Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alina Kravchenko. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alina, appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
I have always wanted to start a company ever since I was a little girl and I was not going to let anything or anyone stop me from living my life to the fullest. I had my life perfectly planned and did things by the book, that was until I was faced with an unplanned pregnancy in the middle of the economy crashing in 2008. I was 23 and left on my own to raise my son. I worked three very below my education level jobs just to save enough so that I could focus on breastfeeding my son during the first year of his life. In that time I learned a very important lesson, that I can do anything I set my mind to no matter what situation I was in, I choose to be the hero of my life.
And in that tiny apartment with me barely making ends meet with my little baby I set my mind to taking the biggest risk I could, to invent something that does not exist on the market, get a Utility Patent, start a company, get an investor by airing on Shark Tank. I diligently worked towards this goal, even though it took me over ten years I never gave up. I took the risk, zero excuses, and living my life to the fullest fearlessly.
If an immigrant single mom from Ukraine can do it, trust me you can too. You must believe in yourself, trust yourself and choose to be a solution maker and the hero of your story!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am an inventor of consumer goods, specifically simple everyday products that we use daily. It seems that a lot of innovation is going toward the digital pixel world of user experience and everyday objects seem to have halted in innovation.
If you think about it an object is a tool that should help us execute a task, whether it is applying ointment on our baby more safely and hygienically or using a unique dumbbell that contours to the shape of our bodies in an ergonomic way that makes weight training more safe and effective.
When I tell people I reinvented the dumbbell and the kettlebell they just look puzzled, what does it look like they say, how does it work and what makes it so different from the current one? I try to use words to explain, but really showing someone how the TonerBum.com works make them instantly say “Wow that is so incredible, why hasn’t anyone ever thought of that before seems so obvious and simple.” That is the exact reaction I get when I talk about all of my innovations, like the one I presented to the Sharks when I aired on Shark Tank – SwipenSnap.com
I have discovered my gift, the ability to innovate our everyday products in new ways. I have dedicated my life towards nourishing my talent and sharing it with others. At the core of my being, I want to not only make other people’s lives better but also ensure that we become educated about the repercussions of our buying power as consumers.
Next on my agenda, to launch an eco-friendly plastic-free grocery store, that makes plastic-free shopping simple and affordable – watch out here comes the biggest solution that we so desperately need!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When I first started my first company I put myself in a situation where I had to give many people my power. It started with having to take a step back and move in with my family to save enough money to purchase my first batch of inventory. As we all know nothing in life is free and I had to pay “my rent” by taking care of my 90-year-old grandmother along with my mom’s pets when she went to go live in Dallas to help my sister with her children for six months.
This would not have been a big deal, but with all of the other things on my plate, I felt like I was going to break. I was working 12-hour days seven days a week for my investor who had just hired me to run one of his companies. Every time I made a mistake he treated me terribly, insulting me and breaking me down into tears for no reason then his own internal pain. I was his punching bag. When I asked him politely to be more patient and kind with me he would laugh that I cried when he called me names.
This was all while I was still having to raise my eight-year-old son completely alone making sure he got to school on time, had his lunch, cleaned laundry, and that I was able to pick him up on time from school. This was all on top of me while trying to get my company off the ground and going through the Shark Tank application process.
I was being crushed from every direction I remember days I would just curl up and want to die looking back at that time I still break down in tears because of how incredibly painful it was to be alive during that time. I was being crushed from every direction. Running on a few hours of sleep and having zero rest, pushed me beyond my breaking point.
I begged my mom to come back to at least take care of grandma because it was just too much for me to bear. I thought working 3 jobs and raising a baby was hard enough but this was a whole new level of struggle.
In that time I did learn to be more resilient and more than anything I learn how to say no and create healthy boundaries in order to prevent people from taking advantage of my kindness and strength. Because I’m human after all and we all have limitations and in order for us to function at our highest self we must get the proper amount of sleep and downtime. And surround ourselves with people who will not burden us with more responsibilities and make us feel less than when we are in the learning process.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
To start my first business I drained my entire savings, 401K, and stocks, and worked two years at a job that I was not passionate about. It was a huge risk, but I live life fearlessly and believe in myself enough to know that even if I fail I will be able to figure out a way to keep going until I succeed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alinainventor.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alina_inventor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inventoralina/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinakravchenko/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alinainventor
- Other: https://tonerbum.com/ https://swipensnap.com/
Image Credits
Alina Kravchenko