Celebrating Two Years During Women Inventors Month!
Do you like beer? Can you imagine your life without a Wi-Fi? You have women inventors to thank for those necessities. Did you know that more women are getting patents than ever before? This is an amazing time for entrepreneurial spirit-- the time to turn your dreams into reality, and as Jen Perry, inventor of the Jelt says, “Go for it.”
Transforming an idea from your head into a physical product is no easy task. The journey of inventing can be a long and stressful one, but also rewarding. This is something Jen has discovered since the launch of her product and the unveiling here in Bozeman in 2014. With March being coined “Women’s History Month” and “Women Inventors Month,” Jen finds it hard to not reminisce about the early days of Jelt and her real inspirations behind creating the brand and taking the leap.
Jennifer Perry, Bozeman local and purveyor of fun was always on a constant quest to find a belt that kept her pants from stretching and sagging when she was skiing Bridger, hiking the M, managing her guest ranch in Trego, Montana, or just hanging out with her two sons. Unsatisfied with current belts on the market, Jen knew that she couldn’t be the only one who had the constant “waist-hike” issue and she sought out to create her perfect sized to fit belts for jeans.” With a few modern design ideas, coupled with memories of the stretch belts from her childhood, the Jelt was born.
The Jelt belt is a retro inspired stretch belt that contains a grippy inner gel that actually “grips” to your pants through all of your movements. This helps to eliminate the stretch in your favorite jeans over time and the concern of showing off anything you don’t want to when bending over, because let’s face it, it’s an inevitable problem. Designed with functionality in mind, Jen made sure that the patent-pending, flat, interlocking buckle would snap flat enough to wear under any top without the dreaded “buckle bulge”. The unique fact that there are no metal parts, means that Jelts can be left on through security checkpoint-- no more stripping at the airport!
Since our launch in February of 2014, Jelt has gone from being locally sold to globally purchased, has increased our employees from 0 to 5, and has quadrupled its sales in just 2 short years. Jelt is sold at six Bozeman stores, as well as stores across the United States. It can be purchased on jeltbelt.com, and amazon.com, which was not a cheap or easy task to accomplish, but allowed for a global reach. Jen’s “if not now, when?” attitude has guided her through the very beginning stages of prototypes, trademarks, patents and warehouse malfunctions, to a place where she is now seeing men and women everywhere #jelting!
There is nothing better than feeling like you are contributing to a bigger picture and that helped Jen persevere through the tough times. Her goal behind being an inventor was to not only help others feel good about themselves, but to use this creation as a way to give back to the Bozeman community and beyond. For every belt sold, Jelt donates $1 to a yearly selected charity. This year’s charity is Bozeman based, non-profit Warriors and Quiet Waters. She also contributes to a plethora of other charities including, Thrive, Big Sky Youth Empowerment, Heart of the Valley, and the YMCA, just to name a few.
Jelt is still a new brand and Jen experiences all of the growing pains that come with launching an invention, but she will not let that deter her from her dream of success and giving back. So, if you have idea that you think will be the next great invention, believe in yourself, don’t be afraid to fail, and go for it!