State of Small Business

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Headwear for cancer patients

favorite business chemo beanies
Co-founder Angelle Albright (second from left), next to her fellow founder and niece, Adrienne Metz (center).
  • Business: Chemo Beanies
  • Location: San Clemente, Calif.

Losing her hair after undergoing treatment for breast cancer was hard enough for Angelle Albright. What made it worse were all the scarves and wigs that made her feel like a poster child for cancer. So in 2011, Albright launched Chemo Beanies, stylish, one-size-fits-all headwear for cancer patients.

The idea has since taken off. And Chemo Beanies was even a finalist last year in Wal-Mart's "Get on the Shelf" contest, which seeks to find the most innovative new products in America.

Biggest business challenge: "Having enough money to make enough product to meet the need," said Albright.

Her best advice: "Work hard everyday," she said. "The harder you work, the luckier you'll get."

What she plans to do with the grant money: Ramp up manufacturing. "We want to be able to reach women everywhere," she said.

First published January 21, 2014: 10:31 AM ET
Nearly 35,000 small businesses from all 50 states submitted applications for consideration to receive a $250,000 grant from Chase and a trip to Google headquarters. More than 1.7 million people voted; businesses that received at least 250 votes continued onto the judging phase, where a panel of 12 judges selected these 12 businesses.

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