Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Daria Walsh. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Daria, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Like many inventors, I came up with the idea for Infinity Clips while trying to solve a problem I personally had. I had been wearing this one necklace every day that I really loved, but the length didn’t always work with all my outfits. I wanted to find a way to temporarily shorten it, but none of the necklace shorteners on the market were made to work with thin chains.

Most necklace shorteners were made for pearls or thicker link chains. The existing homemade solutions, like using scotch tape, weren’t very attractive, and permanent shortening by a jeweler or buying multiple chains was expensive. I knew I couldn’t be the only one that needed a solution to this problem, so I set out to create one of my own that I could eventually bring to market.

It took a lot of trial and error to come up with a prototype that was not only functional for shortening a wide range of chain styles, but I wanted it to look pretty too. I remember wandering the aisles of craft stores and hardware stores looking for parts that I could piece together to make my invention work. It was a lot of fun troubleshooting ideas, but I also was surprised at how a simple solution could take so much trial and error to perfect! Many prototypes later, I eventually had a solution to take to market, and Infinity Clips was born.

Daria, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Infinity Clips are the first necklace shorteners designed specifically for thin chains, such as rope, snake, and cable chain styles. They temporarily shorten necklace chains, allowing them to be worn with any neckline and are also great for adjusting the length of individual chains for a perfectly layered look. This gives customers the flexibility to wear their favorite necklaces with a wider range of outfits. Infinity Clips are currently available in two sizes for shortening chains up to 2.5mm thick and offer an affordable solution for adjusting necklace lengths without the need for permanent alterations by a jeweler or resorting to unsightly hacks like scotch tape.

What I’m most proud of is that Infinity Clips was granted a utility patent in March 2022. Its a simple invention, but a unique product that offers a solution to the market that did not previously exist.

Located in Doylestown, PA, Infinity Clips is a small, woman-owned business dedicated to combining beauty with functionality in jewelry solutions.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Many people believe that it takes a lot of money to bring an invention to market, but I launched mine with only $500 and bootstrapped my way to growth. To start, I created my own prototype and learned everything I could from books and online videos about inventing and bringing a brand to market.

Then, I wrote my own provisional patent application, which gave me one year of patent pending status to test market my idea and fine-tune the design before deciding to move forward with filing a non-provisional utility patent. My test market was a success and paid for a lawyer to help with filing for my utility patent and first round of manufacturing.

From there, I just kept rolling over profits until I was able to grow my company to a point where I could quit my day job and pursue it full time.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A concept that I’ve thought a lot about lately is how I’ve had to become the person I needed to be in order to bring a product to market while taking on the challenges that come with entrepreneurship and scaling a company. When I first started, I didn’t have the skills I needed to be an inventor or write a patent, but I learned. I didn’t know how to launch a brand, but I learned. I didn’t know how to scale a company, but I learned.

It has all been a process of gradually stepping into becoming the person I needed to be in order to achieve my goals and learning everything I could along the way. Sometimes I learned from mentors and sometimes it was just through trial and error. Each challenge I faced also required me to not only learn the skills necessary in business but also in life. I had to learn to believe in myself and unlearn all the bad habits that had been holding me back from getting to the next level of my life and career.

I’m still on the journey of becoming and will continue to be as long as I take on new challenges. But I’m learning to embrace this ‘becoming’ now instead of shying away from the challenge. I’m choosing growth over the comfort of the known because that’s the only path that will get me to where I want to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.infinityclips.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/infinity.clips
• Facebook: facebook.com/infinityclips
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariawalsh/