Q & A
ANew Business is Born Montclair resident Nicki Radzely showcases Doddle & Co. on Shark Tank INTERVIEW BY CINDY SCHWEICHHANDLER PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESYOFHEATHER MOORE PHOTOGRAPHY
WHAT MAKES THE POP BETTER THAN A STANDARD ISSUE PACIFIER? The patented silicone nipple pops back into its own self-protective bubble when it drops. Between the nipple being protected by the silicone bubble and its simple design, this pacifier stays much cleaner. It’ s recommended for newborns up to 6 months.
Identifying a need and filling it: That’ s the key to a successful business, and what Nicki Radzely and her business partner, Janna Badger, set out to do three years ago when they launched Doddle & Co., a company that produces The Pop, a germresistant pacifier.
Badger, an industrial designer, dreamt up the idea for the pacifier while attending a church service, and watching as an infant repeatedly expelled a conventional one from its mouth. A couple years later, her boss connected her to Radzely, a mutual friend with a background in advertising, and The Pop was soon on its way to market.
Last year, it won the Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association Innovation Award, and Radzely garnered attention— and big bucks— for their company on a recentlyaired episode of the ABC show Shark
Tank. The enterprising Montclair mother of two, Noah, 6, and Aidan, 4, talked to us about the experience, and what it’ s like to turn a“ better mouse trap” idea into reality.
HOW DID YOU BRING THE POP TO MARKET? We began a Kickstarter campaign, and I appeared on the“ Mom’ s Million Dollar Idea” segment of The Meredith Vieira Show. That got some attention, so I reached out to Shark Tank, and taped a segment in late 2017. Janna couldn’ t be on the show because she was having her third child at the time. The episode that Iwas on was broadcast on Jan. 21.
YOUR PARTNER WAS LIVING IN SAN FRANCISCO WHEN YOU LAUNCHED DODDLE & CO. HOWDID YOUWORK TOGETHER? Iworked on it out of the third floor of my Montclair home. We built the business over Skype, collaborating across continents, between Montclair and Seoul, South Korea, after Janna moved. We’ ve only met three times; now she lives in Salt Lake City.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE SELLING TO THE“ SHARKS” SO THEY’ LL INVEST IN YOUR COMPANY? Being on the show was much more intense than you’ d assume it would be. Iwas calm until rehearsals, and then Iwas so nervous, Iforgot my name. We had to be on set at 7a. m., which meant alot of prep interviews starting at 4 a. m. I was a complete basket of nerves until Iwalked on stage and went into mypitch, and the words came back to me. Then Iwas back tobeing nervous again, and Iwas in there for two hours! But Iwas happy to represent moms chasing down adream. For me, itwas about being an entrepreneur and representing Montclair, where we’ ve built the business.
AND HOWDID IT TURN OUT? It turned out well! One of the“ Sharks,” Kevin O’ Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, offered to invest $ 250,000 in my company in exchange for a 10 percent return.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS FOR DODDLE & CO.? Right now, The Pop is available on doddleandco. com, as well as Buy Buy Baby, Nordstrom, Destiny Maternity and Pea in the Pod. Locally, we are carried at Apple Village in Upper Montclair. We hope to design more essential baby products that make parents’ lives easier and allow for more time with their babies. So stay tuned. ■
THE POP: COURTESY OFTHE DOODLE & CO.; SHARK TANK: COURTESY OFABC / BETH DUBBER
42 SPRING 2018 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE