Archer Innovations (Lappers)

“I think about inventions all the time,” says Hatcher. “When I was in the third grade, I watched our yard man pushing leaves down our driveway with his rake. I remember telling my dad that if he had a blow dryer he could blow the leaves down a lot easier. If only we had acted on it then...”

“Ashley took a seed of an idea and moved it forward. She had identified a unique need -- which is rare -- improved upon it, and developed a prototype before she came to us,” said Mark Lupo, SBDC business consultant.

In January, 2005, while recovering from a migraine, Hatcher was served a meal by her daughter on a bamboo tray; a meal that slipped and spilled all over the tray. “I was so frustrated with those trays,” she says, laughing at the memory. “Everybody has them. They’re easy, cheap, and horrible. I call them bambooooh’s.

” Within a week, Hatcher took her idea for a new type of tray to an artist. She says they measured 20 different plates and glasses to accurately size non-slip, interchangeable silicone mats designed as tray inserts.

“I wanted a tray that offered four basic features,” says Hatcher. “They had to keep dishes and glasses from sliding, be dishwasher-safe, and stakable for easy storage. They needed handles that work for everyone. We tried four handle designs and three different prototypes to get it right.

” Hatcher found an injection molding company in China and began developing a prototype, sure that her product would work. Her husband, Neill, suggested she develop a business plan so she could borrow money for an initial production run. “I had no idea how to write a plan that projected gross sales or net income. The day after Neill mentioned the plan, he came home from work with a flyer on the SBDC Entrepreneur Boot Camp.

” At the boot camp, Hatcher met Lupo, who helped her write her plan in a series of one-on-one consulting sessions. “I presented my plan to the bank and got my loan,” she says.

“Ashley is a born marketer,” says Lupo. “After we developed the plan, we worked through different ideas for strategies to get exposure in the marketplace. Her biggest need was just thinking through some of the upcoming challenges and how to work through them.

” Hatcher says the boot camp introduced her to helpful contacts and inspirational stories from other entrepreneurs. “It really helped give me encouragement and focus on what I needed to do and how I should structure my business,” she says.

Lappers™ retail for $22-$25 per tray. Company names and logos can be printed on the mats for gifts, and selections include school colors.

Hatcher’s sales efforts, begun in January, 2006, have landed Lappers™ rave reviews in Forbes Life, Kitchen News and Houseware Reviews, Fancy Foods, Home Furnishing News, on web sites, and overseas. It has been featured on Good Morning America and HGTV. Since the first shipment in April, she has doubled her order to meet demand.