Meet Gabby Goodwin, the US girl who turned a childhood problem with lost hair barrettes into a patented product and a business that teaches other girls entrepreneurship

Great ideas do not always begin in a laboratory or a formal workplace. Sometimes, an everyday inconvenience can make someone wonder whether there is a simpler way to solve a problem. For Gabby Goodwin, that process began with something as familiar as a missing hair barrette.

Her experience as a young child eventually developed into a product, a collection of intellectual property, and a business connected to entrepreneurship education for girls and moms.

A missing barrette leads to a new idea

Gabby was 5 years old when her mother, Rozalynn, found a recurring problem. Gabby would go to school with her hair barrettes but return home without them.


The repeated loss became annoying for Rozalynn. After she expressed that frustration on social media, the family's pastor suggested that the Goodwins try making their own barrettes, ones designed so they would not get lost.

The idea offered Gabby an idea to pursue. She continued asking her mother when they could start a science project focused at developing an answer to the problem of losing her hair accessories.

Eventually, Rozalynn agreed to take on the project with her daughter. The two started looking for a product that could offer a solution. When they were unable to find one, they decided to create their own.

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Creating GaBBY Bows

Their search resulted in GaBBY Bows, a double-sided barrette made as their solution.

The project did not remain simply a mother-and-daughter experiment. It grew into a wider entrepreneurial attempt involving products, patents, trademarks, and a company.

Gabby markets her own products through the organization and also teaches other girls and moms how to start their own businesses. In this way, the original challenge that inspired her invention became linked to a larger focus on entrepreneurship.

Recognition at the SCORE awards

The business obtained recognition for its achievements in 2016. GaBBY Bows was named the Outstanding Diverse Business at the 2016 SCORE awards.

The recognition came after the original concept had grown from a solution to lost hair accessories into a business with products and intellectual property.

The patents and trademarks form part of the intellectual property associated to the products and business that emerged from Gabby’s original idea.

Turning an everyday frustration into action

Gabby’s journey shows how a concern faced during childhood can become the starting point for a creative project. At age 5, she was dealing with the repeated loss of her hair barrettes. A suggestion to create a better product encouraged Gabby and her mother to explore their own solution.

When they could not find a product that addressed the concern, they created GaBBY Bows, a double-sided barrette. The project subsequently developed into a business involving products, patents, trademarks, and entrepreneurship education.

Gabby’s work also mirrors the idea behind the story: Gabby's story proves you are never too young to turn your ideas into reality.

Source: USPTO

FAQs

1. Who is Gabby Goodwin?

Gabby Goodwin is a young inventor and entrepreneur. Her work began with an idea inspired by repeatedly losing her hair barrettes.

2. What inspired Gabby Goodwin’s invention?

Gabby frequently returned from school without her hair barrettes. This recurring problem inspired her to look for a better solution.