During my maternity leave in autumn 2014, our paediatrician recommended that I use a Vincenzo Priessnitz chest wrap when Natalka had a cold. This wrap consists of a wet cloth, plastic wrap and a dry towel. But the wrap didn’t stay in place, it kept falling down. At some point I thought that these three layers could be combined into one. I sketched out a possible shape of the wrap on paper and started looking for a seamstress to sew it according to my wishes, including attaching the wrap with an adjustable Velcro.
My own product was born; a versatile baby chest wrap. After presenting the comfort shape of the wrap to our GP, I was told that it was a great product that could help other mothers. The doctor also told me that the Priessnitz wrap could be used for other ailments, such as childhood laryngitis, strep throat, sore throat, loss of voice, as well as knees, elbows for rheumatism, post-traumatic conditions and so on. Thus, from the original Priessnitz Wrap for children’s chest, a whole line of universal Vincenzo Priessnitz Wraps for children and adults, and for other parts of the body – for the neck, knees, calves and elbows, wrists, head and slippers – was created. The next step, which I did not want to underestimate, was intellectual property protection. I took the route of registering trademarks, utility models and finally an international patent application.
I also knew that I needed to focus on marketing communications as soon as possible. I was awarded the Regional Product of the Ore Mountains certificate for my wraps. I paid a lot of attention to direct contact with customers. As part of the pilot test, I had a stand at many fairs, demonstrations in pharmacies, hospitals, etc. Encouraged by the success of the contact with people, my first customers, I started a series of meetings with pharmacy operators, with wholesalers of medical devices and health care products, in hospitals and private medical practices, in social care institutions.
I was also interested in what experts in innovative start-ups would have to say about my universal packaging, according to Vincenzo Priessnitz. So I stepped into the lion’s den and entered the StartUp Go Grill competition. I won with my wraps. I also made it to the Central European final of the Startup World Cup competition, where I received valuable advice from national and international experts. I would like to emphasise one important thing. And that is the cooperation with the people who have formed and are forming a team with me. After all, without the combination of different skills, experience and commitment of the people around me, without their ideas, I would certainly not be able to achieve success in business.
I consider my biggest success to be my perseverance, that despite all the personal and business complications, I have managed to become independent, thanks to the support of my family, friends, the Mamavis team and the feedback from customers. As a mother of a young daughter, this period was and still is very stressful and I often find myself mentally working “24 hours a day”. At the same time, I went into business to be independent and do what I enjoy, find fulfillment and help people. And thanks to the overwhelming support, I know I’m not alone and I’m on the right track. The journey can be long, but it is worth it.