Interview with Nancy Owen Myers, owner of Good Sense Design LLC,
makers of the Lunchsense lunchbox and accessories
Lunchsense waste-free lunch systems are healthy, easy, cool and very, very green! BerryBestMoms.com: As you know, we carry the Lunchsense lunchbox and accessories on BerryBestMoms.com in 4 colors and 3 sizes. Tell me a little bit about them.
Nancy Owen Myers: I offer…a way to fix a little of the morning mayhem. A means of eating more healthy meals. An opportunity to see and appreciate the mid-day break a little better.
Okay, I make a lunchbox called Lunchsense. It’s a box that is insulated, machine washable (really), durable enough to last for years and looks great on anybody. It folds out to a flat mat to be a placemat or sitting mat to accommodate the grimy table or wet picnic bench, not to mention keeping allergens (for example wheat crumbs) off your meal.
Lunchsense lunchboxes also come complete with their own food containers, drink bottle and ice pack, all of which are bpa free and phthalate free, watertight, and dishwasher and microwave safe.
BBM: What’s the story behind how Lunchsense lunchboxes were invented? How did it all start?
Nancy: This all started because a friend and I, with a collective 7 kids, really hated packing lunches when they were all early grade-schoolers. Assuming we could figure out what they would eat on any given day, we didn’t like using single use containers (baggies), but the sandwiches wouldn’t fit in the containers we could find, or the kids couldn’t get the lids off (or back on), and they wouldn’t fit in the lunchboxes, and the boxes would fall apart by Christmas…you get the idea. Since we couldn’t find the perfect lunchbox, we set out to make it.
BBM: What have the challenges been?
Nancy: Wow, where to start…maybe that was the biggest challenge: where to start!
The first big challenge was to figure out if our lunchbox design could be produced, and how, as well as where and for how much.
I used to think that production was the biggest challenge, but now I understand that it’s actually pretty easy to design and manufacture something. It’s considerably harder to market it effectively. That’s the biggie, these days – getting Lunchsense in front of more people.
BBM: What has the best part of this all been?
Nancy: The best part is just that we’ve come this far at all! We’ve taken a problem and created a solution, then turned it into a stellar product that fixes the same problem for others. In a nutshell, we’ve gone from nothing to something, and regardless of what may come I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished. In spite of the headaches, firefighting, late nights, and stress that comes with owning a business, I really love what I do. It’s the best job I’ve ever had and I can’t imagine doing anything else!
BBM: What are your plans to grow the business? Anything new on the horizon?
Nancy: I have plans to get Lunchsense in more places, for starters… and I’ll be adding a few new products to the lineup this year to give customers even more options… I have all kinds of new designs on the drawing board, and as the economic picture everywhere improves I’ll be getting ready to introduce them. Stay tuned!
BBM: Do you have any advice for other entrepreneurs starting out?
Nancy: Sure! Talk to people, and tell them what you’re thinking about doing. Don’t worry that they’ll ‘steal your idea;’ it doesn’t happen as often as one would think. Generally, your friends and acquaintances want you to succeed, and if you have a good idea and you’re passionate about it, they will recognize that and they’ll be a great starting point. Find networking groups, ask lots of questions. And rest assured that starting a business IS very hard, but it’s not as hard as you might think – it might seem daunting and overwhelming at first, but many, many other people have gone before you, so ‘daunting’ does not mean ‘impossible.’ My prior professions were in extremely tiny fields, and while they were interesting and I was good at them, I didn’t have many mentors. Even though I’m the only one making this great lunchbox, there’s no shortage of people to turn to for help.
BBM: What makes Lunchsense stand out above the rest?
Nancy: It’s the complete package. Lunchsense is the only one of the waste-free lunch systems that has an insulated, washable box, folds out to a placemat, and includes all the food containers, ice pack and drink bottle. All the other sets have some, but not all of those features…Lunchsense is the only complete package.
BBM: How do you balance family and being a business owner and entrepreneur?
Nancy: Hm, you assume I DO balance them. Every day is a struggle. That said, I spend a notable chunk of time planning my activities, so my daily to-do list is ready long before I get to it. I’m a huge fan of setting goals, breaking them down into objectives and then into tasks, and that includes family obligations. For example, I’ll need to pick up one son that usually gets himself home from school, so that task is already on today’s list; it also means I won’t be able to run work errands, but I can run a household errand (taking his bike to the shop) when I get him.
BerryBestMoms.com: As you know, we carry the Lunchsense lunchbox and accessories on BerryBestMoms.com in 4 colors and 3 sizes. Tell me a little bit about them.
Nancy Owen Myers: I offer…a way to fix a little of the morning mayhem. A means of eating more healthy meals. An opportunity to see and appreciate the mid-day break a little better.
Okay, I make a lunchbox called Lunchsense. It’s a box that is insulated, machine washable (really), durable enough to last for years and looks great on anybody. It folds out to a flat mat to be a placemat or sitting mat to accommodate the grimy table or wet picnic bench, not to mention keeping allergens (for example wheat crumbs) off your meal.
Lunchsense lunchboxes also come complete with their own food containers, drink bottle and ice pack, all of which are bpa free and phthalate free, watertight, and dishwasher and microwave safe.
BBM: What’s the story behind how Lunchsense lunchboxes were invented? How did it all start?
Nancy: This all started because a friend and I, with a collective 7 kids, really hated packing lunches when they were all early grade-schoolers. Assuming we could figure out what they would eat on any given day, we didn’t like using single use containers (baggies), but the sandwiches wouldn’t fit in the containers we could find, or the kids couldn’t get the lids off (or back on), and they wouldn’t fit in the lunchboxes, and the boxes would fall apart by Christmas…you get the idea. Since we couldn’t find the perfect lunchbox, we set out to make it.
BBM: What have the challenges been?
Nancy: Wow, where to start…maybe that was the biggest challenge: where to start!
The first big challenge was to figure out if our lunchbox design could be produced, and how, as well as where and for how much.
I used to think that production was the biggest challenge, but now I understand that it’s actually pretty easy to design and manufacture something. It’s considerably harder to market it effectively. That’s the biggie, these days – getting Lunchsense in front of more people.
BBM: What has the best part of this all been?
Nancy: The best part is just that we’ve come this far at all! We’ve taken a problem and created a solution, then turned it into a stellar product that fixes the same problem for others. In a nutshell, we’ve gone from nothing to something, and regardless of what may come I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished. In spite of the headaches, firefighting, late nights, and stress that comes with owning a business, I really love what I do. It’s the best job I’ve ever had and I can’t imagine doing anything else!
BBM: What are your plans to grow the business? Anything new on the horizon?
Nancy: I have plans to get Lunchsense in more places, for starters… and I’ll be adding a few new products to the lineup this year to give customers even more options… I have all kinds of new designs on the drawing board, and as the economic picture everywhere improves I’ll be getting ready to introduce them. Stay tuned!
BBM: Do you have any advice for other entrepreneurs starting out?
Nancy: Sure! Talk to people, and tell them what you’re thinking about doing. Don’t worry that they’ll ‘steal your idea;’ it doesn’t happen as often as one would think. Generally, your friends and acquaintances want you to succeed, and if you have a good idea and you’re passionate about it, they will recognize that and they’ll be a great starting point. Find networking groups, ask lots of questions. And rest assured that starting a business IS very hard, but it’s not as hard as you might think – it might seem daunting and overwhelming at first, but many, many other people have gone before you, so ‘daunting’ does not mean ‘impossible.’ My prior professions were in extremely tiny fields, and while they were interesting and I was good at them, I didn’t have many mentors. Even though I’m the only one making this great lunchbox, there’s no shortage of people to turn to for help.
BBM: What makes Lunchsense stand out above the rest?
Nancy: It’s the complete package. Lunchsense is the only one of the waste-free lunch systems that has an insulated, washable box, folds out to a placemat, and includes all the food containers, ice pack and drink bottle. All the other sets have some, but not all of those features…Lunchsense is the only complete package.
BBM: How do you balance family and being a business owner and entrepreneur?
Nancy: Hm, you assume I DO balance them. Every day is a struggle. That said, I spend a notable chunk of time planning my activities, so my daily to-do list is ready long before I get to it. I’m a huge fan of setting goals, breaking them down into objectives and then into tasks, and that includes family obligations. For example, I’ll need to pick up one son that usually gets himself home from school, so that task is already on today’s list; it also means I won’t be able to run work errands, but I can run a household errand (taking his bike to the shop) when I get him.