Dana Steddy, from the wheat belt of Western Australia, has overcome post natal depression, three kid…
Written on Tuesday, April 11th, 2006
Dana Steddy, from the wheat belt of Western Australia, has overcome post natal depression, three kids with allergies and no income, to develop a non toxic, soap-free washing ball for washing machines.
It took Dana over 18 months to develop the ‘Miracle Wash Laundry Balls’ and create the website (www.laundryball.com.au) . I was reffered to Dana by Perth marketing guru Mal Emery. Mal thought Dana could propel the business with some media exposure/publicity.
I was attracted to Dana’s story and wrote half a dozen media releases which I distributed to radio, print and TV.
The media loved her story. Dana went on to be featured in a number of newspapers, on radio programs and now possibly a national TV program.
What interested the media was Dana’s story.
Folks, it’s always about the story.
Of course the product or service, or whatever your business is, has to be good and be perceived as being different or new, but it helps if there’s a good story.
Below is one of the media releases I created which attracted the media. Also, sometimes a letter or a personal email to a journalist is just as successful. I will include one of these too.
MEDIA RELEASE contact Brian James 03 9 572 2856
March, 2006
Allergic kids, a’ Miracle’ soap-free Laundry Ball and the Internet give unlikely business success for enterprising, but battling, young farming mum from the back blocks of Western Australia’s wheat belt
Darkan, Western Australia. Dana Steddy’s allergic children were the inspiration for a new, innovative non toxic, soap free, clothes washing ‘ball’ which is succeeding beyond the young farming mother’s wildest dreams through the power of the Internet.
After overcoming Post Natal Depression, and with three of her four children suffering from eczema and allergies exacerbated by clothes washed in traditional washing detergents, the battling young farming mum from Darkan (WA) began a long exhaustive search to find a chemical-free cleaning solution.
She discovered a washing ball from the United Kingdom. Unfortunately the ball’s internal cleaning pellets contained Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) – unacceptable to Dana and her children.
With help from a Perth chemist and after twelve months of trials and testing, soap-free cleaning pellets were formulated for the laundry balls. These new pellets are non toxic, non allergenic, environmentally friendly and save time, water and money compared to traditional laundry powders.
The next daunting challenge was to finance her new business; armed with a stretched farm overdraft, and funds from family and friends, Dana found a manufacturer for her new pellets (without SLS) and using the same concept from the laundry balls in the UK, combined the two to create the Miracle Wash Laundry Ball.
With an eye-catching Internet site (www.laundryball.com.au) Dana’s business – Envirocare Holdings, is booming. She runs the company from the farm she and husband Murray operate in Darkan, on the fringe of the ‘wheat belt’, two hours south west of Perth, in Western Australia
“I never thought our children’s problems would lead to a new business,” says the farming entrepreneur, “and with farming’s ups and downs the extra income has been very welcome; I hope my success can inspire other country women with good ideas.”
####ENDS####
For interviews contact Brian James on 03 9 572 2856
Images are available
Here’s an email approach to a journalist which resulted in a story in the upcoming That’s Life magazine.
Hi there,
West Australian rural entrepreneur Dana Steddy overcame debilitating post natal depression after her fourth child only to cope with three kids with critical allergies, a farm down on its knees and the challenge of earning an income with few prospects.
In the last eighteen months Dana has become a successful businesswoman, an inspiration to other farming mums, all based on her innovative clothes washing system which doesn’t use detergent and is safe for people and the environment and which she sells on the Internet from her farm.
Next stop the World with her Miracle Washing Balls.
Are you interested in doing a story on Dana, from Darkan, WA?
Cheers
Brian James
Communication Services
03 9 572 2856
0410 414 770
continue reading original article at Aussie Innovation - from the Headline King website.
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