Our Stick Of The Week! is Manasi Gangan. Manasi is in the NOW as founder of Nested Bean Inc. Nested Bean Inc. develops products that solve old problems in a new way. Their flagship product, the Zen SwaddleTM, encourages sleep in infants by mimicking the security of maternal touch, proven to calm and regulate stress.
"We are passionate about parenthood. We deeply care about the children of this world and consider it our mission to offer the best, safest products that cater to their needs and provide you with peace of mind. We are Nested Bean – Mom in Mind. Kids at Heart."
"We are passionate about parenthood. We deeply care about the children of this world and consider it our mission to offer the best, safest products that cater to their needs and provide you with peace of mind. We are Nested Bean – Mom in Mind. Kids at Heart."
Manasi Gangan and her son Aki
Manasi is a passionate person who believes in ideals, one’s inner strength and doing everything possible to help a cause that you believe in.
"I love to learn and I hope that I will continue to learn something new until the last day."
She believes in simplicity and respecting what a person stands for and not their title.
"Almost everyone teaches you something if you have an open mind and the ability to listen."
"I love to learn and I hope that I will continue to learn something new until the last day."
She believes in simplicity and respecting what a person stands for and not their title.
"Almost everyone teaches you something if you have an open mind and the ability to listen."
Tell us about your NOW (Noodle On the Wall)
It all started with three simple questions. WHY, then WHAT IF, then WHY again.
WHY would my sleeping baby awaken after being placed down?
WHAT IF I made him feel like I was there by mimicking my touch?
.......And lastly (after being surprised by the results)
WHY does simulated touch work?
It all started with three simple questions. WHY, then WHAT IF, then WHY again.
WHY would my sleeping baby awaken after being placed down?
WHAT IF I made him feel like I was there by mimicking my touch?
.......And lastly (after being surprised by the results)
WHY does simulated touch work?
Nested Bean Inc. was a formed to realize my entrepreneurial dream. A dream to create something that would help the masses in the most meaningful way. A product that would make a difference.
Having been an IT professional for over fifteen years, I envisioned that I would develop an innovative technology product solving a relevant problem. However, after my second son was born, I was faced with a unique challenge. He did not sleep without being in my arms and woke up as soon as he was placed down.
Now I have to tell you a bit about us engineers, most of us cannot leave a problem alone, apparently, even in a sleep deprived state. We have to slice it, dice it, figure it out and then attempt to solve it.
Having been an IT professional for over fifteen years, I envisioned that I would develop an innovative technology product solving a relevant problem. However, after my second son was born, I was faced with a unique challenge. He did not sleep without being in my arms and woke up as soon as he was placed down.
Now I have to tell you a bit about us engineers, most of us cannot leave a problem alone, apparently, even in a sleep deprived state. We have to slice it, dice it, figure it out and then attempt to solve it.
Sleeping Baby with Nested Bean's Zen Swaddle
And so it began, WHY does a sleeping baby awaken when placed down? Sleep researches have documented that a baby’s sleep cycle couldn’t be more different than ours. Babies sleep in short cycles of light and deep sleep. Furthermore, it takes a much longer time for them to enter a deep sleep state, while we enter deep sleep almost immediately. So the smallest of changes and differences in environment may awaken a sleeping baby. Then I thought, what did my baby seek in my touch and could this feeling be mimicked? I created a contraption of sorts that touched him by applying light pressure, where my hands and body fell when he was in my arms. And Voila! It seemed to work! His sleeping was longer and easier. Days turned into months. A little less sleep deprived and I started tinkering with the idea of a product. If it helped me, it was bound to help other moms like me. However, I had to test it on other babies before being really sure. To my amazement, each test proved more successful than the previous. Now I had to find the reason why it worked. Instinct told me that my touch was crucial for my baby, however WHY was simulation of touch showing similar results? So, I read the work of several touch researchers only to find the same message repeated. Touch soothes by stabilizing heart rate, lowering blood pressure and Cortisol levels. Also, our skin may not differentiate between touch from a person and that from an object, thus making simulated touch a beneficial alternative. Touch and simulated touch trigger a self soothing response helping self regulation. I also learned that for more than a decade, hospital NICUs have used light pressure accessories to calm babies.
The Zen Swaddle
I had found my answers and my mission was clear. A product idea had taken root, the cause could not be more justified and it would certainly touch many lives. I put together a team of professionals in juvenile product development, consulted with top safety firms, childcare professionals and touch researchers, and this is how in 2011 Nested Bean Inc. and its flagship product - the Zen SwaddleTM was born.
Is your NOW simmering, al dente or fully cooked and why?
Simmering. We are a young company with a new product. The Zen SwaddleTM was launched at select retailers in August 2012 and has been received well by both retailers, parents and media. Moms have given it a Thumbs Up! The Zen SwaddleTM recently received praise from the Boston Herald, Babble and even People.com who listed it as one of “15 Newborn Essentials." Although we have had a reasonably good start, the road ahead is long and challenging. It will take this NOW some time to be al dente. I am eager and excited to see our product help many moms and babies, as well as to develop new products that solve old problems in a new way.
What recipes can you give other Creative Moms Taking On The Creative?
A good recipe is always about the right ingredients. And for an entrepreneur this means having.....
Exceptional People - Create an excellent and talented team to achieve your goal. It’s not a one (wo)man show.
A Meticulous Plan – know your goal and create a step by step plan to get there. Leave no stone unturned.
Patience – The last essential ingredient in any well made dish. Don’t rush and expect immediate results. Stay on course but with intermediate goals each with a well defined measurement criteria.
The Ability To Adapt – Things almost never go as per plan. How many times has a recipe not turned out the way you had planned..a few times, right? As you may agree, life is even more unpredictable than a 45 – 60 minute dish. Being agile in your thinking, knowing how to adapt to make the most of a situation and changing direction mid course if needed, has defined most great companies.
What motivated you to throw your noodle?
My husband, who has been a never ending source of strength and inspiration and
An inexplicable urge to reach many and make a difference.
Simmering. We are a young company with a new product. The Zen SwaddleTM was launched at select retailers in August 2012 and has been received well by both retailers, parents and media. Moms have given it a Thumbs Up! The Zen SwaddleTM recently received praise from the Boston Herald, Babble and even People.com who listed it as one of “15 Newborn Essentials." Although we have had a reasonably good start, the road ahead is long and challenging. It will take this NOW some time to be al dente. I am eager and excited to see our product help many moms and babies, as well as to develop new products that solve old problems in a new way.
What recipes can you give other Creative Moms Taking On The Creative?
A good recipe is always about the right ingredients. And for an entrepreneur this means having.....
Exceptional People - Create an excellent and talented team to achieve your goal. It’s not a one (wo)man show.
A Meticulous Plan – know your goal and create a step by step plan to get there. Leave no stone unturned.
Patience – The last essential ingredient in any well made dish. Don’t rush and expect immediate results. Stay on course but with intermediate goals each with a well defined measurement criteria.
The Ability To Adapt – Things almost never go as per plan. How many times has a recipe not turned out the way you had planned..a few times, right? As you may agree, life is even more unpredictable than a 45 – 60 minute dish. Being agile in your thinking, knowing how to adapt to make the most of a situation and changing direction mid course if needed, has defined most great companies.
What motivated you to throw your noodle?
My husband, who has been a never ending source of strength and inspiration and
An inexplicable urge to reach many and make a difference.
Arnav, Manasi and Aki
What inspires you as a Mom and as a creative person?
As a Mom – I am inspired by the uniqueness of my two sons and I feel that I need to adapt to be a good mother to each of them. I am inspired by the need to give my children the absolute best so that they become the best “them” that they can be. I am inspired by the need to create strong ideals for them so that I teach them by actions and not by mere words.
As a professional – I am inspired by the idea that I can make a difference, that it is not as hard as people think if we change the definition of what is hard. Strong personalities that dare to care. People who are crazy enough to believe that they can make a difference. Those who come from obscurity and go on to win the world just because they had a dream and the insane courage to realize it.
How do you juggle Mamahood and your NOW?
As a rule I don’t work when my children are around me. My kids, 7 and almost 3, both are away during the day so I get some time to myself. However, when they are around me I try not to work. I give them all my attention. We play, read, cook and do chores together. However, to compensate, I sleep fewer hours. Four hours is usually sufficient.
What is your ultimate pasta dish?
This is going to be a hard one to answer. Not only do I want to refrain from sounding presumptuous, but I am also someone who is not easily satisfied with the current state. I raise the bar just as I get closer to one goal, creating a newer goal to reach. I guess I will know when I get there...I would like to think that I will be content with a certain state some day. Just don’t know what that is right now.
As a Mom – I am inspired by the uniqueness of my two sons and I feel that I need to adapt to be a good mother to each of them. I am inspired by the need to give my children the absolute best so that they become the best “them” that they can be. I am inspired by the need to create strong ideals for them so that I teach them by actions and not by mere words.
As a professional – I am inspired by the idea that I can make a difference, that it is not as hard as people think if we change the definition of what is hard. Strong personalities that dare to care. People who are crazy enough to believe that they can make a difference. Those who come from obscurity and go on to win the world just because they had a dream and the insane courage to realize it.
How do you juggle Mamahood and your NOW?
As a rule I don’t work when my children are around me. My kids, 7 and almost 3, both are away during the day so I get some time to myself. However, when they are around me I try not to work. I give them all my attention. We play, read, cook and do chores together. However, to compensate, I sleep fewer hours. Four hours is usually sufficient.
What is your ultimate pasta dish?
This is going to be a hard one to answer. Not only do I want to refrain from sounding presumptuous, but I am also someone who is not easily satisfied with the current state. I raise the bar just as I get closer to one goal, creating a newer goal to reach. I guess I will know when I get there...I would like to think that I will be content with a certain state some day. Just don’t know what that is right now.
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