Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town?
I am from the Boston area and have been living in Chatham for the past 8 years.
Child(ren) and Age(s)?
I have three children: Greyson (10), Boden (7), and Evelyn (5)
Favorite things to do with your kids?
We love to go skiing in the winters and sailing in the summers. When we are home we like playing board games and ordering Chinese food.
How did you come up with the idea for the Cartwright Bag?
After I gave birth to my third child our household became wildly hectic. With a 5yo, 2yo and newborn we were running around like crazy. There were carseats, and helmets, and babygates, but no secure place to keep medications and aspirin away from all our toddlers. On top of that we both had fulltime jobs in open coworking environments. My husband needed a safe place on a Wall Street trading desk to put personal items. And I was keenly aware that my bag was always wide open at the foot of my desk. We didn’t need nosey coworkers looking at our personal stuff. We desperately needed someplace to secure our most personal items both at home and at the office just to give us peace of mind. So after failing to find a privacy bag out on the market we decided to design one and make it our perfect bag.
If you could give one tip to fellow Mom Entrepreneurs what would it be?
Persistence and embracing the obstacles. You can’t dread the next speed bump, it’s not even enough to accept that they’re inevitable. Every obstacle is a chance to learn and successfully navigating them is what brings you closer to your goal.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I am a civil engineer.
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
We are fortunate to have a lot of local support. I’m a member of the Junior League and my husband is on the board of trustees for Morristown Beard School. My husband’s family has had a local business on Route 202 for the past 40 years, so our roots in the community are pretty deep and having their support has been a huge help.
This interview originally appeared on Mendham Moms. For more information on Janine and the Cartwright Bag, please visit their website & follow them on social media: