LaToya Abram-Payton wanted to find a way to increase exposure for her startup. So, she started poking around online and filled out a questionnaire to be on a new TV show called "America's Big Deal."
"And then I forgot about it," Abram-Payton said, at least until she heard back from the show in May. "I was so excited."
Abram-Payton, who lives in Rocky Mount, was a participant on the Dec. 2 episode of America's Big Deal, a show on USA Network that showcases entrepreneurs and their small businesses.
Here's how it works – each participant pitches his or her product, and then the viewing public can buy that product online. The person with the most sales at the end of the show wins the competition and gets the opportunity to negotiate with a retailer like QVC or Macy's for a potentially six-figure purchase order.
Abram-Payton's company, Payton Place, sells a product called the Bath Kneeler and Armrest Pad Set. The foam pad, which goes over the side of the tub and then hangs down to the floor, aims to ease the impact on a person's elbows and knees when they are giving an infant or a pet a bath.
Abram-Payton ended up selling $4,960 worth of product while the show aired, which ranked fourth out of the five entrepreneurs, meaning she didn't win. However, the experience was still worthwhile, she said. Since she started selling her product in May, she's sold about 500 units. In the few days since the show aired, she's sold another 500.
Getting to this point has been arduous for Abram-Payton. Like many other businesses large and small, snarls in the supply chain have caused major headaches.
When she first ordered her product from a Chinese manufacturer in fall 2020, she said she was quoted $4,000 for a container. But when the bill came due, it ended up being $15,000.
"It was very hard and very stressful," Abram-Payton said. "I reached out to my mom and dad – oh my God, they blessed me – they really helped me. I had a little savings, a little nest egg that I had to tap into. ... I was pinching pennies, robbing Peter to pay Paul, but I came up with that $15,000 because I said, 'My stuff cannot stay in China. It's already made, it has to get over here.'"
For her company's next steps, she's still looking to enter a big retailer.
"I would love to get into a national retail store," she said. "I would love to walk into a major chain and actually see my product on the shelves."
