Mama Lights
www.mamalights.com
It was a fateful jog in the dark that turned a light bulb on in Marnie Renshler’s head, illuminating a five-year path that led to starting her own business, Mama Lights.
“I had just had my second child, and the only time I had to go running with my neighbor was at 4:30 in the mornings. One morning, my neighbor stepped on a pine cone in the dark and broke her foot,” Renshler said. “I shopped for a light we could wear to help us see on our runs – and to help us be seen – but there were no comprehensive websites where I could find exactly what I needed that was also of good quality.”
Over the years, Renshler scoured the Internet and tried a variety of options; some lights were too dim, some didn’t stay in place well and couldn’t be safely relied upon.
Renshler, who sold medical devices at the time, happened to meet with a client who mentioned to her the concept of LED lights for use in the medical field and beyond.
“He told me ‘People are going to light up everything they possibly can in the next 10 to 15 years,’” she said. “And that really resonated with me. More than just the right light I needed for jogging, LED lights can be useful in so many applications, and that could help increase safety and even be fun.”
Renshler recently left her 20-year sales career and decided to work for herself instead by selling LED light products of all varieties.
“I am what they call an affiliate Internet marketer, and I work through Amazon,” she explained. “I run my website, mamalights.com, and choose the LED products that meet my standards. I market these products for the distributors on my website so that people looking for them can choose the best product for their needs in one place, and the items are sold and shipped from Amazon to your front door.”
Renshler has branched out from selling only LED lights for safety and active wear; her website offers LED options for children, pets and gear, and even LED lights for events and fun activities.
“I sell products that are useful or fun that people otherwise wouldn’t know to look for,” she said. “It’s much more than the standard LED safety products you may think; there are LED umbrellas, rechargeable LED collars and leashes for dogs and even toy footballs to play with at night.”
She is most excited, though, about sharing her passion for safety and fun with others. “I get to go to schools and talk to children about fun ways to be safe,” she beamed. “I talk to anyone who wants to listen about ways that LED can improve their lifestyle. It has improved mine and keeps my children and me safe. I love that I can do the same for others.”
By: Anne Toole
