I’ve never done anything like this on BEXLIFE.com, but this is a cause that is so super cool that I had to get my followers on board. As a mother-of-4, a health & fitness enthusiast, an entrepreneur and (obvi) a woman, I’m all about supporting other women in my shoes. When one of us succeeds, we all rise to the top!
When I first came across this baby company with two rocking/amazing/inspiring women (and moms) at the helm, I got so excited. I immediately signed up for their newsletter, got all my friends to sign up and quickly claimed my official BIA running tee.
That’s me after a 4 mile run in my hot pink Bia tee!!
Finding success is all about making your passions your priority…
I’ve been harassing the CEO Cheryl Kellond to make a custom BEXLIFE watch band tracking their progress as a brand new company over the past several months, and it has been so inspiring to watch them grow. But now they need YOUR help. BEXLIFERS, this is how WE can change the way brands do business, how we can get them to listen to us, how we can make them make products that are truly FOR US. Read on for more on the Bia story and how you can help make some pretty kickass dreams become a reality…
Who are the duo behind Bia?
Cheryl and Sylvia are the 41 year old tech-exec/mom/athletes turned-entrepreneurs behind Bia. Between them they have: 7 kids, one dog, 115+ Alcatraz swims, an English Channel crossing, a half-dozen half-ironmans. And Cheryl just signed up for Ironman Lake Tahoe.
Oh, and they are trying to raise $400K on Kickstarter by July 13th to crowd-fund the first GPS sports watch for women that people are dubbing the “Garmin Crusher”.
So, you have 4 kids, a new company, and still train for triathlons? What’s your secret?
Something always has to give. I don’t beat myself up about it. The Vineman PR I had my sights set on is taking a backseat to Bia. I’ve declared June “Breakfast cereal for dinner” Month. And well, showering? I decided a long time ago that it was overrated.
What makes Bia so different?
Here’s a great video that shows Bia in action.
This is NOT your typical “shrink it and pink it” approach to a women’s sports products. Sure we needed something smaller and prettier (it does come in pink), but we also needed something tougher and smarter. None of us has time for technology that gets in the way of your workout.
For women that means it’s sized and style to fit our wrists. But the reason guys are buying it too is it’s super simple to use. No one wants to spend time futzing with technology before their workout, so we did some smart things like:
· One button instead of seven.
· Data automatically sent to your online training log without sync’ing.
· GPS that connects quickly even on a cloudy day in the city – so no more staring blankly at your watch waiting for it to connect.
Talking about freedom, the safety alert system is brilliant.
Thanks. Everyone seems really excited about it. For those who haven’t seen the video yet, the watch has a built-in safety alert system for peace of mind on solo workouts. If you feel threatened or are hurt, holding down the button for 3-seconds triggers an audible alarm and then automatically sends your location to a loved one and emergency services so they know you need help.
No one said, “I want a safety alert system”. But we heard things like:
· I would love to run before work, but it’s dark and I’m alone.
· My husband gets worried when I’m out for 5 hours on the bike.
We had an ah-ha moment, not about providing peace of mind, but about enabling freedom.
Why did you decide to go the Kickstarter route?
Kickstarter is a crowd-funding platform – linked to your Amazon account – that lets people pledge money to products they are passionate about. Think of it like pre-ordering a product at a discount…with a catch.
If we don’t hit our $400K fundraising goal by July 13th, none of our backers are charged for their pledge BUT we don’t get the money we need to get the product to market. If we don’t hit our goal, Bia dies.
High stakes, but our best option for finishing up what we started. After bootstrapping for as long as we could, we approached traditional venture capital investors, and were told things like:
· Women would rather go to the spa.
· Women just buy the technology that men tell them to.
· And my favorite: “Not all women who run marathons look like athletes.”
Essentially they didn’t think we had a market for our product. I am not sure the right word for it: frustrating, infuriating, or comical. But I know there is no better way to prove them wrong than to show them. Hence Kickstarter.
We only have until July 13th if we want Bia to EVER make it to our wrists. How can all of us help you and Sylvia hit your goal?
You want that custom BexLife watch band, don’t you?
We have a killer product and a market full of women fed up with the existing alternatives. But we need everyone’s help to make this happen.
· Check out Bia at http://kck.st/LghrH4.
· If you love our product — or just want to see a female-founded company succeed — back our project and select your reward.
· Do it TODAY. Then tell at least 2 friends and ask them to join you. The clock is ticking and we can’t do this without everyone’s help.
My daughter sums it up best…
We have an awesome contest going on right now for clubs, teams and workout groups. For every member that backs us, your team earns an entry into a drawing for a free custom-designed watchband when we hit our $400K goal. How sweet is that?
Pretty sweet. Let’s do this, BEXLIFERS!!
CLICK TO TWEET THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR FRIENDS!
The FIRST GPS Sports Watch for Women – PLEASE Support @BiaSport https://www.bexlife.com/?p=5008 via @GirlRucki #FitFluential
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