Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Felicia Jackson, CEO of CPRWrap, Inc., located in Hixson, TN, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

CPRWrap is an all-in-one, single-use CPR template that protects and guides any bystander during CPR. CPRWrap is made with non-woven material that's eco-friendly and bio-degradable. CPRWrap provides visual hand placements for proper compressions, visual prompts to guide the rescuer through the four AHA-recommended steps of CPR, and a one-way valve mouth barrier to protect the responder from fluid contaminants. CPRWrap is available in adult, child, and infant sizes.

Our customers are the non-medical community, those who have
never learned CPR or people that have been certified, but certifications have lapsed, resulting in the less-than-10% survival rate. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Approximately 356,000 people of all ages experience out-of-hospital non-traumatic SCA each year, and nine out of 10 victims die. The SCA death total annually is more than for breast cancer, lung cancer, and HIV/AIDs combined. When bystanders intervene immediately by giving CPR, survival rates double or triple. Sudden Cardiac Arrest outside hospitals occurs most often at home, where the first responder will likely be you.

Tell us about yourself

In 2002, my toddler son experienced a medical emergency in the back seat of our car. During that time, I worked in a hospital and was trained in CPR but froze! Thankfully my husband was there and saved our son! That day I learned a valuable lesson and walked away with a new mission by creating CPRWrap. My motivation is to work hard to make CPRWrap accessible to every man, woman, and child so that performing CPR is less intimidating. We are here to empower people to step up and save lives.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner was inventing and eventually being awarded our patent for CPRWrap! I didn't know anything about the patent process but took the initiative to learn as much as I could, and now we have a product that's sold worldwide!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things for me was taking care of my physical and mental health as I worked on growing my business. Often, especially during the initial stages of growth, we are so laser-focused on building our companies that we neglect our health.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Don't wait for affirmation from others to do what you love.
  2. Start building your network of mentors and advisors and make sure they are diverse.
  3. Don't feel embarrassed or ashamed of failures but learn from them.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If we can talk about funding, I want everyone to know we have a $1MM Seed Fundraise that is open.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://cprwrap.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPRWrap/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cprwrap/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cprwrap
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felicia-jackson-42b29a59/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.