to yourself, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

John O'Brien can be reached at: jobrien@paperage.com

PaperAge. Copyright © O'Brien Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.