She invented a product to help those with Type 1 diabetes, and she’s featured in a new book
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RIGBY — Laurel Bloomfield of Rigby is an entrepreneur, inventor, mother and wife, and she will soon add author to her list of accomplishments.
She is one of 71 authors who will be featured in “Air Fryer Secrets.” It’s not a cookbook — rather, it’s an anthology providing business-building tips and strategies. Each chapter was written by a different author and caters to a specific niche in the marketing and entrepreneurial space.
“Everything you would need to start an online business today” is covered in the book, Bloomfield tells EastIdahoNews.com.
Bloomfield’s contribution is a chapter about intellectual property and how a product developer can write their own patent. She co-created a product with Nicholle Peterson and Katie Larsen several years ago designed to help those with Type 1 diabetes who wear an insulin pump. It’s a pocket that’s placed in the lining of clothing to hide it from view and keep it safe from damage.
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“If you send a 5-year-old kid to school with a $10,000 pump, and they try to use the bathroom, it could fall in the toilet. Other kids have cut the tubing that’s hanging out of their shirt going from the pump to the infusion site. That can be a life-threatening situation,” Bloomfield says.
Her pocket helps keep that device safely up against their body and holds all the tubing in place to avoid all risks of danger. The pocket also gives kids a way to hide their condition so they do not become a spectacle to people around them, she says.
“I think that’s important for kids dealing with Type 1 diabetes. Sometimes they’re expected to be the spokesperson for this huge disease just because they have this noticeable thing (on their body). The pocket allows them to just be kids,” says Bloomfield.
Bloomfield’s pocket concept gained a lot of traction from some of the leading insulin pump manufacturers in the world. It was put on the market about three years ago once her fully-issued patent was approved. Today, it’s sold online and in stores under the name Pocket Innerware.
More on the book
Boise resident Kevin Quinn, the lead author of “Air Fryer Secrets,” has worked with Bloomfield on numerous development projects. He’s a software developer and a partner at a CBD company, among other things. He invited her to share her expertise with readers for this book.
The inspiration for the book came from a series of live Facebook videos Quinn began posting about eight months ago.
“I wanted to show folks what I could cook in the air fryer one Friday. It was funny. People tuned in and had some fun with it. Then it started to grow and people started to ask ‘What are you cooking for Fryer Friday?'” Quinn says.
The initial post was intended as a joke, but it quickly went viral and eventually became a weekly bit called “Fryer Friday.”
The videos have since become a Facebook engagement tool to help build an audience for many of his business projects. The title of the book is a play on words intended to convey its central message of “putting yourself out there” to build brand awareness.
“You need to decide who your audience is that you want to sell to, and then find a unique way to sell to them,” Quinn says. “This book will give them so many ideas (on) how to do that.”
Bloomfield and Quinn recently launched a business together called Launch Incubator, which helps entrepreneurs find an audience for their product.
Bloomfield says she is excited to be able to offer marketing strategies and other resources for current and prospective business owners.
“It’s kind of like a digital marketing Bible. It’s something that, when I got into this space 18 months ago, I wish I would’ve known more about,” Quinn says.
“Air Fryer Secrets” will be available to buy through Amazon on Dec. 19. Visit the website to learn more.