Episode 01 | Part Two: The Story of Socket Lock-It

In this episode of Graduate a CEO, Jim continues his conversation with Caitie Gehlhausen, the Founder & CEO of Lock-It, the phone case accessory that holds your cards and works with any phone grip. Caitie tells us how she founded her company as a student at High Point University, and how she overcame the challenges of the pandemic to land a deal with Walmart. She also shares how mentors have helped her along the way and what advice she has for aspiring student entrepreneurs. Don’t miss this inspiring and informative episode of Graduate a CEO with Jim Hunter. About Caitie Gehlhausen: Lock-It truly was made by the everyday person, for the everyday person. Caitie Gehlhausen, Founder and CEO, founded Lock-It her freshman year of college, in 2018, when she noticed that all her friends and classmates had either their phone grip or their phone wallet, but never both at the same time. She thought to herself, “why wasn't anyone using these two extremely popular phone accessories together?” She began searching for a product that combined the two, and to her surprise, there was nothing on the market! Starting from that moment, she made it her mission to create a product that offers both the convenience of a wallet and the functionality of a phone grip. From all of this, Lock-It was born, and today Lock-It is proud to be the accessory that lets you have it all! The business quickly became a family operation, as a mother-daughter duo. Caitie’s mom, Carrie, jumped aboard as the company’s President and business partner, qualifying the company as a proud, WBENC Certified company. As a part of their family values, Lock-It is committed to supporting local jobs and is honored to say that their products are made in the USA in their home state of Indiana. Lock-It has grown to well over 7 figures in sales, and can now be found in over 2,800 Walmart locations nationwide! Gehlhausen is focused on expanding its online and in-store footprint through product innovation. Their mission is to continue to create unique solutions for customers to carry their essentials with both confidence and convenience.

Also Available On:

Hosted by:

Share


James Hunter author headshot

James H Hunter III

He is the president/managing member of three companies, CFO of one company, executive vice president of one company, and director of three companies/organizations. Jim has mentored students and others as they have purchased or started a business. He continues teaching, acting as an advisor to individuals starting and running companies, and serving on free-market-oriented nonprofit boards.

Learn More

What is Your Authority Score?