Simply Necessary, Incorporated, Tangela Walker-Craft
Numerous media outlets have featured the GoPillow, including Tampa Bay’s 10 News, Bay News 9, Home Keepers, Celebrity Baby Blog, and The Montel Williams Show. Pregnancy magazine named the GoPillow a "Mom Must Have” and Steve Greenberg, the author of Gadget Nation, included the GoPillow in an "8 Must-Have Gadgets for Your Next Road Trip" segment on the Today Show.
Tangela Walker-Craft invented the GoPillow when she was a nursing mother. She found that her daughter’s silky black hair caused her neck to sweat during breastfeeding, leaving Walker-Craft’s arm damp. She and her husband created the prototype for the GoPillow, later adding a privacy cover. They found that the GoPillow was not only perfect for breastfeeding, but had all kinds of uses as a travel pillow, changing blanket, and a swaddling wrap.
Walker-Craft later patented her invention and founded Simply Necessary, Inc. to market and distribute the product. She also started her own lifestyle blog to help boost the product and improve the lives of families.
Determined to bring her product to a wider audience, Walker-Craft reached out to several established companies, and in 2017, she licensed GoPillow to Kushies Baby, which now sells the product worldwide.
Neither Walker-Craft nor her mother, who became her business partner had experience setting up a business. SCORE mentor Spike Bywater helped them incorporate; purchase and set up their accounting software, and keep consistent records. He also advised them on accounting practices.
Walker-Craft says “I can honestly say that because Mr. Bywater expressed such a strong belief in my ability to start and run my business, my belief in myself was bolstered.”