Bootstrapper's hall of fame: Bra strap bootstrap

Filed in archive Bootstrapper Profile on August 24, 2008

Shelli Styles did not start out as a bootstrapper seeking to make a pile of money for herself.

Instead, the founding of Strappity-do-da, a company that markets specialized beaded bra straps from South America, was motivated by a desire to lift her husband's family out of poverty.

Here are the details of how she got started and why:

• From poverty to product. The idea behind Styles' company came from a desire to improve conditions for the relatives of her Columbian-born husband after occasional visits home filled her with concern for the level of poverty in which they lived.
• The road to Cali. Styles' greatest challenge was to find a product or service in impoverished and troubled Santiago de Cali, where her husband's family resides, that could be marketed to create the resources she needed to accomplish her goal.
• Inspiration strikes. The answer came in the form of handmade beaded straps used for bras, tanktops, dresses or lingerie created by the female artisans of Cali.
• The sales force sisterhood. Far from needing huge capital investments to launch her new product line, Styles discovered women so enthusiastic about the product and the idea behind it that they volunteered as her initial sales force and as models for photos on the company's website willing to forgo compensation until the company started making money.
• No business plan required. In another move unconventional for more traditional entrepreneurship but common among bootstrappers, Styles decided not to waste resources on writing a business plan since she had no investors to woo and allowed the uniqueness of her product and the story of how it was helping women lift themselves from poverty to function as her brand.
• A very good cause. The decision paid off as customers responded to the concept behind Styles' product line and were willing to spend their money on something they believed in.
• Social conscience capitalism. Styles has not been the first entrepreneur to marry conscience with capitalism in an effort to create products that appeal to the soul as well as the wallet.