Tamara and Sean Turman – Wild Business Growth Podcast #218: Co-Founders of PocketBook Protector

Would you ever start a business with your sibling? That’s the story of this week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guests, Tamara and Sean Turman. Tamara & Sean are the Co-Founders of PocketBook Protector. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Full Transcript
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 218: Tamara and Sean Turman – Co-Founders of PocketBook Protector

Tamara and Sean Turman, the Co-Founders of PocketBook Protector, join the show to share their journey from wanting to start a business together as siblings to creating a solution for bags picking up germs in public. Hear how to create a product, prototype and iterate, find your target customer, divide your roles in a family business, and Tamara’s improvised song. This episode covers everything from web design to being goofy. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• Did anything foreshadow Tamara & Sean would go into business together
• Where did their interest in franchising come from
• What was the “aha” moment behind PocketBook Protector
• How many iterations did it take to find a product Tamara & Sean were ready to go live with
• What’s the approach that’s best helped them grow the business
• How has their relationship outside of work changed since starting the business
• What quirks do they have
• How do you start a business while raising a newborn baby

Connect with Tamara and Sean at PocketBookProtector.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Sibling Business
  • [0:33] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:43] Connect with Tamara and Sean at PocketBookProtector.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
  • [2:11] Alliteration is Amazing
  • [2:30] Starting off hot
  • [2:53] Family Business
  • [3:02] Did anything foreshadow Tamara & Sean would go into business together
  • [3:19] Entrepreneurs
  • [3:51] What sparked Tamara & Sean’s interest in entrepreneurship
  • [4:20] Where did their interest in franchising come from
  • [4:42] Retirement
  • [4:53] Did Tamara & Sean have any idea their first business would be PocketBook Protector

• The PocketBook Protector Story
  • [6:41] What was the “aha” moment behind PocketBook Protector
  • [9:19] Shoutout, Lisa Ascolese! The Inventress, Founder of Inventing A-to-Z and AOWIE
  • [10:42] My extreme example for needing a PocketBook Protector – ouch!
  • [12:04] Yikes!
  • [12:09] Lysol, Clorox Wipes
  • [12:24] Couldn’t resist
  • [12:42] How do you create a product
  • [13:18] Branding
  • [13:31] Prototype
  • [14:11] Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
  • [15:11] Manufacturing
  • [15:35] Packaging
  • [15:47] What area of starting a business had the steepest learning curve
  • [15:55] Web Design
  • [16:38] How many iterations did it take to find a product Tamara & Sean were ready to go live with
  • [16:47] Disposable PocketBook Protector, Reusable PocketBook Protector
  • [17:18] How do Tamara & Sean market the product
  • [17:46] Connect with PocketBook Protector on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
  • [17:56] Love love love podcasts
  • [18:10] Who is Tamara & Sean’s target customer
  • [18:43] MBA (Masters of Business Administration)
  • [21:37] Dirty Jobs
  • [22:54] What’s the split between customers purchasing disposable and reusable PocketBook Protectors
  • [24:31] What’s the approach that’s best helped Tamara & Sean grow the business
  • [25:58] Customer Base
  • [26:39] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool. Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [28:11] How do Tamara & Sean divide their roles in the business
  • [28:19] Project Management
  • [28:28] Emails
  • [28:44] Didn’t even notice it!
  • [29:14] Networking
  • [29:25] Sales
  • [29:49] How did Tamara & Sean decide who focuses on what
  • [30:24] How has their relationship outside of work changed since starting the business

• The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
  • [32:41] What is Tamara’s biggest pet peeve
  • [33:13] What is Sean’s biggest pet peeve
  • [33:42] WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, DMs (Direct Messages)
  • [34:01] Gogie Padilla – Wild Business Growth Podcast #212: Scam Swatter, Founder of Answer Sure
  • [34:32] What’s a quirk Sean has
  • [34:56] That was seriously funny
  • [35:00] What’s a quirk Tamara has
  • [35:53] What’s a weird talent she has
  • [36:53] What’s a weird talent Sean has
  • [37:01] TikTok Dances
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [37:31] How do you start a business while raising a newborn baby
  • [38:12] Will there be any patterns or licensing with PocketBook Protector
  • [39:31] Patent, Trademark
  • [39:41] QVC, Essence, Black Enterprise
  • [40:01] Retail
  • [40:27] PR (Public Relations)
  • [40:29] ALWAYS
  • [40:42] What is the most surprising use case for a PocketBook Protector
  • [40:54] Wowwwwwww
  • [41:10] Paul McCarthy – Wild Business Growth Podcast #217: Simplicity Super, Founder of Snapfix
  • [42:05] What is Tamara’s favorite song to sing to her dogs
  • [42:33] Yessssssssss!
  • [43:24] Connect with Tamara and Sean at PocketBookProtector.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
  • [43:52] What are Tamara’s Final Thoughts
  • [44:05] Chadwick Boseman
  • [45:15] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And 5 stars on Apple Podcasts & Spotify if you’re feeling super nice
  • [45:36] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [45:40] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [45:42] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [45:47] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Tamara & Sean Turman on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And make up a song with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!