Special-Needs Business Profile: Bjort & Company

Kelly Harmsen started Bjort & Company, Inc. in June of 2005. It's a full-time job for her, but she's had some family support. "My husband, Allen, is my silent partner," she says. "I do everything for Bjort & Company, Inc., but he helped me get it started. My sister Tracy Barker helped me write the script for the DVD and has helped me out in many other ways."

Bjort & Company's primary product right now is a DVD, The Eye Patch Kids, that helps children who need eye patches feel more comfortable about wearing them. "I like to think of my business as something that helps children out," Harmsen says. "So far, it's for kids wearing an eye patch, and in the future it will hopefully be for kids with food allergies and asthma. I have also started an online store with T-shirts and accessories for kids who are wearing an eye patch or eye glasses, or who have food allergies. I have had lots of parents order from there."

Harmsen found out her son had amblyopia when he was two years old. "When he was first diagnosed we were really scared because we had never heard of this before," she recalls. "We knew that if he didn't wear his glasses and patch, he could lose his vision in that eye. Then after he started wearing his glasses, it was a nightmare trying to keep them on him, and the eye patch was even worse. It was such a struggle to see your child cry because they have to put something over their eye that is making them not see at all. Then to tell them that you are doing this because you love them. It's heartbreaking!"

The best thing about having her own business, Harmsen says, is "that I am able to help kids just like my son get through a tough time with patching to hopefully save their vision. Also, that I am able to work from home to be there for my kids. That I am my own boss and I am able to have full control over how I run my business. It's definitely a learning process and even though I've made a few mistakes, I can learn from them." Of course, there are drawbacks, too: "Sometimes I am up until late getting orders filled," she admits, and says the hardest part of the business is "not knowing when to turn off the computer!"

Harmsen considers her business a success, "and not because of how many orders I have received, but by the emails I get. I have had lots of emails from parents, teachers, Optometrists and Pediatric Ophthalmologists from all over the world. There is no other feeling like it in the world when I get an email from a parent telling me that their child's patching was successful because of my DVD. To me that is definitely successful."

Harmsen's son "thinks that he's famous because his picture in on a couple of our interviews. We recently did a TV news interview and when Joshua saw himself on television, he told me, 'Now everyone is going to want my autograph.' It was so cute."

"I have another DVD that I am working on for kids with asthma and food allergies. Both of my kids have asthma, and my son and niece both have peanut allergies. My sister and I are in the middle of writing that DVD right now. I want other people to understand what it's like for a child with these to deal with on a daily basis. I want to help the kids living with this and help their friends understand how they can help them to stay safe. I also have a few other DVDs in mind for later. It's very exciting to be able to do this and make a difference in kids lives."

What inspired you to start your business?

After I came up with the idea to make a rough draft DVD just to encourage Josh to keep his eye patch on, I did some research on the internet and realized how many other kids there were just like Josh with no resources to help them or their parents. That's when I thought that this might have a bigger picture than just helping my son.

How did you go about getting it started?

I was a hairdresser at the time and my boss, Ben, was also a musician and his father, Jim Mollin, was a music teacher. Ben and his dad helped me with the music. Then I just wrote a script, made the puppets and backgrounds for the DVD, and hired a company to film it. My sister and my girlfriend Andrea (who plays the star Princess of the DVD) were a tremendous help in playing the puppets and giving me their input.

How is your son doing now?

Joshua is doing great. He is still maintenance patching about four times a week for an hour, and he still wears glasses. The maintenance patching is just to keep his vision from regressing.

What advice would you give to other parents about raising a child with special needs?

I would say to try and get as much information about resources in your area to help you out. Having a child with special needs can be very demanding. Those parents who do this on a daily basis are really special.

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