Change Your Life: How a Grandmother Invented an Ingenious Toy

"I'm just an ordinary 53-year-old woman married for 34 years who is experiencing an amazing time in my life," Trish Cooper says. The outlook wasn't so bright a couple of years ago. "My job of 13 years ended just as the financial markets crashed and I was unable to find another one. It was emotionally draining, but I embraced the opportunity to spend time with my new granddaughter."

One of the games Cooper loved to play with Gianna was showing her photos of family members and teaching her granddaughter their names. But the photos she was using got stained and torn, so Cooper devised a set of plastic holders that protected the images while she and Gianna played a game she called Zatswho.

People who saw the family flash-cards loved the idea, and Cooper decided to market it as a great way for babies and toddlers to get to know grandparents who live far away, or even a mom or dad who's deployed in the military. "I wasn't looking to start a business, but people thought my family flash-cards were so cool. My husband and I figured that people make money on useless things like Pet Rocks. Why not this."

Getting a New Business Off the Ground

Cooper met with an attorney and spent $1,000 on a feasibility study that showed there was nothing like Zatswho on the market, then began the paperwork to patent her idea. She did surveys by standing in the local mall and asking questions. "I'm Italian and I'm from New Jersey; I have no problem walking up to people. I learned so much," she says. She trademarked the name, built a website and bought materials to construct 500 sets of flash-cards. Just as she was ready to launch in February 2010, luck struck. Through a friend-of-a-friend connection, Cooper was invited to appear on the Fox Business Network.

The 500 sets sold quickly, and recently Cooper took the big plunge, contracting with a manufacturer to produce 6,000 sets. With $30,000 invested in the venture, she is optimistic but realistic. "I set a time limit for how long I'm going to work on this: two years. I'm not going to mortgage everything we own."

It hasn't been easy to learn all she needs to know to be a successful entrepreneur, but Cooper has no regrets. "If you have a passion for something, you keep going. There are days when I'm exhausted and I wish I'd known what I was getting myself into. But when I'm at a low ebb, I'll get an e-mail from someone who's using Zatswho." She recently read a blog by a woman who adopted a child with Down Syndrome. "She said Zatswho was her favorite gift. She was using it to introduce her child to her new family," Cooper says proudly.

Giving Back Is Just As Important as Getting Ahead

Cooper decided she wanted her company to give back right from the start. A quarter of her manufacturing costs are paid to workers at a New Jersey nonprofit that hires disabled people. "I donated 25 sets to an Autism Speaks fundraiser, and I sent 40 to Operation Shower, which throws baby showers for soldiers who are deployed. Cooper's son-in-law has done tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, so she knows what a difference a touch of home can make.

Bottom line: Cooper has made a life change that's enriched her and inspired others. With a bit of luck, she'll create a growing business. She cherishes what an old friend said: "Tricia, I always thought you were so intelligent and talented but you married and started a family so young that I always thought it held you back. I'm so proud of you. Your products are amazing and you're finally hitting your stride."

Read more about reinvention:

How to know if you're ready to change your life.