The BiziBibb resembles a button-down dress shirt. Image courtesy BiziBibb.
The idea quite literally fell right into Broderick Thomas’ lap.
Three years ago, the local salesman was having lunch at a Richmond barbecue joint when his colleagues noticed an addition to his attire: a T-shirt cut up like a bib that he put on over his button-down to prevent any stains from besmirching his professional clothes.
“I’m a pretty messy eater,” Thomas said. “I ended up throwing away a lot of shirts.”
While he could be sure no errant drops of barbecue sauce would force him to drive home and change, as he had done on other occasions, that didn’t save Thomas from the bemusement of his colleagues.
“They said, ‘You look silly with that T-shirt,’” Thomas said. “It dawned on me: what if I could do this and not have to look crazy? It just kind of fell into my lap out of a need.”
That weekend, Thomas cut up one of the many dress shirts ruined over the years by the odd splash of spaghetti sauce. Cut-out in hand, he went to a local fabric store to buy some waterproof lining and then on to his dry cleaner, whom he got to sew the two materials together.
The prototype for Thomas’ business-appropriate bib, the BiziBibb, was born.
Priced at $30, the BiziBibb is a one-size-fits-all bib held together by velcro tabs that looks like a button-down dress shirt.
“The key feature is the protective lining,” Thomas said. “I got so many compliments from waitresses at restaurants saying, ‘You could make money with that.’”
The salesman didn’t waste time. Thomas, whose day job is director of digital sales for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, set about researching manufacturing and earlier this year ordered a shipment of 200 BiziBibbs. When that order sold out as a result of word of mouth, Thomas ordered another 200 and to date has sold about 300 BiziBibbs without advertising.
“I was really hustling trying to solve a problem for myself,” Thomas said, adding he’s spent about $12,000 to launch BiziBibb. “I like to capitalize on opportunities when I have the time.”
Thomas, 44, officially launched the BiziBibb this month with an ecommerce website and Carytown event to showcase his product. He said he timed the BiziBibb rollout with Father’s Day.
With a patent pending for the BiziBibb, Thomas said his next order will be for 4,000 units. Though the first-time entrepreneur is currently targeting men, Thomas plans to unveil a similar product for women in the fall.
The BiziBibb resembles a button-down dress shirt. Image courtesy BiziBibb.
The idea quite literally fell right into Broderick Thomas’ lap.
Three years ago, the local salesman was having lunch at a Richmond barbecue joint when his colleagues noticed an addition to his attire: a T-shirt cut up like a bib that he put on over his button-down to prevent any stains from besmirching his professional clothes.
“I’m a pretty messy eater,” Thomas said. “I ended up throwing away a lot of shirts.”
While he could be sure no errant drops of barbecue sauce would force him to drive home and change, as he had done on other occasions, that didn’t save Thomas from the bemusement of his colleagues.
“They said, ‘You look silly with that T-shirt,’” Thomas said. “It dawned on me: what if I could do this and not have to look crazy? It just kind of fell into my lap out of a need.”
That weekend, Thomas cut up one of the many dress shirts ruined over the years by the odd splash of spaghetti sauce. Cut-out in hand, he went to a local fabric store to buy some waterproof lining and then on to his dry cleaner, whom he got to sew the two materials together.
The prototype for Thomas’ business-appropriate bib, the BiziBibb, was born.
Priced at $30, the BiziBibb is a one-size-fits-all bib held together by velcro tabs that looks like a button-down dress shirt.
“The key feature is the protective lining,” Thomas said. “I got so many compliments from waitresses at restaurants saying, ‘You could make money with that.’”
The salesman didn’t waste time. Thomas, whose day job is director of digital sales for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, set about researching manufacturing and earlier this year ordered a shipment of 200 BiziBibbs. When that order sold out as a result of word of mouth, Thomas ordered another 200 and to date has sold about 300 BiziBibbs without advertising.
“I was really hustling trying to solve a problem for myself,” Thomas said, adding he’s spent about $12,000 to launch BiziBibb. “I like to capitalize on opportunities when I have the time.”
Thomas, 44, officially launched the BiziBibb this month with an ecommerce website and Carytown event to showcase his product. He said he timed the BiziBibb rollout with Father’s Day.
With a patent pending for the BiziBibb, Thomas said his next order will be for 4,000 units. Though the first-time entrepreneur is currently targeting men, Thomas plans to unveil a similar product for women in the fall.
I would love one of these for when I’m enjoying my pho…my clothing always tells the tale. 🙁
I really appreciate your comments…feel free to place your order at http://www.bizibibb.com . Thanks!!!
Could you put a link to the ecommerce site? Nothing comes up under Google, I need several of these!
Hello, the website is http://www.bizibibb.com . Thank you for your interest in our product!
Thomas should try to make a pitch on Shark Tank. He should invent a woman’s version as well.
We have a woman’s version in the works…it should be available by this Fall. Thanks for your comments!
Broderick is a great example of #RVA entrpreneurs at work. He proved the concept after going for it by selling first; building later. I wish him the best and see a few off-shoot opportunities including the airline industry (rentals w/keep it sales or freebies in first class) volume type deals. Also there is a licensing deal for NCAA loyal fans somewhere in there – what better way than to be school spirited with a VT logo and/or accent color/stripes/buttons,etc. http://www.bizibibb.com to stir up conversation at a luncheon/meeting. Also a BOGO offer or ‘give-a-friend’ one campaign would be cool to be… Read more »
Our staff goes out to eat all of the time without anyone dropping food all over themselves. I wouldn’t take you any more seriously for wearing a bib than if you spilled something on your shirt. Much less a bib with sauce spilled all over it. If you’re at a power lunch, I suggest you eat more conservatively.
Chris, if you’re an investor, I hope you did a lot of research on this man’s history.
“Mack Davis”–Your post
Hello;
What are you implying about the history of Broderick Thomas ?
I will admit, if I’m eating at a business lunch I skip things that I don’t feel can be easily eaten in a dignified fashion. I also don’t think a bib would add any gravitas to my appearance, but I could see a market for people who are at weddings, or perhaps as a branded piece of apparel for places that sell pho and ribs.