Back in the 1990s Scottish beauty, Carol Smillie was a regular on our TV screens, spinning the 'Wheel of Fortune' for host Nicky Campbell and helping people revamp their homes, sometimes not always for the better in BBC makeover show 'Changing Rooms'. Since leaving the glamorous world of television behind in 2012, the mum-of-three returned to education to learn all about Entrepreneurship and successfully launched her own range of bladder weakness pants and was awarded Entrepreneur Of The Year at the Sports Business Innovation Awards in 2016.
Pretty clever pants
Pretty Clever Pants Started life as ‘DiaryDoll’ but after a makeover, the product was changed to its current name. Carol, 55, has spent the past five years tackling the taboo of life’s embarrassing little leaks, by creating women's Underwear with a secret waterproof panel to protect against wetness and making wearers feel daily confidence (there are also plans to launch a men's range). It was a straightforward idea which developed at a rapid pace and soon became popular with high street stores John Lewis and Debenhams. However, it wasn't all plain sailing for Carol, her manufacturers had money problems and early sales dropped.
The company had to go back to the beginning and develop into a new market.
After giving birth to three children, Carol knew only too well about suffering from bladder weakness in post pregnancy and the only products available for women were plastic pants or unappealing disposables. By focusing on attractive underwear that would be appealing to all women, and adding a secret water-resistant panel, 'Pretty Clever Pants' quickly grew again in popularity and gained interest from shopping outlets including Amazon, QVC and Boots
Going global
Today Pretty Clever Pants, has gone global after securing a licensing deal with TV shopping channel High Street TV - a multichannel retail business that develops, sources and sells innovative products for everyday life.
Carol filmed her own commercial in California and it is currently airing across international territories.
Carol revealed she is absolutely delighted with her success, writing in her blog, "My business has gone from strength to strength, it’s taken far longer, cost far more and taken far more out of me than I’d ever imagined, but I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved and surprised myself as to what I’m capable of."