From delivering products at school pick-up to launching in 13 countries, Tape Zoomie founder Inge Heath shares how she built a global business with no prior experience.
What’s happening: Australian entrepreneur Inge Heath has built Tape Zoomie into an international business selling across 13 countries within its first year, on track to generate $500,000 in revenue.
Why this matters: Her rapid international expansion, intellectual property strategy, and adaptability offer practical lessons for aspiring founders navigating viral growth and global market entry.
Dynamic Business sat down with Inge Heath, founder of Tape Zoomie, for this week’s Founder Friday series to talk about how one chaotic Christmas turned into an international business now operating across 13 countries.
Heath never dreamed of being an entrepreneur. She didn’t have a five-year plan or a burning desire to disrupt an industry. She just wanted to get through Christmas without losing her mind or her fingers to endless strips of sticky tape.
The breaking point arrived during one particularly overwhelming holiday season. Heath was surrounded by what felt like mountains of unwrapped gifts, each one mocking her. Her husband, bless him, volunteered to help with the wrapping. Trying to make the process more efficient, Heath started cutting tape strips and lining them up along the edge of the table so he could grab them quickly. But he worked faster than she could prepare them. She couldn’t keep up. She was literally functioning as a human tape dispenser, standing there cutting and sticking while he wrapped.
“That’s when it hit me. I was the tape dispenser,” Heath recalls. “In my frustration, I couldn’t stop thinking there had to be a better way. When I couldn’t find anything on the market that could prepare multiple tape strips quickly, I knew I wanted to create it myself.”
Three years later, that moment of pure frustration transformed into Tape Zoomie, a patented tape dispenser that prepares 18 ready-to-use tape strips in seconds. The design is clever and practical. It extends and retracts for compact storage, works without blades to avoid accidents, and handles multiple tape types including washi, double-sided, and magnetic tape.
From frustration to patent
“I posted a short video showing how it worked, and it went viral overnight, reaching millions of views across TikTok and Instagram. That reaction showed me there was strong global demand for a product that simplified wrapping and crafting.”
Heath had no business background when she started. She sketched a rough design and moved forward, learning as she went. When she received the final sample, she knew she had created something worth sharing but wanted validation before committing to mass production. Her first TikTok post, uploaded casually before bed, reached half a million views by morning and eventually hit six million. The Instagram post simultaneously went viral, confirming strong market interest.
Rather than celebrating and moving slowly, Heath made several critical strategic decisions. The first was protecting her intellectual property. “One of the most important decisions I made early on was to secure intellectual property protection. I filed my own provisional patent and then moved quickly to protect the design and brand in multiple countries,” she explains. “I wanted to make sure my product was properly safeguarded while expanding globally.”
Strategic protection and expansion
“Another major choice was to go wide and fast, as this product appeals to such a broad audience. We launched Tape Zoomie in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and within the first year expanded into 13 countries.”
The second decision was equally bold, maybe even reckless depending on who you ask. Instead of testing one market carefully, learning from mistakes, and then expanding slowly, Heath chose to launch internationally from day one. It was the kind of move that makes traditional business advisors nervous. But Heath had seen the viral response. She knew the demand was global, not regional. So she combined that organic social media momentum with careful strategic planning around logistics, fulfillment, and partnerships. The approach was aggressive, but it worked. It gave Tape Zoomie immediate brand visibility and opened doors to global retail partners that might have taken years to reach otherwise.
Of course, moving that fast meant learning some lessons the hard way. Heath’s crash course in inventory management came quickly and painfully.
“Like many startups, I’ve had my share of challenges. One of the biggest early mistakes was ordering too much stock before our first Christmas. We launched only a few weeks before the holiday season, which wasn’t ideal,” she admits. “Later in the year, Tape Zoomie went viral again, and we sold out in the United States. That taught me how crucial inventory management is, especially for a product with high viral potential.”
Learning through mistakes
Going global wasn’t without its complications. Heath learned this the hard way when UK VAT registration held up her entry into what should have been a major market. The delay was frustrating, but it taught her something valuable about the importance of understanding compliance requirements before you need them. It also reinforced a broader strategic lesson she’d already started to internalize.
“At the same time, it reinforced the importance of diversification. Relying too heavily on one market can create unnecessary risk, so expanding globally was one of the smartest moves we made,” Heath says.
What surprised Heath most, though, wasn’t the logistical challenges of international expansion. It was discovering who was actually using her product. Sure, people were buying Tape Zoomie for gift wrapping, the problem it was designed to solve. But teachers started reaching out, saying they were using it for classroom projects. Occupational therapists found it perfect for fine motor skill activities. Small business owners discovered it sped up their order packing process. The product had found audiences Heath never imagined.
“Tape Zoomie stands out because it’s an entirely new concept in a category that hasn’t changed in decades. It takes a simple, everyday frustration, tearing one piece of tape at a time, and transforms it into something fun, efficient, and visually satisfying,” Heath explains.
Building for sustainability
From the very beginning, Heath knew she didn’t want to create just another disposable product destined for landfill. Sustainability wasn’t an afterthought or a marketing angle. It was baked into the design from day one.
“Unlike disposable dispensers, Tape Zoomie is reusable, durable, and made from strong, long-lasting materials. I have made a conscious effort to design a product that not only makes life easier but will last a lifetime and is also better for the environment,” she says. “My goal was to create something innovative and more sustainable to reduce the number of disposable tape dispensers being used every year.”
When Heath thinks about what she’d tell someone standing where she once stood, frustrated and unsure but with an idea burning in their mind, her advice is refreshingly straightforward. It’s the kind of wisdom that only comes from actually doing the thing, not just thinking about it.
“My biggest piece of advice is to just start. Don’t wait for the perfect moment or for everything to feel ready. That moment rarely comes. Take the leap of faith, start small, and learn as you go,” she says. “Every step forward teaches you something. Don’t get stuck in overwhelm. Decide on the three most important tasks for the day and don’t go to bed until you’ve completed them.”
Advice for aspiring founders
“Don’t strive for perfection. Most startups are messy, but they started. You can’t grow, improve, or move forward without taking that first step. Progress comes from action, not perfection.”
For Heath, one of the most critical decisions she made early on wasn’t about marketing or sales. It was about protecting what she’d created. She’d seen too many inventors lose control of their ideas, and she wasn’t going to let that happen to Tape Zoomie.
“If you’ve created something new or unique, protect your intellectual property early. It’s one of the smartest investments you can make. It gives you confidence and security to grow your idea without fear of losing it.”
But filing patents and securing trademarks was only part of the equation. Heath quickly discovered that building a sustainable business required something far less glamorous than viral videos and international launches: relentless, unglamorous consistency. The kind that means working through doubts, pushing past failures, and showing up even when motivation runs dry.
“There will be setbacks, but don’t let them stop you. Keep moving forward, keep learning, and adapt as you go. Consistency is everything. Success doesn’t happen overnight. You have to show up every single day, even when it’s hard. Be completely obsessed with your product or idea. That passion is what carries you through the tough days.”
It’s advice that sounds simple until you’re actually living it. Until you’re the one staring at inventory problems, dealing with international compliance issues, or watching sales dry up in a key market. But Heath stuck with it, and now, reflecting on the journey from that overwhelming Christmas Eve to running an international business, she’s amazed at what taking one imperfect step forward can create.
“I had no idea what I was doing when I started Tape Zoomie, and I will never stop learning, but if I hadn’t taken that first step, it would still just be an idea, and I’d still be frustrated with gift wrapping every Christmas and birthday.”
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