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wegg Showcase: Sarah Purdy and Laurie Aquilina

wegg® showcase: Know your product, love your product, and believe in your product

Issue 28: Sept. 2026

wegg Showcase: Sarah Purdy and Laurie Aquilina

Sponsored By: Herizon Funding

Tell us about your company and why you started it.

Sarah: The Original Honey Hat is a no-drip cap shaped like a hat that eliminates the sticky mess caused by honey bears and standard syrup bottles. I came up with the idea about fifteen years ago because I don’t like sticky fingers and I enjoy problem solving. I also like inventions—I keep a little list of inventions on my phone. But it was a very busy time in my life, with young children, so I put the idea in my back pocket. Five years ago, I told my husband I wanted to start a children’s foundation. He said, “Great idea, how do you intend to fund that?” And I said, “With my Original Honey Hats, of course!” I proceeded to tell him about it. He said, “I think it’s a great idea. You should start it immediately.”

We launched in February. The spirit of the company is to support your inner child while supporting a child…without the sticky. That is our slogan, and it really sums up what we’re trying to accomplish. We’re trying to solve a problem, bring a little joy into people’s lives, and at the same time fund a foundation that will support children’s nonprofits.

Tell us more about your foundation.

Sarah: The foundation is called Hats on to Kids. It’s a 501c3. The point of the foundation is to collect funds for children’s nonprofits. There’s a lot of need, and there are lots of organizations with brilliant ideas as well as startups that could use funding to launch their programs.

What prompted you to expand your enterprise internationally?

Laurie: Sarah had the foresight to go international early on. She knew she had something special. That’s how it started. We’re like, “What if?” Because this isn’t just about here in the United States. We now have patents in the UK, Europe, Canada, and Mexico that are close to being approved.

Sarah: Going into foreign markets was always part of our plan, but Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global opened the door for us. You made that possibility come to fruition. We’re having these great conversations now and are just so grateful for your introduction and your advice and the resources you bring to your members.

What challenges or stumbling blocks did you encounter while building your global presence?

Laurie: The biggest challenge has been understanding the complexities we’re navigating. Every country—from the regulations to the customers to the distribution– is going to be different. Last week we had our first meeting with Canadian market specialists. They said our text will also need to be in French. Since Canada’s our first international market, we’ll learn from Canada and continue to learn as we evolve, because every country’s going to have its own specific needs.

Do you plan to design hats that represent customers in international markets?

Sarah: Several location-based hat designs are already done. We’re set to launch the sombrero, called the Fiesta, in February 2027. Another hat we intend to launch is the cowboy hat. It’s pretty adorable—red, white and blue. We have Beefeaters hats. We have all kinds of other ideas ready to go that will interest other markets.

What advice would you give a woman entrepreneur who, like you, wants to expand their company internationally?

Laurie: I would say to any woman out there: if you have a dream, you can make it a reality. Know your product, love your product, believe in your product, do your homework, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I don’t want to make this all rainbows and butterflies and unicorns. But through our learnings, the team became better than what we could have dreamed of. I also recommend surrounding yourself with other women entrepreneurs and finding the right partners. Sarah is fearless. She is fierce. She has that entrepreneurial background.

Sarah: Surround yourself with people unlike yourself and with very different skillsets but who share common virtues, morals, and goals. What I’m learning from Laurie is fearless communication. That is not my background at all. I have a purely business marketing background. Our skill sets are very different, but that’s the magic in our partnership.

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Ali Foley

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