Libra Riley is the founder of the Swoop Hanger, winner of Score D.C.'s 2021 Black Entrepreneur Pitch Event in the start-up product category.
What inspired you to create Swoop Hanger? My inspiration came in two ways. First and most obvious, “necessity truly is the mother of invention!” I, like millions of consumers, had long garments, from casual dresses and skirts to special-occasion gowns, that were all collecting dust on the floor. I also had a closet organizer system that created spaces that just couldn’t be used for many of these items. The first step in innovation is identifying the problem, so after that it really was one day in my closet, with the twist a couple of wire hangers, that I knew I was on to something. And second, my son Arthur. Once I shared the idea with him he immediately replied, “Mom you have to go for it!” I knew then this would also be an opportunity to lead by example because he’d be fully engaged, and he has been from the final review meeting at the [U.S. Patent and Trademark Office], to manning our booth at the International Home & Housewares Show. It’s been quite ride.
Tell us about the process of engineering the device. Was it a lot of trial and error? Yes there was. I started with two wire hangers and had the chance to present it to a company in New York to get the first few iterations done. I then decided to run with it on my own because quite frankly I didn’t think it was moving fast enough. So I hired my own engineer to keep refining the design. We 3-D printed to be sure it worked, and next worked with the manufacturer to tweak and finalize it for production.
Swoop was a big winner at Score's Black Entrepreneur Pitch event. What won it for you? I had the opportunity to hear from the judges. They shared they were impressed first with the innovative design of the product and its ability to solve a real problem, they liked that it was highly demonstrable and envisioned it would demo well on video and on QVC and HSN where my target audience shops. They also shared my presentation was well prepared, that I was able to share the numbers (cost, margins, etc.), key details and features. The truth is I had rehearsed every moment of the five-minute pitch to be sure I was ready, so you can imagine I was over the moon about the first and second prize win and the encouraging feedback from the judges.
How will you get your product in front of consumers? Swoop’s innovative design and ease of use make it a great product for social media, so we intend to focus a great deal of our marketing efforts on creating demo videos and curating user generated content for Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. We’ll also work with influencers in the home design, organization, and apparel spaces to launch our product. We believe with the right spark we could go viral.
What was the learning curve like launching a business from scratch? We’re still in the curve, going from a consumer to a manufacturer mindset requires you be willing to jump and trust your parachute will open. We’re asking lots of questions; the bottom line is there is so much to learn and much of it is done as you go. So, you just move forward knowing you will tweak, pivot and course correct as needed when needed.
What's the most important advice you've received as you stood up the business? I completed Sara Blakely’s (Spanx founder) masterclass and she made clear three things she did when she started her now billion-dollar company, as a team of one with very little money, no business plan and zero experience; “Keep it simple. If your idea solves a problem there’s never a bad time to launch. Make It, Sell It, Build Awareness.” So that’s our plan.
The Swoop Hanger is an organizational tool. Are you an organized person by nature? Generally speaking I like order, like always knowing where the keys are because you always keep them in the same place! But seriously, some organization in your life frees up space and time to be creative, to be curious and be inspired by what you find. The idea for SWOOP came in one of those freed-up moments.
What was your first job? If I’m going all the way back to the very first paycheck, my twin sister and I were our town’s first newspaper delivery girls, didn’t think then I’d ever be featured in the paper, so guess this is a full circle moment!
Have an idea or pitch that reflects some unusual business activity? Email mneibauer@bizjournals.com