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What if the somebody who should invent that is you? Missy Kelly didn't set out to build a company — she just refused to let skateboard grip tape scratch up her house. Nine prototypes later, that slippery phone became a patented material used by Walmart, SpaceX, and the U.S. Navy.

In this episode, Aimee Rickabus talks with Missy Kelly, Co-Founder and CEO of CatTongue Grips and founder of Born for Impact, about how to turn an idea into a product with zero experience, how a small women-owned business gets into big box retail and government contracting, and the inner work of running a company without letting it become your identity.

Missy shares:
• The Verizon-store moment and the 18 months it took to get the material right
• How a Paralympian, a trucker named Earl, and a chicken coop steered the product
• The one question she asks every corporate buyer — and the wrap-dress pitch that landed Walmart
• What a WBENC certification does (and doesn't) do, and how to play the long game
• Why perfectionism is an outer symptom of feeling unworthy — and how to separate who you are from what you built

Whether you're sitting on a "someone should make this" idea or you own a small business and assume the Fortune 500 won't buy from you, this conversation will make you ask Missy's favorite question: why wouldn't they?

🔗 CONNECT WITH MISSY KELLY:
Instagram: @melissackelly
Website: https://missykelly.com/
CatTongue Grips: https://www.cattonguegrips.com/
Women Gone Wild: Leadership Edition (preorder): https://missykelly.com/women-gone-wild/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/missy-kelly

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The Manage Her® Podcast — hosted by Aimee Rickabus. Honest conversations on leadership, financial empowerment, motherhood, wellness, and career reinvention for ambitious women.

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