Wareologie - Empowering People With Magnetic Button Adaptors
Ware·ologie, LLC is a social venture startup, dedicated to solving a compounding problem that affects over 30 million Americans with hand disabilities. The company designs innovative, stylish products to restore independence and empower people to carry out essential activities of daily living, such as getting dressed. Limitations in dexterity are common symptoms of many illnesses.
Ware·ologie has developed a pipeline of consumer essential goods. They launched the company with the transformative Buttons 2 Button Magnetic Adapters because it solves a massive problem for people who cannot button. Sold in sets of 10, adapters attach to any shirt button in minutes, creating a magnetic closure to overcome limitations in fine motor skills.
The patent-pending design allows the adapters to be used on different shirts and withstand regular washing and drying. Convert any traditional button shirt at a fraction of the price of buying new, disabled-specific garments. This empowers people with the freedom to express their unique individuality and regain levels of independence, self-confidence, and dignity. B2B adapters eliminate frustration and restore valuable time for both the end-users and their caregivers.
Why do we need Wareologie?
Limitations of dexterity are a common characteristic of many disabilities. Whether suffering from a chronic illness such as arthritis or Parkinson’s, an accident or recovering from surgery, the simple act of dressing oneself independently for 1 out of 6 people is a daily struggle. Accomplishing this essential activity takes excessive time for both the individuals and their caregivers. Furthermore, disabled-specific clothing brands are expensive and have a limited selection. There is a ripple effect on caregivers who, on average, spend between 14-34 hours per week providing assistance. In fact, people with disabilities (PWD) depend on approximately 105 million unpaid, US caregivers to help carry out essential daily activities of living.
What inspired you to start?
The Ware·ologie team understands firsthand, both the physical and emotional impact disabilities have on the individual and family members. This inspired the company to develop assistive products to help restore independence, self-confidence, and well-being.
What do you wish you'd known at the beginning? Has inspiration come from unexpected places?
You can't do it alone. Team is everything. James Murtha, our Chief Innovation Officer, lives independently with a high spinal cord injury (SPI) and gives me the strength to persevere. Being an entrepreneur is challenging and, at times, exhausting. Work/life balance is nearly impossible due to limited funding and time. Despite careful planning and affirmation for our products, I wish I had understood the business challenges and stress involved in launching a company.
What's the one piece of advice you'd give an aspiring change-maker?
Confirm the need first and then create the solution. Make sure you calculate and secure the necessary financial resources before you begin. Good intentions will only get you so far. I would also recommend contracts guaranteeing people's work. Design errors are very expensive when developing physical products.
How can people get involved in your project or help out?
Our biggest challenges are customer awareness about our product and funding for our startup. No one is searching for magnetic button adaptor dressing aides because it's a first-to-market product. We would like senior living, rehabilitation centers, and in-home care providers to buy our product. We are seeking capital investment to help cover overhead and marketing costs in order to promote and let the world know about our helpful products.
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What are your plans for the future?
We will be ramping up sales to grow business and currently have several new developments in progress.
