Melissa Clayton, is inventor of The Matte and also CEO + Founder of Tiny Tags, an online personalized jewelry brand. Melissa started her first company, Tiny Tags after the birth of her first son in 2006 when she couldn’t find the perfect personalized necklace so she decided to make my own. The same is true with The Matte. Tired of using her toilet seat as a counter, balancing make up on the edges of her sink and watching expensive cosmetics fall on the floor, Melissa knew there had to be a better way.
Melissa started exploring how she could cover her sink to create a counter and also design something that was compact enough to store in her small bathroom. Melissa had a general idea of the design she wanted but finding an industrial designer would prove to be a huge challenge. “No one wanted to work with me because I was on a limited budget’ said Melissa. Determined to get her product made, Melissa kept cold calling industrial design firms. Luck was on her side when a firm turned her down but gave her the name of freelance industrial designer.
After multi revisions the final design was approved and Melissa set out to have someone manufacturer her invention which she called The Matte. The design was unique because it was a mat large enough to cover a sink and able to hold two pounds of weight yet folded up to about the size of an iPad. Once again, Melissa’s determination proved an asset. After dozens of no’s because she only wanted to manufacture an initial order of 500 Melissa finally had a yes and the first shipment of The Matte arrived at her door in October of 2015. With her passion for business and determination, Melissa is excited to share The Matte with all the women getting ready in small bathrooms.
