My name is Lisa Rodrigues. I am a 33 year old Canadian citizen living in Windsor, Ontario, Canada who has just returned home after more than a decade of residing in various parts of the United States, mainly Panama City Beach, Florida and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. While living in the U.S., I bartended to make a living but had always dreamed of owning my own business. Last year in February, Celi was born. The idea behind the design was to create a functional, stylish alternative to the drab generic cell phone holders that were available at the time, while simultaneously offering a new and creative approach to carrying only the essentials. As of right now we have the Original Celi available in a variety of colors and textured leathers, with 2 new products currently in prototype phase and 6 other designs on the sketching board.

Celi is made from genuine soft Turkish leather. We chose Turkish leather because of the high end status that is associated with it. Cindy Crawford was just hired on by the Turkish Leather Council to promote Turkish Leather Products in the US. We wanted to appeal to an upper scale market and felt that this leather was truly exquisite and unique. Not to mention ,the company who manufacturers are designs makes every Celi by hand, ensuring the utmost quality and care. Our target audience for the Original Celi is women ages 18-45, but as I have said, we have many other designs in the pipeline which will include a male demographic and even a children’s line of Celis. I think our continued inspiration comes from the reactions we get from our customers. Anyone who has seen the Celi absolutely loves the design and understands immediately how Celi makes pairing down to the necessities stylish, fun, and functional. I think the Celi is so special for a number of reasons: it is hand made from the finest Turkish leather, you can carry it 4 different ways. Clutch It, Strap It (removable adjustable purse strap), Belt it (there is a belt loop to run a belt through for extra security), or Clip It (Clip slides into the Dual Attachment Panel or can be used as a money clip when not in use), both purse lovers and non-purse lovers recognize its functionality and high quality design.

I had always wanted to create a product which could potentially create an empire…dream big, be big you know. Because I was living in Panama City Beach at the time and Spring Break was rapidly approaching, I felt that I could use this target market as my inspiration. After some reflective thought, I realized that everyone has the need to carry a cell phone or converged device (PDA, smart phone). From my experience as a bartender, I would see women who had one pocket full of money, a cell phone in the other, and ID in their back pockets because they didn’t want to carry a purse into the establishment. So why not create a stylish, high end, purse or small case which could accommodate all of the essentials while still remaining sleek and streamlined? Thus, Celi was born.

Our original prototype was designed in China. We really had a difficult time ironing out the design specifics for the Dual Attachment Panel of our design. The Dual Attachment Panel is what allows the belt to slid through for extra security when the clip function is not in use. So, I came up with the final design for the DAP, and took Chinas word for it that it was fully functional as I had envisioned. We were behind schedule and couldn’t afford to wait an additional two weeks to finalize the design. When we received all 500 unit of our design (this was the minimum we could order)…the clip was preventing the belt loop option from working. I was devastated. The design didn’t work. Later that week however, my friend was fiddling with it and the clip came out allowing the belt function to work. Unbelievably because of the material we had chosen, we could reinsert the clip if the person decided they wanted to clip it to a larger purse or handbag. It was truly meant to be. So after our proof of concept trial, we finalized our design with the Turkish leather company, ironed out some conceptual problems and it has been a dream ever since.

The greatest achievement for me comes from the realization that through all of the set backs and hard times, I just wouldn’t give up. I am a tough, strong, problem solver, with a dream that has taken on a life of its own. It has been a year now, and I have accomplished so much because of my will to succeed. The reason why it is all worth it is because my sister Dayna, after seeing the potential in our design, has jumped aboard and has really taken promoting Celi to the next level. She has breathed new life into my creativity and drive and I think we are a great team who will stop at nothing to make Celi a complete and total success.