She Sat On A Child Safety Idea For 17 Years. Now Walmart Wants It In Stores

In 2003, Jasmine Johnson had a problem.

She was childproofing outlets in her home using the same plastic outlet plugs millions of parents still use today. The kind you constantly remove and forget to put back.

“I would take them off to use my own appliances. I would forget to put them back in, lose them, step on them,” Johnson said. “Then I would worry about the kids finding them and it becoming a choking hazard.”

Then something happened that changed everything.

Her daughter stuck something into an uncovered outlet after one of the protectors had been removed and never replaced.

“Thankfully it was just a scare,” Johnson said. “But that’s when the light bulb actually went off.”

That moment eventually became ParentCo. That’s Johnson’s child safety company. More than two decades later, it is now preparing to enter Walmart stores.

The Southland Development Authority’s (SDA) Illinois APEX Accelerator program helped support Johnson during part of that journey through manufacturing guidance, funding connections and business support.

But the road to Walmart was not quick. Or easy.

Johnson said the idea sat in her head for nearly 17 years.

Back then, resources for inventors were much harder to find.

“I didn’t have the resources, the knowledge, the network or know how,” Johnson said.

Every year became frustrating.

“You just hope no one else comes up with it,” she said.

Then 2020 happened.

The world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson said the pause gave her the opening she finally needed to seriously pursue the business.

“I said, this is now or never,” Johnson recalled. “I started Googling and YouTubing and Googling and YouTubing.”

She launched ParentCo on Amazon near the end of 2021.

Just months later, she applied for Walmart’s Open Call program in 2022 and pitched the company directly.

She won.

But there was a problem.

Johnson still did not have enough money to fulfill the order volume Walmart wanted.

“I missed out on 100 stores because I didn’t have the capital to meet the demand at the time,” Johnson said.

For many entrepreneurs, that would have been the end.

Instead, Johnson spent the next several years rebuilding the opportunity piece by piece.

One year went toward additional product development. Another went toward fundraising, grant competitions and learning how difficult it can be to secure startup capital without major sales history.

“I learned the hard way that nobody is giving money for an idea,” Johnson said.

That process included pitch competitions and grant programs. Johnson eventually appeared on Entrepreneur’s “Elevator Pitch” series. There is where she received additional funding support. Even when she didn’t win the overall competition.

The momentum slowly returned.

Johnson kept her relationship alive with Walmart during the entire process. Eventually, she secured placement on Walmart.com while continuing to scale production and sales.

Then earlier this year, she traveled to Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas for another line review meeting.

That was it. The meeting that changed everything.

“She said, ‘Cool. We want you in stores,’” Johnson casually reflected.

The official confirmation arrived last week.

Now Johnson is preparing for the next challenge. Scaling.

Walmart has not finalized the total store count yet. Johnson said the rollout could range anywhere from hundreds of stores to potentially more than a thousand.

That means manufacturing pressure is already building.

“Between now and store launch, it’s going to be a lot of work,” Johnson said.

Johnson said Walmart encouraged her to hire a broker and prepare for the operational demands ahead.

The opportunity is massive.

Even conservative projections quickly become eye opening.

Johnson said if ParentCo enters 300 Walmart stores and each location sells just 10 units per week, the company could approach nearly $1 million in annual revenue.

If the rollout expands further, those numbers climb rapidly.

Still, Johnson said excitement has not fully set in yet.

Actually, it’s something else. A bit of fear.

“You realize the money it’s going to take,” Johnson said. “You realize this is serious. I have to execute.”

That pressure is something Illinois APEX Accelerator counselor Chris Cooks saw firsthand.

“She told me she was done,” Cooks said, recalling a difficult period during the company’s development. “She said she quit.”

Instead, Johnson kept going.

Cooks helped connect Johnson with manufacturing resources, funding opportunities and banking relationships through the SDA ecosystem.

One breakthrough came through Huntington Bank connected support and grant funding opportunities that helped ParentCo continue scaling production.

Johnson said of Cooks: “The sincerity and his interest in me succeeding was amazing.”

Cooks said Walmart supplier relationships are difficult to secure for independent companies.

“Walmart wants to know you can supply exactly what they’re asking for in the volume they’re asking for,” Cooks said.

That makes Johnson’s story unusual.

“Very, very, very rare,” Cooks said.

Johnson now finds herself preparing for a moment she imagined years ago.

Back in 2020, before the company officially launched, she filmed herself standing inside Walmart stores showing where she hoped her product would someday sit on shelves.

Soon, she may finally be able to film the second half of that video.

“I can’t wait to compare the videos,” Johnson said.

Johnson said she hopes the story inspires other entrepreneurs who feel overwhelmed by the process.

“I had no background in product development. No college education,” Johnson said. “I was a stay at home mom for 20 years. And here we are.”

About the Southland Development Authority

The Southland Development Authority, a not-for-profit economic development organization, is committed to driving equitable and sustainable economic growth in the South Suburbs of Chicago. Through innovative programs, strategic partnerships, and impactful direct investments, the SDA is building a vibrant, inclusive economy that drives wealth growth for individuals, businesses, and municipalities. Combined with the benefits of the South Suburban Land Bank and the Monarch Fund, the SDA serves as a model for regional development.