5 questions with PurseKeyper co-founder Dana Robinson

. - LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Admit it. How many times a day does this happen to you? You need to get out of the house -- or office, or grocery store, or kid's school; you name it -- but you're spending time digging around in your purse for your keys. Sometimes I end up dumping my entire purse out just to find them.

Well, two women from Somerset came up with a way to solve that, and now they are selling their product at local stores including 40 Kroger locations. They have five full-time employees at their factory in Somerset.

It's called the PurseKeyper. It acts as a key chain, wristlet and purse holder all at the same time. Many mothers like it because they can clip it onto shopping carts or strollers.

Here now are my five questions with the PurseKeyper's Dana Robinson.

1) How did you come up with this idea?
My mom, Sally Robinson, was always worried about her purse being stolen while she was shopping with a grocery cart. She was tired of hearing about purse snatches on the news.
 
2) What's been the biggest challenge being your own business owner/entrepreneur?
Since we are a start-up company, we don't have a lot of money to put into PR and advertising to educate the customer about the PurseKeyper.
 
3) What do you carry around in your purse?
I keep my sunglasses, reading glasses, money, credit cards, IDs, medicine, kids' necessities and make up, which all cost a lot of money to replace. So, to spend $11.99 on a PurseKeyper to protect your purse is not a lot when you think of the money, time and headache it would be to replace all of the items in your purse.
 
4) Who inspires you to keep going?
Strangers or friends who tell me they cannot live without a PurseKeyper.
 
5) You work alongside your mom. What's that like?
I juggle a lot of balls between delivering to Kroger, merchandising the racks, posting our product to social media, thinking of new opportunities/designs/fabrics, (having) two kids with sole custody and (being a) full-time mom. Any time I get tired or complain my mom will support me.   She was a teacher, made home-cooked meals every meal and even ironed my dad's underwear. She was the best mom and hardest worker and still is.  She makes me feel like I can do anything.

Click here to learn more about PurseKeyper.

Previous installments
+ March 4: Chef, restaurateur John Varanese
+ Feb. 26: Wicked Sheets Founder Alli Truttmann
+ Feb. 19: Lilly's Chef Kathy Cary
+ Feb. 12: Speed Museum Director Ghislain d'Humieres
+ Feb. 5: Miss Kentucky USA Kyle Hornback

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