Semi-finalist Q&A: ColorGoRound, LLC

ColorGoRound, LLC is a mom-owned company who created and manufactured a finger painting kit for children called FingerPrints. FingerPrints, create a keepsake for life, makes it easy for children to create an original piece of artwork that lasts a lifetime. Information from their grant application is available here. Read below for more, and if you have questions for our semi-finalists don't hesitate to ask them in the comments section.

Also, don't forget to cast your vote! YOUR vote will determine which entrepreneurs most deserve to be amongst the finalists.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Grandma Sandy spent the afternoon with Matteo, painting, laughing, and simply having a great deal of fun. She framed his messy finger painting and the result was a fabulous piece of art that could have been created by any of the great masters! The frame transformed his doodles into a masterpiece. We were amazed.

We were also amazed at how proud Matteo was of his work- especially seeing it hanging in his home. He wanted to paint more, so we naturally encouraged him to do so. Throughout the process, we realized that he was naming the colors and concentrating on how he wanted the paintings to look.

Color recognition along with improving manual dexterity was all part of the fun, and Matteo didn’t even know it! That was the turning point. We knew in our hearts that other parents and grandparents would enjoy painting with their children and grandchildren and that they would truly appreciate this as a fun and educational activity- with a great end result that would last for generations! We had embarked on our path to developing an enriching product and to bringing it to market.

What makes your business unique? Why do you think it will be a success?

We think our business is unique because there is no other complete kit like it in the market today. We understand that today’s busy lifestyles do not allow for as much quality time with our children as we’d like, let alone the time needed to run around and get all the items needed for such a project. FingerPrints is a complete art kit. It contains everything needed to have fun and to create a beautiful piece of art, and at an affordable price. In addition to the bright finger paints, artist quality paper, stylish frame, and apron, FingerPrints comes with a "Certificate of Authenticity" for the back of the frame. The little artist signs the certificate with a handprint, and there is also an area for the child’s name and the date.

It’s a keepsake for life, to be enjoyed today and passed down tomorrow.

What are some of your top business-related accomplishments, or business lessons learned?

In a short period of time we have taken an idea and brought it to fruition. What bigger accomplishment is there than following through on a vision? It’s a risk we took and it has landed our product in major retailers and online stores. We didn’t do it alone however. We’ve had mentors and referrals that have guided us along the way. Networking is priceless.

As for business lessons learned, we waffled a bit on the direction of the packaging and how we wanted to market the product. The cost was lost time and money due to uncertainty and also due to working with designers who really didn’t share our vision. There are so many great aspects to FingerPrints, but ultimately we had to sell it based on what we felt was its strongest selling point. Marketing to parents and grandparents as an activity for an adult and child to do together as opposed to marketing it to children as a toy, led us to the packaging as it is today. Rather than giving the design a cartoonish feel, we decided that a real life mom and child using FingerPrints together told the story we wanted. Time spent with your child is priceless and is about creating memories that will last a lifetime.

A bit of advice: Definitely search high and low for a designer with whom you connect. You’ll know when you’ve found the right one.

Why should the Idea Cafe regulars vote for you?

We believe that many people out there have real life stories that could materialize into the next big thing. Everyday people like us should have the same opportunities that large corporations have. We need resources within reach to help us get our ideas off the ground, and to help us grow our ideas into successful ventures.

As for ColorGoRound, we still have a lot of growing to do until we can meet our goal of offering this great product to underprivileged and terminally ill kids.