Mount Pleasant Magazine 6.3

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Marnie
Renshler
It was a fateful jog in the dark
that turned a light bulb on in Marnie Renshler’s
head, illuminating a five-year path that led to start-
ing her own business, Mama Lights.
“I had just had my second child, and the only
time I had to go running with my neighbor was at
4:30 in the mornings. One morning, my neighbor stepped
on a pine cone in the dark and broke her foot,” Renshler
said. “I shopped for a light we
could wear to help us see on our
runs – and to help us be seen – but there were no compre-
hensive websites where I could find exactly what I needed
that was also of good quality.”
Over the years, Renshler scoured the Internet and tried
a variety of options; some lights were too dim, some didn’t
stay in place well and couldn’t be safely relied upon.
Renshler, who sold medical devices at the time, hap-
pened to meet with a client who mentioned to her the con-
cept of LED lights for use in the medical field and beyond.
“He told me ‘People are going to light up everything
they possibly can in the next 10 to 15 years,’” she said.
“And that really resonated with me. More than just the
right light I needed for jogging, LED lights can be useful
in so many applications, and that could help increase safety
and even be fun.”
Renshler recently left her 20-year sales career and decid-
ed to work for herself instead by selling LED light products
of all varieties.
“I am what they call an affiliate Internet marketer, and I
work through Amazon,” she explained. “I run my website,
, and choose the LED products that meet
my standards. I market these products for the distributors
on my website so that people looking for them can choose
the best product for their needs in one place, and the items
are sold and shipped from Amazon to your front door.”
Renshler has branched out from selling only LED lights
for safety and active wear; her website offers LED options
for children, pets and gear, and even LED lights for events
and fun activities.
“I sell products that are useful or fun that people
otherwise wouldn’t know to look for,” she said. “It’s
much more than the standard LED safety products you
may think; there are LED umbrellas, rechargeable LED
collars and leashes for dogs and even toy footballs to play
with at night.”
She is most excited, though, about sharing her passion
for safety and fun with others.
“I get to go to schools and talk to children about fun
ways to be safe,” she beamed. “I talk to anyone who wants
to listen about ways that LED can improve their lifestyle.
It has improved mine and keeps my children and me safe. I
love that I can do the same for others.”
Mama Lights
Photo courtesy of Marnie Renshler.
By Anne TOOLe