Welcome to Why Not Me? Embracing Autism and Mental Health Worldwide Hosted by Tony Miantour Broadcasting from the heart of Music City, USA, Nashville, Tennessee Join us as our guests share their raw, powerful stories Some will spark laughter, others will move you to tears These real-life journeys inspire, connect and remind you that you're never alone We're igniting a global movement to empower everyone to make a lasting difference by fostering deep awareness, unwavering acceptance and profound understanding of autism and mental health Tune in, be inspired and join us in transforming the world one story at a time Hi, I'm Tony Miantour Welcome to Why Not Me? Embracing Autism and Mental Health Worldwide Joining us today is Drew Ann Long the visionary founder of Caroline's Cart In a world where differences are too often misunderstood she has transformed challenges into opportunities to reshaping the landscape of accessibility and inclusion for people worldwide Inspired by her daughter Caroline, who has a severe disability she created a revolutionary accessibility solution that transformed retail for those with special needs Her relentless vision proves that one person truly can make a difference in this world She's here to share her journey with us and what a journey it is So before we dive into our episode we'll be back with an uninterrupted show right after a word from our sponsors Thanks for joining us today Oh, no, I'm excited This is great, this is gonna be great Well, thanks If you would, give us a little background on what it is that you do Okay, so I'm a mom of three My middle daughter Caroline was born with severe disabilities doesn't walk, doesn't talk She's now 24, but years ago when she was about eight years old and outgrew all the different carts at the stores I thought, well, I need to now put her in a special needs shopping cart Surely there's a special needs shopping cart There's so many different variety of carts So I had my manager look into it at a local public He agreed, he said, well, yeah, there probably is I'll go ahead and buy it for you since you shop here So he did his homework, I did my homework and lo and behold, there had never ever been a special needs shopping cart and I really could not believe that I thought, well, that has got to change because the special needs population is the world's largest minority group We are worldwide and I knew if I needed it that others needed it too Yes, that makes total sense Now, that tells me on how you came up with your idea of doing this Can you tell us how it came about that you made it a reality? Well, I would need about two weeks to tell you that story so I'll try to give you the quick version Okay If you've seen Caroline's cart and if anybody needs a visual of it you know, my website is carolinescart.com That's one of my websites, I had several but that should pop up a picture and it's a very simple design I literally drew that on a piece of paper There's no electronics Very simple, you know, just took out the little baby seat and just put in a larger seat for an older child all the way, you know, through adult years So I drew that out and I took it to four shopping cart manufacturers in the United States There's only four and all four of them told me no Wow They did not see the need Just shocking They had walked into my shoes for 10 minutes They would never have told me no They did not live in my world It was not a priority at all I mean, I tried to explain to them there's a huge gap in this retail world of shopping and this is a product that I believe would be successful I didn't want anything I didn't want money I just wanted them to do it Yeah, I can understand that So what happened next? So when they all told me no, I was left with, okay I'm either gonna let go or I'm gonna do it I'm gonna figure out how to do it So I have a business degree working and counting my whole career was now a stay-at-home mom of three little kids My husband traveled and I had to figure it out every step of the way I had to figure out the whole process So once you put this idea together then you were ultimately turned down Was that the moment that it all clicked? The inspiration kicked in You decided then to do it on your own Yes Yes, I It took me about a year to get a prototype And you know, people always say You know, it took about seven years to get Caroline's cart off the ground and people often asked me why it took so long Well, I didn't have the luxury of going to an office every day I was a mom first My husband traveled for a living I was at home with three littles and I had to do this one I could So it took me about a year to find a prototype It was in Indianapolis, Indiana It cost $28,000 and you couldn't even sit in it But it was an actual physical product brought home to my living room to my dining room took pictures and on May 11th I'm sorry, May of 2011 is when I took pictures of it and I went to social media and it exploded I was getting messages from people not kidding all over the world saying where can, who has this? Because this is how I'm going to grocery shop and I didn't even have a manufacturer Really just started there and from there I had to find a manufacturer but I couldn't find one and it was very difficult It cost a ton of money and it cost many years to get off the ground but I just figured it out, you know That's a lot of work to go through for sure Now, once you had the prototype How long did it take until you had a physical product that you could show and use? It was that rule Okay, well after I got that first prototype that you couldn't sit in and I started Facebook and Instagram and started building that demand I thought, well I've got to have something that I can take a video in something that I can demo something that I can use and be out in public Okay, that makes sense So I had to have another prototype and I went to my local college university engineering department just to make me a prototype that you could sit in cost $80,000 Oh, wow Yeah, I never dreamt I mean, my husband and I did not have this kind of money We had to, of course, we drained our savings We took every extra paycheck, bonus everything we poured in through it We never vacationed for years and eventually we had to go to our retirement My husband's 401k which, you know, you're never supposed to touch but we didn't have a choice So I actually got one that I could sit in and took it to a, you know None of the big stores would let me in They're like, you can't come in here with that You know, the Walmart of the world, Publix So I found a mom-and-pop store locally owned in Birmingham, Alabama They let me in to take videos and photos, pictures I promoted the heck out of that The demand is getting bigger all over the nation and people are wanting to know where to get it So I took prototype number two back to corporate America back to a shopping cart manufacturer There's four, I narrowed it down to one I thought, well, I don't want to get four nosy cans So let me just pick one So I picked the largest, they're in North Carolina I took prototype number two told them that I had a lot of demand for this that people wanted it and they told me no a second time That's a really tough pill to swallow So how did you handle it? What was going through your mind? Cried all the way home 6 1⁄2 hour drive and I thought, you know I, I, this can't succeed without the manufacturer, of course So just from the internet and you know just doing all I could I found a manufacturer in Georgia This manufacturer had never made a shopping cart They had made lumber carts If you know what rolling lumber carts are Yeah, sure do Okay, so he made me 100 carts 100 Carolina carts and it cost $100,000 Wow, that's a big ticket So the financial strain of this was tremendous I really thought that this would cost 20,000, 30,000 I'd be rocking and rolling In the end, I'll tell you it was a half a million dollars to get it off the ground A half a million dollars Wow, that's a huge leap for you to do Was that for everything? And that's with all the patents, you know So you did this You took a leap of faith Once you got all the orders in Did it finally start to sell? Oh, absolutely not So once I had my 100 carts Actually, it was only 88 carts because there was a fire at the manufacturer That's another story So no one would buy them Like I would go to Walmart and all the big stores and they said We're not going to buy that Number one, we only buy from one shopping cart manufacturer and it was the one in North Carolina that had pulled me no twice So I had to seed the market to build the demand The only way I thought I had a chance was the locally owned mall stores So my first sale I went to the web and I got a list of nationwide mom and pop stores and I would call them and I would tell them my story and my first sale was in Chicago, Illinois at Sunset Foods and that was sale number one So as with anything when you get that first sale that's the big one What happened after that? Then I strategically tried to place the cart all over the nation to have a nationwide grassroots effort to build the demand That's a great plan Now the big question Did it work? So it took about a year Took about a year to sell 88 carts and then several months later probably six, eight months later my phone rings and it was North Carolina I'm like, oh, I wonder who this is So as the manufacturer calling me saying it's now time for you to come back We are interested now We now have Walmart and Target and all the big stores all the big chains calling us one king, Carolina's cart So I went on my third trip back to North Carolina and that is when I got a manufacturing contract and that is how Carolina's cart not only went nationwide but went international as well Wow, that's a great story Now with all that money invested needless to say you need to get a return on your investment Did this finally work out to where you could actually start to see a return on your investment then ultimately a profit? Yes, it took about seven years It was a one-way income stream and that was income out of my bank account for about seven years So then it took several years for me to make money to pay myself back of course and then Carolina's cart has been in the market since 2012-2013 So yes, I am now I do make money on it, yes Praise the Lord, I do Well, there's nothing wrong with that I mean, you put in your hard earned money to get this thing up and going You know, there's still a lot of runway left I work on it every day There are still corporate chains that have said no like Costco SAMS has done a nationwide rollout Costco refuses, they don't see the need So I still have work to do but it has really, you know, exploded over the years Last year in July of 2024 Walmart did a nationwide rollout So if anyone is listening and hasn't seen Caroline's cart any Walmart in the United States has it The big super centers as well as the smaller grocery stores neighborhood markets So you can see it growing every single one So that really did breed new life into it put it back on the map I believe it's starting to put pressure on these stores that have said no for so long Number one, I think it's great that it's finally doing well for you With that said, it really amazes me all the attention that autism, mental illness and those with special needs are getting that these corporations would have a death ear and a blind eye to what's going on out there Right So what's happening now? I mean, you finally got it out there It's doing well What's the next step? What are you doing to expand it to make it better and get it out to even more people? Well, okay, so Walmart, Mexico Walmart, Canada Yes, they're Walmart's but they're different They have a different board of directors different leadership team They have said no to Caroline's cart Wow, that's totally baffling Oh, yes And you know, it just people like you and me and probably all of your listeners are like that doesn't make sense Who would say no to a shopping cart that not only helps the disabled community? Yeah, we track users The second largest user of Caroline's cart are the senior adult that can't drive the scooters It is maddening to me and I have been doing this for so long now Why would Walmart, Canada say no? Why would Walmart, Mexico say no? So I'm still out there fighting every day and doing all I can to change the minds I always see the people that are the decision makers They don't live in our world Clearly they don't Otherwise, it wouldn't be so hard It is totally amazing I think you're right there Now, let's change gears just slightly You've got Caroline's cart doing really well Now, I believe this gave you the opportunity to start up a foundation to help people with scholarships When my daughter in 2016 went to college we were looking for scholarships One thing I thought was you know, because there's so many scholarships out there I really thought, well, is there a scholarship for the Special Needs family? Maybe for if you have a Special Needs sibling There wasn't and we searched and searched So my husband and I thought, wow, what a great thing if we could start a nonprofit to give back to the community and people that helped get Caroline's cart off the ground And what community is that? That's the Special Needs community without social media getting my word out but without the backing and the Special Needs families all over, you know, the United States and beyond that were going to their store and saying, hey you need Caroline's cart We need it for our family I need Caroline's cart here I need Caroline's cart here So we decided to start a nonprofit called Caroline's Cause What it does is if you have a family dynamic like mine where you have typical kids and a Special Needs child we award a one-time $5,000 scholarship to a entering freshman of college Wow, that's a wonderful way to support families providing that extra financial boost can make a huge difference in helping kids pursue their college dreams That's just great We say it's a win-win-win It's a win for the mom and dad because it gives them some financial help It is a win for the student because it helps get their education off the ground and it's a win for the Special Needs child because they are the star of the show You can't even apply for a scholarship if you don't have a Special Needs sibling So we're getting that off the ground I had over 72 unfunded scholarships this past year So I'm really, really working hard trying to promote and get national sponsors for Caroline's Cause One corporate sponsorship one only costs $5,000 For a corporation that is nothing I don't take a salary I have zero overhead This is just something This was my give back project to the Special Needs community That is just so awesome I mean, I'm sure you realize it but it has to be said you're changing lives you're helping lives That's a truly great thing to do Now, with any business you have a business plan You've got Caroline's Cards up and going What's next? What do you see for the next three to five years for everything you're involved in? Sure, well for Caroline's Cart it is absolutely continued growth I always say that I won't be done until we are standard store equipment What that means is anytime a store opens they order about 250 regular carts They order about 4-6 fun carts and they order 4-6 electric scooters I want Caroline's Cart to be that same standard store equipment and we're not there yet That is my goal and again, international I mean, we're in about eight or nine countries now but I'm still not in Walmart, Canada I'm still not in Walmart, Mexico and that just doesn't make sense So continued growth for that and for Caroline's cause you know, sure, again continued growth My vision is to never have an unfunded scholarship Never have an unfunded scholarship So anyone listening that wants to make a donation to Caroline's Cause that's my website, Caroline's Cause We take Venmo, PayPal, all the things and we are looking for corporate sponsors that we can also promote on all our channels and put on our websites as well Yeah, that's great, great plans Now, if I Google Caroline's Cart I see this website that's got all these different things on it and it makes me wonder do you get people that contact you and want to buy them as well? We cannot sell to individuals No, we can only sell it to retailers Okay, that makes sense So this is basically a retail focus business Right, I'm glad you said that because you know, so many people go on Shark Tank and so many people bring products to market That's great, I'm different I'm the unicorn and here's why I developed a product that the consumer wanted but the consumer could never buy it I had to go to the retailer So that made it infinitely harder because Caroline's Cart comes off their bottom line Walmart doesn't buy Caroline's Cart market up in Stelik Right, that makes sense So it made it infinitely harder So imagine that you create something that you get thousands and thousands of emails that people want and when buy it in a second got to say, oh well you can only use this great thing that you want if you go to your store and use it So I'm glad you brought that up That did make me the unicorn, I think, of entrepreneurs bringing your product to market because most products are sold directly to the consumer and I didn't have that option Yes, that makes total sense With all the trials and the tribulations that you went through getting this to the stores what's the one thing that was the most frustrating and then what's the one thing that was probably the most satisfying? I think the most frustrating thing from day one is the lack of empathy and experience that decision makers have in the special needs world You may not have a Caroline in your life a severely disabled child but there is not one person that cannot identify with Caroline's cart We all will be caregivers We all might be the one who needs the caregiver Anybody can identify with Caroline's cart and very, very maddening and frustrating when a buyer looks at me like Costco and says, we don't see the need That doesn't make sense I'm calling them out because I maybe I haven't got to the right person but to me, there's no excuse Anybody can point out a problem The problem was there was not a special needs shopping cart Now there is a solution to that This is for the autistic community This is for the disabled community This is for the senior adults I could go on and on This is for your neighbor who's child 10 and broke their leg and just needs to ride in the car because the car's too hot and they can't sit in the car Not one customer has ever bought Caroline's cart and not been happy with it or returned it or said, you know, it never got used It's been the exact opposite They start off with one Oh, we need three or four more So the frustrating part is getting to the right person and trying to make them just have a glimpse into what my family and millions of families deal with every day Sure, I get that Now, that was the frustrating part Now, let's turn this around and make it about satisfaction, about pride It doesn't have to be your first sale That's always a great memory What is something else that you just remember that you say when you think of it? This was all worth it Well, of course, anytime I get photos and emails and letters it never gets old because I'm one of these families You know, I speak their language I know how hard it is to raise a child with a disability So I love getting all of those I think one of the most exciting times was a couple summers ago I believe it was two summers ago We sent a container of Caroline's cart to Dubai When I sit and I think, gosh, I'm just a small town Alabama girl with an idea and now my idea is in grocery stores in Dubai I mean, that's just hard for me to wrap my head around Sure, sure, that makes sense I think I'd be the same way myself Now, don't take this wrong but with everything that's going on with autism, special needs, disabilities, mental illness the elderly that needs all kinds of help short-term illness The list goes on and on I'm really shocked this has not been thought of before this Oh, absolutely, no offense taken I say it's the aha moment before Caroline's cart hit the market and just in my small circle of friends and family I would just take my drawing everybody was like, well, duh Well, why doesn't that exist? I mean, that's just the simplest thing that just got overlooked You're exactly right Why? Why has this never been out there? Why? Yeah, it just doesn't make sense Doesn't make sense at all Now, when you first designed this how long did it actually take you to get the design in your mind? Honestly, it was... You see it, it's so simple You know, getting it from my head to a piece of paper took 10 seconds I'm like, okay, stick figure here, big seat I'm done, that took 10 seconds Now, you know, it's a lot harder to get it come to life you know, for sure but the design is just so simple My husband and I say all the time how did this get overlooked? And you know, what is so maddening is I took my stick figure drawing to four shopping cart manufacturers didn't want to dine didn't own the patents I was literally just saying, hey, you need to do this We all need it out there Here you go and none of them will listen to me They won't listen to me Yeah, that's just so crazy Now, you do have the patent now and you own all the rights to the name and likeness and all that stuff, right? Yes, I do Right, I own trademark patents US and international, yes That's great The main thing is that you've covered yourself for everything that you need to In closing, what do you think is very important that our listeners hear about what you've done what you're doing what you continue to do and of course what you're doing with the foundation The first thing that just came to my head is take the risk whether that is in developing a product like I did whatever you're doing in your life So many things that we are faced with are risky Do we want to put the time, the money, the effort Let's just say it costs no money If you believe in it enough like I believed in Caroline's cart enough the risk will be ultimately worth it So I didn't say it would be easy I look back and I see that I became the ultimate risk taker That's a scary thing And I'm sure we've all taken risks but it didn't work out I was at a stage in my life with Caroline and I believed in this product and I thought, you know, if it fails, it fails but I have to do I have to know I've got to give this a shot So take the risk Yeah, absolutely I completely agree I did the same thing myself Now, how do people find you if they want to look and see what you're doing or reach out to you What's the best way? The best way to contact me is my website my personal website and it's my name so I'll say it's drewandspeaks.com D-R-E-W-A-N-N speaks S-P-E-A-K-S drewandspeaks.com That's great great information So you mentioned earlier that people would send you emails and correspond with you on Instagram and all that What are some of the better ones that you've gotten? Oh, I mean, all tremendous I mean, absolutely all tremendous I want to share something I got last month I'm on LinkedIn and I got a private message and someone asking me for my address Well, you know, you have to be careful who you give your address to So I said, you know, I need more information and it was a man who said I want to send you a gift My wife used Caroline's cart That's all he said So I gave him my address I go to the mail several weeks later and this man had made me a Caroline's cart necklace with a handwritten note that said My wife developed cancer later in life She was always so weak and frail She loved to be out in the community and of course, being a woman, she loved to shop Thank you for creating Caroline's cart So my wife, in her last months of dying with cancer could still be a part of everyday things that she loved to do Thank you for making beauty from ashes I mean, wow Yeah, not only wow but that's pretty powerful That's pretty powerful And that is, so let's think about that That is someone who never was touched with disability in any way, shape or form It was cancer His wife dying from cancer and he had me a necklace made because they appreciated what I did so much That is exactly what these CEOs and board members of these big corporations not only need to hear but need to understand from that You better believe it I posted, I scribbled his name off of it and with his permission I posted the necklace and the handwritten card on my LinkedIn hoping just for that Like, hey, this right here You don't think Caroline's cart is needed? Please read Yeah I mean, that is a huge impact for that type of scenario The interesting part is when you see the cart you think of the special needs You think of all the people that it could help But that particular situation that would not be the first thing that you would think of Oh, never, never That is someone, again, like I said who's never been touched with disability yet is dying wife required it to shop Yeah, absolutely Well, this has been a tremendous story It's been great information great conversation I really appreciate you taking the time to join us today Oh, look, I This is what I do This is how I get the word out This is how I reach corporate America and I reach these retailers because I know I've learned a network and everybody knows something So if any of your listeners please reach out to me if there's any opportunities where I can come speak raise money from my nonprofit or sell cards That's what I do Yeah, that's just so great Well, thanks again Music Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to listen to our show today We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you If you know someone who has a story to share tell them to contact us at whynotme.world One last thing spread the word about why not me Our conversations our inspiring guests the show You are not alone in this world
