Save the bras! Two NJ women show you how

Two long-time friends, who met in college, were lounging poolside and experiencing a similar pet peeve that had no obvious solution.

“Well, my bathing suit straps were being stretched out. It was two seasons old, and I was upset because it was $70 and I didn’t want to get rid of it,” Shari Lynn Deutsch, of Manalapan, said.

Beth Lieberman, of Hackensack, had the same problem, except her straps were too long because she’s petite.

After much Internet surfing, and the determination that a product that could solve their problem didn’t exist, the women designed an accessory – The Strap Saver – that not only made bathing suit straps adjustable, but any article of clothing with straps, such as bras and tank-tops.

Inventing it took some work. “There were a lot of paper clips involved,” Lieberman said.

The women “threw around this idea multiple times over the years,” Deutsch said. But a big motivation for finally creating the Strap Saver, and getting the business off the ground, was so the women could start a foundation.

“A month before starting the company, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time,” Deutsch said. “She passed away in March. We said could make this big ... so that we could give back. We want to give back.”

The women said they want to donate towards breast cancer research, and support young women in maintaining a positive body image.

“The sooner we can get this business going, the sooner we can start doing things like that,” Deutsch said.

Making connections

What made starting the business easier is that the duo had help almost every step of the way from family, friends and acquaintances.

“We both went to Syracuse (University) so we know a lot of interesting people through that, and then, I don’t know, we both seem to know people who know people,” Lieberman said.

The product to end all annoyance with stretchy or too-long straps is a stainless steel piece looks like a tiny block letter “S.” By looping straps through one or two Strap Savers, it makes the strap adjustable.

Deutsch has a background in marketing and is a digital marketing strategist at Defined Logic in Red Bank. Lieberman is a full-time graphic designer.

The women said that their many connections helped get their invention to market.

“In the fall of (2013), I connected with two engineers, and we put together plans,” Deutsch said. “One of them happened to be my significant other.”

Through a friend, the women were connected with a company that creates metal prototypes in Michigan. Deutsch happened to be connected with a lawyer who does patents for bras. Two people Deutsch went to high school with helped create videos for the Strap Saver.

“Between Web design, coding, engineering, printing, yeah, those were connections,” Lieberman said.

Even the women who modeled the product for promotion were friends of Lieberman’s from a belly dancing class.

The homegrown help has also ensured that the Strap Saver is made entirely in the United States.

So far, the Strap Saver is available for purchase online at thestrapsaver.com. The first pair is $15 inclusive of shipping, and each subsequent pair is $10.

“We don’t want repeat customers; we just want additional business,” Deutsch said.

Asking for help

Angela Courtney owns Sweetest Sin Boutique in Red Bank. She said she met with Deutsch and Lieberman, and thinks the product is interesting.

For Courtney, making small business connections has created opportunity for her business and Red Bank, instead of adversarial competition.

“I have found that (the intimates industry) is amazing. They welcomed me with open arms when I first opened my boutique,” Courtney said. “I belong to a Facebook group of boutique owners around the country and it’s incredible how much we bounce off each other and how much we help each other.”

Established small business owners can offer a wealth of advice to new entrepreneurs, said Jackeline Mejias-Fuertes, regional director of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center. But first, you have to ask for help.

“Connections are necessary because people are always willing to give advice,” Mejias-Fuertes said. “Entrepreneurs should be seeking the advice of those who have done it already.”

Mejias-Fuertes advises entrepreneurs who lack connections to attend Chamber of Commerce events. Those types of organizations have a variety of members “across the board,” who likely know many other business owners in other industries.

“The best way for people to make connections is old fashioned face-to-face networking,” Mejias-Fuertes said.

Connections are key

One survey says 84 percent of people prefer in-person business interactions anyway, according to a report presented by greatbusinessschools.org

Eighty-five percent of those people say that’s because face-to-face interactions lead to more meaningful business relationships and better networking opportunities.

However, Deutsch said she initially had trouble visiting different trade shows in an effort to bring the Strap Saver to market.

“I actually had a really hard time at first,” she said. “I went to a couple of different shows where people did parts, and nobody wanted to take me seriously because I was a woman and I was talking about something that had to do with a bra.”

In the end, the greatest connection was the one made between long-time friends, who were lounging poolside on a summer day.

“None of this could have happened without us, but none of this would have happened without everyone around us,” Deutsch said. “We’ve been the center thread, but there’s always been someone helping us along the way.”

“So I guess we both wear a lot of hats, but it keeps us in contact with interesting people,” Lieberman said.

Devin Loring; 732-643-4035; dloring@gannettnj.com

THE STRAP SAVER

Website:thestrapsaver.com

Phone: 914-266-2349

The Strap Saver is available for purchase online. The first pair is $15 inclusive of shipping, and each subsequent pair is $10.