When Denise Whitney saw a need for parking lot safety, there was no backing up her determination to make it happen.
Six years ago, Whitney came up with the concept for her product Parking Pal – a magnet with a hand print on to show kids where to stand around motor vehicles. It will stick to any metal vehicle.
“After having my third son, I found myself sounding like a broken record in parking lots,” the Frankenmuth, Mich., business entrepreneur said. “I was telling the kids to ‘stay by the car,’ while I get the baby in the car. I knew there had to be a better way.”
And so there was.
“The idea of having a magnet with a hand print on it popped into my head,” Whitney, who was a post-partum unit nurse when she created the product, said. “I knew it would be a big hit with kids and parents everywhere.”
It took about a year to go from concept to creation.Now, the product is selling on store shelves and online at Parking Pal.Whitney admits there have been struggles along the way, but getting the magnets to market and recognizing she’s helping improve child safety has made it worthwhile.“Knowing that I have created products that help make parenting easier and keep kids safer,” is rewarding, Whitney said.Whitney’s day is busy from start to end.
“My kids are now aged six, nine and 11 and I homeschool them,” she said. “We get up and start school by 9 a.m. We finish up between 1:30-2 p.m. Then we do housework and chores. I answer any important emails at that time. Later in the evening is when I get most work done on the business.”
While she adores her time at home, a break once in a while would be nice, she said.
“Since I homeschool my kids, I don’t get free time during the day,” Whitney, a breast cancer survivor, said. “So I guess my perfect day is to go shopping and to lunch with a friend with no kids!”
