MyBodyModel, Erica Schmitz
BY MAUREEN MILLIKEN Photo: Tim Greenway
Erica Schmitz began making her own clothes five years ago but soon came across a frustration — the online templates had body images that were great for fashion models, but not for everyone else.
She soon found out that she wasn't alone, it was a global issue.
Schmitz, of Portland, is a consultant with an Augusta public health nonprofit, not an inventor. But, armed with an aging iPad and a desire to solve a problem, she did what entrepreneurs have been doing since someone looked at a rock and said, "Gee, if I make this round so it can roll, maybe it will help me get places faster."
She's been developing her startup for more than a year. Financing has included grants, investments from friends and family, a successful Kickstarter campaign, and a lot of hard work.
"So far I've been bootstrapping it," Schmitz says.
She hopes to launch Mybodymodel, an app that will allow sewing hobbyists and clothes designers to create a custom body sketch, this fall.