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Name: Charlotte Canion
Business: Basket Jacket
Location: Denton, Texas, U.S.
Industry: Consumer Goods
Reason for starting? I am a Master Gardener, and I am in my garden almost every day. I was looking at my 28 hanging baskets and thought the pots are ugly. I made a simple jacket for several hanging baskets. The next thing I knew, I was conserving water. My plants were needing to be watered less as a result. I thought if a layer of fabric was good, I need to add insulation to the jacket. Once I put insulation inside my basket jacket, the results were amazing. I was watering every 5 days rather than every day in the heat of the summer. I made Basket Jackets for all my hanging plants and my other pots. The word got out and over 300 Master Gardeners wanted several Basket Jackets of their own. We are now selling in 15 states.
Related: Read about another Consumer Goods entrepreneur here.
How do you define success? Success is a simple word that means something different for everyone. Success for me is to see others smile and help them be the best they can be. I am 70 years old with 20 grand and great grandchildren, I have a company with a product I invented, and I have written a book that is an Amazon Best Seller. That is success, but I am not done yet. I have a gardening book coming out in a few months, and I am co-authoring another book. Follow your passion with a smile on your face and success is bound to come your way.
Biggest success: My biggest success is still to come. My goal is to have a book on the New York Times bestseller list and be a highly paid speaker. Each and every day is a success when I make someone smile through their tears. Life is a success when you can touch lives and know they will be better. I have blessed thousands of backyards with my Basket Jackets, and I am blessing lives with my new book “You Have To LAUGH To Keep From CRYING: How To Parent Your Parents.”
What is your top challenge and how you have addressed it? Balance work and life. I have grand-children, a wonderful husband and God as the center of my life. I put my business as second on my list. I attend mass 5 days a week and this gives me the armor to cope with the everyday challenges. My husband is the best support I could have, and he tells me how proud he is of me every day. I prioritize my projects in my business into “A” Do Now, “B” This can wait a day or two, “C” Get to it when “A & B” are done and the family does not need my time.
Related: In the Business of Women’s Health
Who is your most important role model? Mother Theresa is the person I admire most. She was small in stature but her actions and words had an impact on everyone who listened to her. I want to be famous because I made a difference.
[box_light]Website www.basketjacket.com[/box_light]
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Edited by The Story Exchange