Carrie Doorley says that the best thing about the success of Queezybags is that it means she is not just some crazy mammy with a silly idea.
Sick bags were available in healthcare but were not available on the domestic market for anyone caring for someone at home, for mothers or someone who suffers from car sickness.
Queezybags were brought to market last year after Doorley toyed with the idea about three years ago. She started working seriously on the product in the last year and a half.
The Queezybag is a plastic sick bag which has a slot in the rim and can be twisted to close. Three Queezybags cost €3.99.
The idea for Queezybags was inspired by Doorley’s son Liam, now 9, who suffered from car sickness. He has grown out of it but the demand for Queezybags is on the rise.
Doorley said the idea of a domestic sick bag is so obvious. “Why don’t we all have them in our first aid kits? We have slings and contraptions we’ll never use but we don’t have a basic thing like a sick bag,” she said.
She found it challenging to have a background in healthcare instead of in business. “I feel sometimes I’m feeling my way along without the background knowledge. I know nothing about marketing or business or any of those things.”
Being picked as a finalist for the Start-Up Academy has been the highlight for her. “It makes you feel that you’ve got the business plan, you’ve got the stuff and this is the validation along the way.”
Doorley said she was lucky to get help from the Kilkenny Leader Partnership, who funded a product to see whether she had a viable business. They later gave her a research and analysis development grant.
“That process meant us going out and doing some market research, trying to find a manufacturer and getting a brand together before coming up with the prototype for the Queezybag,” she said.
When naming her product, Doorley said they decided to go with an “ee” spelling because they found out if you use an “ea” spelling, people actually feel more queasy.
Doorley works as the radiography manager for Carlow-Kilkenny and her healthcare background helps her recognise other ways Queezybags would be useful. Who knew you could get so passionate about sick bags? she said.
“We have people coming to and from oncology departments in hospitals with chemotherapy which causes them to be sick. If you’re caring for somebody at home with limited mobility, it’s reassuring to have Queezybags.”
The use of a Queezybag also helps with bugs in the home, which are spread in the towel, the basin and the washing machine when a family member is sick, according to Doorley.
United Drug has taken on the Queezybag and they distribute to nearly every Irish pharmacy in the country, according to Doorley. At last count, 76 pharmacies had requested the Queezybag.
Doorley’s next goal is to sell in Northern Ireland, before eventually distributing Queezybags in the UK. “Obviously, my long-term goal is to pick up sick all over the world with the Queezybag,” she said.
