When Frances Prado started Hanging Secrets in 2015, she had no idea what she was doing. She didn’t know how to patent her invention or how to market her new business.
Three years later, Hanging Secrets has successfully grown into a full-fledged business, winning the Home Shopping Network’s Project American Dreams competition.
With her recent success, Prado is now passing down her business knowledge to future inventors.
She teaches Kid Ventores at Chula Vista’s LBM academy, talent and modeling academy at 31 Third Ave.
“We want to plant the seed of creativity and develop the self confidence in order for the kids to have the courage to find their talent and to follow their dreams,” she said about the new program.
The eight-week pilot program started Jan.25 and is ready to launch its summer session sometime in July.
In her first session one of her students created a purse out of a crop top shirt. The student sowed the bottom of the crop top and made it into a bag. Prado said the student then learned how to trademark her invention, market it and use social media to promote her invention.
Another student created her own song and learned how to market and copyright her own music.
Prado said it’s important for her to teach the younger generation about inventions and how to run a business because statistics show that only seven percent of patents issued in the United States are issued to Latinas and less than half percent are issued to Latina inventors.
Prado, 51, created Hanging Secrets, a bra and lingerie hanger that organizes intimate apparel while protecting the garment’s shape, soon after her children left home.
“It’s a great experience and it’s very hard (to run a business),” she said.
Once her children left, she had a lot of time to herself. She figured she would spend lots of time cleaning the house.
She first started in her room and found that her drawers were unorganized.
“I started (cleaning) in the bedroom, I pulled out the drawers and my bras were a mess,” she said. “I said ‘Oh my goodness, there has to be a better way (to organize). ‘ ”
Hanging Secrets and is just a side project for Prado as she works full-time as a production manager for Costco.
Prado is a success story in her own right. She dropped out of high school in 10th grade after she got married. She received her GED at 26 years old and has worked at Costco ever since.
