Story Created:
Aug 14, 2007 at 3:14 PM CST
Story Updated:
Aug 15, 2007 at 12:01 PM CST
WICHITA, Kansas, Aug. 14, 2007 - Jamie Tabor's Grandpa was a jokester - his remedy for dry lips was to tell you to rub 'chicken poop' on em… that way you won't lick 'em.
When Jamie went searching for a name for an all-natural lip balm that she invented- the name 'Chicken Poop' came to the rescue.
"It's catchy. People buy it cause it's hilarious. It's a conversation starter, then they try it and it's a really high quality product. It's all natural and people get hooked on it," says Jamie Tabor a.k.a. 'Simone Chickenbone', the creator of Chicken Poop
"Chicken poop is now produced to Simone Chickenbone's exacting standards by a company out of Utah. But it all started in Wichita about 7 years ago on the second floor of the Fischhaus in downtown Wichita. Jamie -a.k.a. Simone Chickenbone - would cook up her concoction and at times she would fill as many as one thousand tubes of this in one day to keep up with demand," says Business Beat reporter Don Grant.
Another key to product success is a good distribution channel. Chicken Poop was first sold locally through the hair salon where Jamie worked. Then a popular store in Chicago caught on and placed orders.
Walgreen's carries her product nationally, and she recently placed her product in a chain of 41 convenience stores in the upper mid-west. Her sales force is now negotiating with CVS and Rite-Aid pharmacies to go nationwide with them.
Now, that's a lot of Poop!
"I would say that within the last year, we sold a million tubes. I've just reinvested in myself. Any extra money I've just put it back into chicken poop - cause chicken poop always saves the day!," quips Jamie.
Poop may be the signature product from Simone Chickenbone - but she has developed another product called 'Kill it Dead' - a natural body deodorant that she calls a 'defunkifier'.
Jamie also created a 'Good Gravey' which is a body lotion in 'puck form' that you apply by rubbing the puck on your skin. In the works is an spf version of chicken poop, 'Lip Shimmers', which is Poop in colors- and watch out for 'Baby Poop' - a line of natural products for babies.
Developing and marketing a new product is extremely hard work.
"My long term goal is to sell my business and just retire," says Jamie.
Once her new products are on the shelves - and the distribution channels are up and running, Simone Chickenbone may take a break… but don't expect to see this entrepreneur retiring early.
