Meet Leslie, the owner of “Grill Charms,” a product that is similar in concept to the wine charm. These dime-sized solid stainless steel charms are placed in your food before grilling to prevent “mix-ups” on the grill.  This allows each person to customize their own steak temperature, food seasonings and spices, and when dinner is ready, everyone knows which one is theirs!  And a portion of the sales of Grill Charms’ Pink Collection is donated to Breast Cancer Research.  Not only is Leslie a Mom and entrepreneur, she is als a breast cancer survivor.

1. Where did you get the idea for “Grill Charms” and how did you get started selling online?

In April of 2006, my husband was grilling some fantastic boneless chicken breasts for some of our friends. The flavor of the evening was Jerk, which we all love. Some people happen to like their chicken “jerkier” than others, i.e. more rub equals more spice and heat. Some of us like ours on the milder side. Once all of the chicken came off the grill, arranged on a serving plate, brought upstairs and served to our guests, my husband couldn’t tell which chicken was spicy. Wouldn’t you know it… me being a “mild” person; I bit right into the hottest one of all! He said, “I wish there was a way to tell which chicken was which” and immediately I knew we had something. This was the light bulb moment. It took over a year and a half of research and development, but in November of 2007 I finally had a real product to sell to consumers.

2. How do you advertise your business and what advertising methods have you found to be effective?

I have gone more of the PR route which many people view as “free advertising” but I’m here to tell you… ain’t nothing “free!”. Because I have a “story to tell” being that I am a mom inventor and then combine that with being diagnosed with cancer right after starting my company (I’ll get to that in a minute), I have found that PR has been the best way to go for me in the short term. Being featured on shows such as CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, various local morning shows around the Southeast, and in newspapers and magazines, lends credibility to the product and company which in turn raises product awareness and then sales follow.

3. We understand that you and your Mom are both breast cancer survivors. What advice would you give other women about fighting this disease?

To surround yourself with positive people who are going to be there to lift your spirits when things get tough. It is very easy to fall into the “whoa is me” syndrome and that just doesn’t do anybody any good. The people who beat this disease are the fighters and the people who really feel they can. A lot of that comes from the people you have around you. You need lots of cheerleaders by your side celebrating the big and small milestones all along the way.

4. Why did you decide to donate 10% of your profits from the sale of your Pink Collection to fund breast cancer research?

My first introduction to Breast Cancer was at the age of 16, when my then thirty-something year old mother sat my two younger sisters and I down for “the talk”. Mom had found a lump and after a lumpectomy, biopsies, and further testing it was determined that she did indeed have breast cancer and it had progressed to stage IV. After her fight was over and the battle won (YES, my mom is now almost 20 years cancer free and my biggest fan), I knew that I had to be ever vigilant. Having a mother who was stage IV in her thirties, I knew the genes were not on my side.

At the age of 30 I went for my first baseline mammogram. All was well, but I knew I could never become complacent. At the age of 34 I went in to have my digital mammogram and this time something was “different”. My doctor said “I really don’t think it’s anything, but with YOU, I don’t want to mess around”. A week later they did the needle biopsy and I waited for the results, wondering if this time was going to be THE time. It was. I thought about my own two precious daughters who were 1 and 3 at the time and felt so sorry for the genetic legacy that I had potentially left for them.

Now with my bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction complete, the scars won’t let me forget, but my personal fight is done. Both mom and I won our battles, but the war is far from over. I have two younger sisters and two beautiful daughters, so I’m sure you can understand my urgency in finding a cure. My oldest daughter is 5, so the way I figure it, that leaves us 25 years to wipe out this disease. I’m not a scientist, doctor, or geneticist, so giving money to the people who are is the best way I know to do my part to find a cure. The mission statement for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in part says “To find a cure in our lifetime…” This is the best way I know to try to insure that my daughters don’t have to go through what mommy and grandma did.

5. What advice would you give other moms wanting to become a WAHM?

When you take the plunge to become an entrepreneur, expect the unexpected and never give up. I am learning that it’s pretty common to have to scrap what you initially thought was the prefect process, material, design, plan, solution etc… and just start fresh. You shouldn’t let that discourage you; it’s all just part of the journey. You will run into roadblocks and there are people and circumstances that will try to keep you down. PLOW THROUGH! You are in control of how this crazy entrepreneurial story goes; don’t give away the pen to another author. Stay in control, stay focused and when plan A, B, C and D fall through, E, F and G will be there if you know where to look.

Interview by Christy aka The Write Gal

CONTEST

Grill Charms has generously donated a set of grill charms from her Pink Grill Collection for Breast Cancer Awarness month! (we are jealous and want to win these). We are so happy to be able to present them here for a lucky MomDot winner!

Just head on over and let us know your FAVORITE charm that she has there! There are just so many to choose from! Mine is the crown charm!

To earn extra entries:

Blog this!

Use those fancy little icons below and twitter, digg, kirsty..whatever your heart desires. We will give you an extra entry for every site you “tell” about her.

If you host our banner or our link on your blog, you get that auto entry!

Contest Ends Oct 31st