FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Daynin Dashefsky usually comes up with invention ideas right before falling asleep. Some that actually made it to shelves of stores such as FAO Schwarz include, from left, Hair Care'rousel, Jewelry Care'rousel and Nail Care'rousel. Her daughter, Briana, right, dries her nails as sister Kylee watches.

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Inventing a better life

A local entrepreneur teaches others
how to turn their great ideas into
lucrative and marketable products

As a single mom of two daughters, Daynin Dashefsky needed to be creative in blending work and family life, so she started inventing and selling her own products. Now, she's conducting workshops to help others fulfill their dream of bringing their own products to market.

MARKETING SEMINAR "How to Make and Bring Your Product to Market" When: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Ala Moana Hotel Admission: $200 in advance; $250 at the door Call: 263-8160

Dashefsky's first invention was born at a barbecue at her mother's home in Nanakuli. Her mom was fanning flies away with a coconut leaf and commented that whoever made something to keep flies from food would make millions.

"That is when I got my first invention idea, the 'No Fly Zone,'" Dashefsky said. "It's a battery-operated canister with streaming silk leaves that keeps the flies away from your food when eating outdoors. It also rotates mosquito coils and incense," she said. "That is the product that launched my career and taught me more than I ever thought possible."

Since then, ideas randomly pop into her head, especially during the night. "The hardest part of having a creative mind and being an entrepreneur is shutting off your mind," she said. "Sometimes when I'm between being awake and being asleep, my best ideas pop into my head."

Her daughters might follow in her footsteps.

"They love coming up with inventions and ideas," she said. Her Nail Care'rousel set her younger daughter Briana, 7, thinking about a machine that would paint your finger and toe nails.

Some of their ideas are "way out there," Dashefsky admits, but she appreciates that the girls are using their imagination.

The "Care'rousel" line -- Hair Care'rousel, Nail Care'rousel and Jewelry Care'rousel -- allow girls to organize accessories by type, style, color and matching pairs. The items came to be when Dashefsky was trying to help her daughters conquer clutter.

"My toys teach children early on how to organize their things in a fun way, in the hopes it carries over into other areas of their lives."

Dashefsky's products are sold throughout the world by companies such as Wal-Mart, FAO Schwarz, Toys "R" Us, Longs, Daiei and the Lillian Vernon catalog.

"First and foremost, my job is making sure I can feed my kids and put a roof over their heads. I grew up in Nanakuli on welfare, and I wanted a better life and better opportunities for my children," Dashefsky said. "In order to give them those things, I had to make sacrifices."

One of the first things would-be inventors and entrepreneurs must know is that far from the dream of setting one's own hours, taking long lunches and conducting business at poolside, running a business requires strict discipline and enormous time and energy, she explained.

Working at home meant "it was so easy to always be working. There were always challenges and fires to put out."

Also, creating products involved making many trips to China. "It was difficult to always be at every soccer game, every school event and every milestone moment in (my daughters') lives. My being gone so much and being so busy all of the time was affecting my children," Dashefsky said.

Thus her switch to teaching the trade. "It gives me more time to focus on my kids while they are still young. They grow up so fast, and these are important years for them."

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FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Dashefsky also competes in Brazilian jiujitsu and writes a column, "The Stronger Sex," for Bodyguard magazine.

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THE MOST challenging facet of entrepreneurship was funding her dreams. "Money was always the problem, issue and challenge. The more money I made, the more money I needed to keep going and growing," she said. "People don't realize that when a big chain store orders product from you, you have to pay to have that product built and shipped, but you don't get paid from the customer for 30 to 120 days."

Another reason she chose to teach others to design, patent, produce and sell their own products is so she can help them avoid being scammed by infomercials that promise their inventions will be brought to market. All someone can expect after writing to such a program is a letter back requesting thousands of dollars to produce and market a product.

"In the end, all you get for your hard-earned money is a box full of books and tapes telling you how to do it yourself," Dashefsky said.

"At the seminar, I'll show the step-by-step process so people can avoid making the same mistakes most inventors make."

But her most important advice: "It is more important to believe in yourself than in your product. Products come and go. Banks and investors don't invest in products; they invest in people. I cannot emphasize that enough."

Along with her interest in inventing, Dashefsky is an avid fan and competitor in Brazilian jiujitsu. She writes a column for Bodyguard magazine, "The Stronger Sex." Her latest business venture is the Ultimate Impact Benefit, scheduled for March in Hollywood, during which some of the best fighters will be auctioned off for one-on-one training sessions. The money raised will help get troubled youths off the streets and back in school.

"I do things because I love to do them ... they mean something to me," said Dashefsky. "I try to encourage people to go after their dreams, no matter what other people tell them."