Ground Floor: A beautiful solution for women on the go

SWISHER — Nikki Hynek came up with the idea for the Dollup Case during a harried morning commute.

Hynek was running late and didn't have time to apply her makeup before leaving the house. She threw some essentials into her handbag, planning to apply the makeup in transit.

But by the time she got to a stoplight, the makeup had fallen to the bottom of the bag and she was still searching for it when the light turned green.

'I thought there has to be a better way for women on the go,' Hynek said.

As a freelance makeup artist and aesthetician, Hynek knew one trick of the trade that offered a potential solution.

'Professional makeup artists use magnetic palettes to organize their cosmetics,' she said. 'Why couldn't everyday women do this, too?'

Many cosmetics, like blush, bronzer and eye shadow, come in metal pans stick to magnets when the surrounding packaging is removed. Hynek envisioned a hard frame cosmetic case with a magnetic palette to keep makeup organized but small enough and stylish enough for women to carry with them.

Hynek set out to design her ideal cosmetic case by purchasing a metal frame wallet and ripping it apart. She made eight to 10 different prototypes, carrying them with her on freelance assignments to get input from other makeup artists.

'They were horrid-looking,' she said. 'I don't sew.'

When she finally was satisfied with her mock-up, Hynek employed the services of a professional designer to create a CAD drawing. With a prototype and design in hand, her next step was to find a manufacturer.

'I thought it would be easier to start in the U.S., but I couldn't find anyone who was willing to do it,' Hynek said.

Through Internet research, Hynek found a Chinese factory that agreed to produce a sample case. She sent the prototype and CAD design to China and, after some final tweaking, took delivery of the first 2,000 Dollup Cases in August.

In the meantime, Hynek had been cold-calling retailers all over the United States. ShopHQ expressed interest and, in late August, launched the Dollup Case in its online store.

'It became the No. 1 seller in the beauty category,' Hynek said.

What followed was 'kind of a whirlwind,' according to Hynek. She was a finalist in an 'Invest In She' business pitch competition for women entrepreneurs in September, made her live, on-air debut on ShopHQ on Nov. 7, and secured Von Maur's agreement to launch the Dollup Case in its online store for the holidays.

'I always dreamed of bringing my own product to market,' Hynek said. 'I consider myself as someone who is extremely resourceful.

'There's an answer to every question and problem. You just have to find it.'

AT A GLANCE

• Owner: Nikki Hynek
• Business: Dollup Beauty
• Email: nikki@dollupbeauty.com
• Phone: (319) 721-3575
• Website:

  http://dollupbeauty.com

Know of a company in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor'? Contact George Ford at george.ford@sourcemedia.net