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A shoe-string budget has not stopped a Hamilton mother whose child care clip invention is taking the world by storm.

Bianca Richardson, of InKIDable Solutions Ltd, used her personal $30 weekly spending allowance to develop the Houdini Stop car seat clip, which four years on is selling like hotcakes throughout the world.

The clip product, which prevents children from unbuckling their child restraint, last year turned over almost  $200,000 for the stay-at-home mother who invented it to cope with her own “Houdini child”.

“I invented it out of sheer desperation because I couldn’t find anything on the market that would keep her buckled in. The next thing my friends were asking me to make some for them. I thought I might sell a couple of hundred of them but I never imagined I would be selling thousands each year throughout the world,” Bianca said.

Houdini Stop has two clips joined by a length of material which connect and holds car seat straps together to stop children escaping. It can also be used on high chairs and strollers.

The product is stocked in baby retailers throughout New Zealand including Baby City and The Baby Factory and Bianca has distributors in Singapore, Poland, Spain, the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Bianca has worked with economic development agency Opportunity Hamilton, who connected her with business mentors to encourage her in her “little ideas with big results” venture.

“The support of Opportunity Hamilton has been invaluable. Through Regional Business Partners they connected me with Steven Stark at BDO and his advice has allowed me to take the business to the next level,” Bianca said.

Bianca, who describes her role in the business as chief inventor and bottle washer, recently launched a new Houdini Locks system preventing babies from pulling off their nappies.

“I get them injection-moulded at ES Plastics in Hamilton and assemble them at home. It’s a very simple and effective product and parents love them because they’re sanity savers,” Bianca said.

Bianca’s friends serve as product testers for her products, which will soon include a Houdini Cosy clip system to prevent babies from losing their blankets.

“It’s amazing what you can do with a little drive and passion. This truly is a business that has grown from the ground up. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”

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  Hamilton will host the New Zealand round of the prestigious V8 Supercar Championship in the city for the fifth year in 2012. The inaugural race in April 2008 attracted 172,000 attendees plus 5,000 people associated with the running of the event. The event generated $28.3 million of new money into the local economy in the first year and is estimated to generate $156 million over the seven years that the event will run.  Over 100,000 people annually visit New Zealand National Agriculture Fieldays held at Mystery Creek (10 minutes south of Hamilton), which is the largest agricultural event held in the Southern Hemisphere. Each year generates around $290 million sales.  As the centre of the thoroughbred industry, Hamilton has an excellent racing venue at Te Rapa. A national trotting track is 15 minutes drive from Hamilton in Cambridge.  Raglan is 40 minutes by road from Hamilton and home to one of the world’s longest left-hand surf breaks.  Hamilton Zoo is home to over 600 native New Zealand and exotic animals, set in 25 ha of tranquil surroundings.  Hamilton Gardens are a free, 58-hectare walk-able wonderland attracting more than 600,000 visitors a year.  The natural resources surrounding Hamilton - including its forests, lakes, rivers, and mountains - provide opportunities for tramping, bush-walking, and other types of outdoor recreation.  The borough of Hamilton was established on 27 October 1877 and Hamilton became a city on 13 December 1945.  Hamilton’s Maori name is Kirikiriroa meaning long stretch of gravel.  New Zealand’s longest river, the Waikato, flows for 16km through the city.  Mild climate and moderate year round rainfall keep the city and surrounding area very green.  Mean temperatures - 18C in January (summer) and 9C in July (winter).  Hamilton has135 parks and gardens and 58 sports areas and more than 1,000 hectares of open space.  Hamilton has 3 public swimming pools and over 55 kms of walkways in parks and reserves.