FUNDING FOR GREATER CHATTANOOGA IS PROVIDED BY
EPB FIBER OPTICS
KELLY SUBARU
AND EARTH'S REMEDIES OF DALTON
IT ALL STARTED ONE DAY, WE WERE ON A FAMILY OUTING AND EVERYONE WAS IN THE CAR.
ONE PARTICULAR MOMENT WHEN I LOOKED BACK TO THE BACKSEAT TO CHECK ON MY BABIES, I NOTICED
THAT MY TWO-YEAR-OLD SON WAS IN DISTRESS.
I’M SCREAMING TO MY HUSBAND TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WE JUMP OUT OF
THE CAR AND HE IMMEDIATELY GAVE OUR SON TO ME BECAUSE I’M A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
YOU KNOW WE WERE TRAINED TO DO CPR EVERY YEAR AT THAT TIME.
AND HE GAVE MY SON TO ME AND I FROZE.
I COULD NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING THAT I WAS TAUGHT.
HE SAW THAT I WAS PANICKING AND TOOK OUR SON AND SAVED HIS LIFE.
THAT MOMENT DESTROYED ME.
YOU KNOW BECAUSE IT WAS WHAT IF MY HUSBAND WAS NOT WITH ME?
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED?
I WAS ON A MISSION.
I DID NOT WANT ANY OTHER PARENT TO GO THROUGH WHAT I WENT THROUGH.
MY WHOLE CAREER HAS BEEN WITH HELPING PEOPLE, BUT I’VE WORKED IN THE MEDICAL FIELD FOR
OVER TWENTY YEARS.
AND I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO LIVE AND DIE, YOU KNOW, HELPING PEOPLE THAT WAY, UNTIL THE
INCIDENT WITH MY SON.
NO ONE IN MY FAMILY EVER STARTED THEIR OWN BUSINESS.
I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
BUT WHEN SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT HAPPENS AND YOU WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW
ABOUT IT, YOU WOULD DO ALMOST ANYTHING.
THE CPR WRAP ACTUALLY CAME TO ME IN A DREAM.
YOU KNOW I REMEMBER IT LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY.
IT WAS A VICTIM ON THE GROUND, LAYING DOWN, RECEIVING CPR. AND I AUTOMATICALLY HONED IN
ON THE PRODUCT OR WHATEVER THAT WAS THAT WAS OH THAT PERSON’S CHEST THAT SAVED THEIR
LIFE.
I WOKE UP, DREW IT, AND KIND OF SAT ON THAT.
MY PROCRASTINATION KICKED IN AGAIN.
I MET ALEXIS WILLIS, WHO WAS ONE OF THE FACILIATORS AT LAUNCH CHATTANOOGA, AT A BOOK CLUB.
I’D ALWAYS TELL THEM ABOUT INVENTIONS I ALWAYS MADE AND WANTED TO GET THEIR FEEDBACK.
AND ALEXIS ONE DAY SAID, ‘TIME OUT FOR THE FEEDBACK.
I NEED YOU TO COME TO MY CLASS AND LET’S PUT THESE THOUGHTS THAT YOU’RE HAVING TO
WORK.
LAUNCH GOES INTO UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES AND DEVELOPS ENTREPRENEURS.
WE WERE IN THE EAST CHATTANOOGA AREA, WHERE THERE ISN’T REALLY ACCESS TO WHAT WAS GOING
ON DOWNTOWN IN TERMS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND FUELING THAT SPARK OF, YOU KNOW, I HAVE AN
IDEA, WHERE DO I GO NEXT?
PARTICULARLY WE FOCUS ON MICRO-BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP AMONG MINORITY-OWNED, WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES,
PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN LOW-WEALTH COMMUNITIES, AND PEOPLE WHO NORMALLY DO NOT HAVE ACCESS
OR DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR THEM IN CHATTANOOGA.
IT TAKES PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER HAD ANY BUSINESS ACCUMEN WHATSOEVER AND THEY PUT YOU IN ONE
PLACE, ALL TOGETHER, JUST TO LEARN EVERYTHING FROM THE GROUND UP.
WHEN I STARTED LAUNCH OF CHATTANOOGA, I DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING.
I HAD A DRAWING ON A PIECE OF PAPER.
SHE LITERALLY CAME TO CLASS WITH HER IDEA ON AN INDEX CARD.
AND THAT WAS IT, A DREAM AND AN INDEX CARD.
SHE WAS STILL WORKING HER 9 TO 5.
I NEVER WENT TO BUSINESS SCHOOL, NEVER OWNED MY OWN BUSINESS.
I WENT IN KNOWING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
CAME OUT WITH A DREAM, A PROTOTYPE AND DETERMINATION TO MAKE IT.
CPR WRAP IS A DISPOSABLE CPR TEMPLATE THAT EMPOWERS, PROTECTS, AND GUIDES THE NON-MEDICAL
PERSON DURING CPR.
IT IS AN ALL-IN-ONE TEMPLATE THAT HAS A ONE-WAY VALVE MOUTHPIECE FOR RESCUE BREATHING, IT
HAS VISUAL HAND PLACEMENTS FOR PROPER COMPRESSIONS, AND SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS THAT CAN BE TRANSLATED
INTO ANY LANGUAGE.
THE IDEA, I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND HOW IT WOULD FIT IN UNTIL I WAS ACTUALLY AT A COFFEE SHOP
AND I LOOKED ON THE SIDE AND THERE WAS A POSTER SAYING HOW TO PERFORM CPR IF THERE WAS A CPR
EVENT HAPPENING.
AND I REALIZED, THAT POSTER ON THE WALL IS PRACTICALLY USELESS TO ME IN A CPR EVENT,
BUT IF I COULD GET THAT POSTER AND PUT IT ON A BODY WHILE I’M PERFORMING CPR, I MIGHT
ACTUALLY SAVE A LIFE.
AND THEN IT HIT ME.
THIS IS WHAT WE NEED IN EVERY COFFEE SHOP, IN EVERY OFFICE, IN EVERY SPACE WHERE THERE
MAY BE AN EVENT.
I THOUGHT IT WAS BRILLIANT.
AND IT WAS BORN OUT OF HER TESTIMONY SO I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT IT.
AND REALLY THE STORIES ARE WHAT SELL PRODUCT, AND HER STORY WAS STRONG ENOUGH THAT EVEN
IF SOMETHING ELSE DID EXIST, NO ONE ELSE HAS THAT SAME CONNECTION TO THE PRODUCT THAT SHE
DOES.
AFTER LAUNCH CHATTANOOGA, I WAS INVITED TO GO THROUGH CO.LAB’S ACCELERATOR PROGRAM.
LAUNCH OF CHATTANOOGA, IT WAS YOU HAVE A CONCEPT, LET’S MAKE IT A PRODUCT, GET YOUR PROTOTYPE,
LET’S START THERE.
CO.LAB, YOU HAVE A PRODUCT, WILL IT SELL?
WE ARE HELPING COMPANIES AND ENTREPRENEURS REALLY FIND THEIR WAY IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING
HOW THEY CAN ENTER THE MARKET, HOW THEY CAN FIND CUSTOMERS, HOW THEY CAN INCREASE CAPITAL,
AND HOW THEY CAN BUILD CAPACITY TO HELP THEIR BUSINESSES SUCCEED.
THE BIGGEST THING THAT I HAD TO CONTEND WITH WAS NOT HAVING THE CAPITAL THAT I NEEDED TO
RUN MY BUSINESS.
I INITIALLY BOOTSTRAPPED EVERYTHING AND I DRAINED MY 401K, I TOOK OUT LOANS, WE ALMOST
LOST OUR HOME, WE DID LOSE OUR CAR. AND I THOUGHT, I’M PUTTING MY FAMILY AT RISK FOR
A DREAM THAT MAY NOT EVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY.
BUT I WAS DETERMINED, SO I PRESSED FORWARD.
ONE THING THAT’S REQUIRED FOR AN ENTREPRENEUR IS THE DESIRE TO WIN. AND SOMETIMES THAT WINNING
MEANS THAT YOU CONTINUE DOWN THE PATH, NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT IT MAY SEEM.
AND I THINK FOR FELICIA, DESPITE SOME OBSTACLES THAT SHE’S FACED, SHE’S FOUND INCREDIBLE
MOMENTUM AND FOUND A WAY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE AND LEVERAGE THAT MOMENTUM AND GET PEOPLE
BEHIND HER.
I GOT THAT A-HA MOMENT WHEN I HAD A MEETING WITH A GROUP THAT WANTED TO INVEST IN MY COMPANY.
AND NOT ONLY DID THEY WANT TO INVEST, THEY OFFERED ME 1.2 MILLION DOLLARS, FOR A CONCEPT.
AND I KNEW THEN, I HAD SOMETHING.
CPR WRAP IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF COMPANIES THAT CAN BE BORN OUT OF CHATTANOOGA THAT CAN HAVE
NATIONAL OR EVEN INTERNATION EXPANSION AND EXPOSURE IF THE RIGHT RESOURCES ARE PUT AROUND
THEM.
WHAT CHATTANOOGA HAS TO OFFER IS THE ENTREPRENUR ECOSYSTEM THAT FILLS EVERY BUSINESSPERSON
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD.
THESE COMPANIES, THESE BUSINESSES, THESE MENTORS AND ADVISORS THAT I WAS EXPOSED TO, THEY POURED
ALL OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE INTO ME.
I HAD JUST FINISHED GRADUATING CO.LAB, AND I WAS LOOKING FOR A LITTLE WORKSPACE.
MARCO TOLD ME ABOUT THE INCUBATOR AND THE THINGS THAT THEY OFFERED.
WENT THERE, FELL IN LOVE WITH IT.
IT WASN’T JUST ABOUT CREATING A SPACE WHERE I WANTED MY OFFICE TO BE.
IT WAS MUCH MORE.
I MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THEY OFFERED WITH THE BUSINESS, ABOUT MY ACCOUNTING, MY
TAXES.
YOU KNOW THEY POURED INTO THE COMPANIES THAT ARE THERE.
WHILE THEY’RE HERE, I WANT THEM TO BECOME A COMPANY THAT, WHEN THEY LEAVE, THEY HAVE
A GREATER ECONOMIC IMPACT IN HAMILTON COUNTY.
IT MAKES OUR COMMUNITY MORE VIBRANT.
WHEN WE HAVE MORE JOBS WE’RE BRINGING IN MORE PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.
WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT A CITY LIKE CHATTANOOGA AND THEY SEE, OH MY GOD, YOU HAVE ENTREPRENEURS
OF ALL COLORS, ALL SHAPES, ALL SIZES, ALL GENDERS, ALL BELIEFS THAT ARE ABLE TO FIND SUCCESS
IN A REGION LIKE THIS, THAT LOOKS LIKE THE TYPE OF PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO INVEST.
AND THAT, I THINK, IS THE BROADER IMPACT OF WHY SUCCESS STORIES LIKE FELICIA ARE SO IMPORTANT
FOR CHATTANOOGA.
WE STARTED OFF SELLING TO CHURCHES AND DAYCARES.
BUT NOW WE’VE PARTNERED WITH HOSPITALS, SCHOOL SYSTEMS, PLACES LIKE WALMART OR AMAZON
ON OUR ECOMMERCE PLATFORM.
WE’RE GLOBAL, AND THAT IS ABOUT THE CULTURE OF MY COMPANY.
YOU KNOW, IT’S DETERMINATION AND JUST FOLLOWING THROUGH.
IT’S JUST AMAZING TO WATCH THAT KIND OF GROWTH FROM HER, AND WATCH THE WAY SHE WOULD
TAKE A HIT, GET BACK UP, AND THEN EVEN WHEN SHE TAKES A HIT, IT MIGHT SET HER BACK A LITTLE
BIT, BUT SHE BOUNCES BACK EVEN FURTHER THAN SHE WAS BEFORE.
SHE HAS STRENGTH AND COURAGE AND GRIT AND DRIVE IN A WAY THAT I THINK IS RARE, IN A
WAY THAT I THINK IS UNIQUE TO WHO SHE IS AND THAT I ADMIRE DEEPLY.
THE INSPIRATION THAT SHE PROVIDES BEING THE FACE OF LEADERSHIP, BEING THE FACE OF INNOVATION
AND THE FACE OF SUCCESS AS AN ENTREPRENEUR IS INSPIRATIONAL TO PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY
DON’T FIT THE ARCHETYPE FOR WHAT ENTREPRENEURSHIP LOOKS LIKE.
SHE IS A MOTHER, SHE IS A BLACK WOMAN, SHE IS HERE IN CHATTANOOGA, NOT IN SAN FRANCISCO,
NOT IN NEW YORK, NOT IN BOSTON, AND SHE IS BEING SUCCESSFUL.
WHEN I HAVE PEOPLE LIKE I HAVE PEOPLE HERE IN CHATTANOOGA BACKING ME, THERE’S NOTHING
THAT I CANNOT DO.
I SEE THIS PRODUCT AS A GLOBAL PRODUCT THAT’S GOING TO TOUCH MANY LIVES, THAT HAS ALREADY
TOUCHED MANY LIVES ALREADY.
AND WHEN I FINALLY DO GET THAT CALL OR GET THAT MESSAGE THAT CPR WRAP ACTUALLY SAVED
SOMEONE’S LIFE, I’M DONE.
THAT’S THE ULTIMATE VALIDATION, IS A LIFE SAVED.