Erin Calhoun-Dulaney, Founder of SkirtMyPump
Name: Erin Calhoun-Dulaney
Founder: SkirtMyPump
Who is Erin Calhoun-Dulaney?
Erin Calhoun-Dulaney has been an entrepreneur her entire life. From having t-shirts designed for her fellow Superbowl halftime dancers at Superbowl 30, to running her own record label at the age of 30, Erin goes after her goals and creates solutions to problems she discovers.
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
Erin Calhoun-Dulaney founded SkirtMyPump to make the lives of type 1 diabetic insulin pumpers easier. An entrepreneur her entire life, the SkirtMyPump slip has become a positive disruptor in the wearable medical device industry.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
Becoming a FoundHer means I tried and failed, many times, but I never gave up. It took me 4 years to produce prototypes and revise them accordingly to create the perfect, patented product for insulin pumpers. In creating this slip and making it available to people worldwide, I unknowingly created demographics I would have never thought would purchase the product, including insulin pumping men who wear kilts to weddings, women travelers who want to keep their passport, hotel key and money discreetly on them at all times and women who are guests on tv talk shows and want to keep their microphone pack out of sight and comfortably accessible.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
The type 1 diabetic community is close knit. There are many other female founders and female entrepreneurs. We support each other by sharing each others' businesses and products on our social channels.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
After outsourcing the company's social channels to a social media marketing company for three months, I took over and continue to run the social media channels for SkirtMyPump. The social media marketing company did a great job, but their posts weren't as personal as is needed for a company that sells products that cater to helping people with chronic illnesses.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
The SkirtMyPump slip is the only apparel product like it on the market that gives women the freedom to wear their medical devices in slip with an innovative pocket that comfortably holds their medical device and also makes it easily accessible.
What was an obstacle you overcame to get your business where it is today? Please share the story behind it.
I first started thinking about creating this product in 2016. It took me many prototypes and modifications to make it the absolute best. Finally, by 2019, I knew that the design was the best it could be. I filed a patent, which was granted years later, and the slip became available to the masses via direct to consumer e-commerce sales.
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