Lisa Becker and Beverley van Wyk of Stretch-a-Tac

Lisa Becker and Beverley van Wyk are both excellent examples of what it takes to be a true entrepreneur - hardworking, innovative, and most important - determined! This is one of those rare stories where an idea for an invention is turned to reality - the stuff dreams are made of. We got the story behind these two persevering, motivated women - the inventors of the award-winning product - Stretch-a-Tac - a product destined to be a regular on every supermarket shelf in the near future!

Both Lisa and Beverley have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, which have carried them to where they are today. It was in 1994, having been employed as Secretary to Non Food Buyers at Pick 'n Pay Hypermarket Bedworth Park since 1984, that Lisa opened Mona Lisa Arts and Crafts, converting a disused squash court into an old-world style shop selling various hand-crafted goods. Beverley was involved in opening a family business in 1984 called Performance Kawasaki, before joining Pick 'n Pay Hypermarket Bedworth Park in 1987 as Secretary to Food and Perishable Buyers, where she first met Lisa.

Beverley and Lisa - women of substance!

As part of their duties at the Hypermarket, Lisa and Beverley were required to assist with gift-wrapping services for various events and promotions, such as Mother's and Father's Day, Christmas, and Golf Day prizes. Says Lisa: "This always proved to be a messy job with pieces of sticky tape and cutting and tearing wrapping paper. We thought that there must be an easier way of doing this." And so the idea of a cling gift-wrap was born - a product that sticks to itself requiring no sticky tape - the first beginnings of Stretch-a-Tac.

It took Lisa and Beverley three years to locally develop and patent their product, having gone to approximately thirty manufacturers for assistance. Some tried to develop the product, but couldn't get it right, others turned them away outright. Trial and error was becoming an expensive process, as they were required to produce 250kg of the product at a time for a mere sample, which was thrown away when it did not work. Eventually through much discussion and investigation, Lisa and Beverley came up with a solution, and were able to run a few samples at Sasol Polymers Research Lab, where they found that various colours worked better than others, and through a process of elimination came up with a working product currently available in nine colours.

Having perfected the product, the two women went about marketing themselves, having been told that making a name for yourself was the first step in marketing your product. They attended the Biz2000 show in Johannesburg as well as the INPEX Invention Show in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, the initial response being "Wow, why didn't I think of that!". Their breakthrough, however was when they won the Enterprize "Make your idea your business" competition in 2001, bringing them not only the R150 000 prize money, but a wealth of media exposure including various newspaper articles and radio interviews.

They have since developed "The Lazy Wrap Holder" for easy dispensing of the product. Stretch-a-Tac is also now listed with four Hypermarkets and are currently working on various overseas contacts, with a large order pending in Australia. They also currently market to courier, upholstery, engineering, brick and printing companies, who could benefit from the product's dust and moisture protection properties as well as colour design. Says Beverley: "We are also in the process of negotiations with the ACSA group for wrapping kiosks at all the major SA airports, to wrap large awkward arts and crafts for tourists."

All was not however plain sailing for Lisa and Beverley. After struggling to get the colours right, they were heartbroken when Pick 'n Pay rejected the product the first time, but this just made them more determined: "We actually cried our eyes out, but knew that there must have been a reason for this and now we realise that we weren't ready." They were also let down by a gift paper company who at first wanted sole rights, but then changed their minds after a few months, and a number of overseas deals also fell through. These setbacks, however, did not deter these strong women, who just set out to prove themselves with renewed energy!

Amazingly Lisa and Beverley still find time to have fun and are both members of a motorcycle club - and are regular rally goers. They enjoy spending time with friends and family, going to movies or eating out with their husbands. Lisa and Beverley have high hopes for the future of Stretch-a-Tac. They plan for it to be a household name in the future with large exports overseas, and are also currently developing two new colours. The next phase is to print logos and pictures on the product, which should be available next year. They hope to at last start earning salaries to "be able to spoil our families a bit!"

Lisa and Beverley offer the following advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: "Never give up, and see all criticism in a positive light. Every door that closes will just open up a bigger door with more opportunities. Stay positive and remember to view bad or negative things as a stepping stone and not an obstacle - these things always happen for a reason!" Wise words from two determined, positive women whose product is bound to be a house-hold name in the near future!