A Winning Combination
By Rachana Rathi

Although a natural businesswoman, Robinson prefers the creative side to the technical concerns of her business. “In the beginning, the creativity is diluted because you are so bogged down by business,” explains Robinson, “But I’ve been able to maintain it by implanting staff that can take things off of me so I can focus on being creative.”

Robinson says that being creative is a natural process because she is “thinking around the clock of new products.” Today, she gears her products more towards children than adults. New products are placed in museums where “children can come in, play with, and look at it. Buyers are the best test,” declares Robinson, who attributes her creativity to having been exposed to a variety of cultures throughout her life.

Robinson was born in Illinois, but grew up in Indonesia and Singapore. She went on to finish her MBA in Scotland before finally settling in Northern California. Robinson enthusiastically recalls her father’s exploratory nature and the adventurous vacations she was taken on all over the world, “We didn’t stay in big hotels and such. Traveling really stimulates your creativity. It has heightened me to spiritual levels of element and design,”

The sunglasses Robinson designed in 1996 are her personal favorite. They reflect holographic images in the lenses. Besides the sunglasses, Robinson feels “the large wall décor in museums, retail shops, etc, were also wonderful because of the developmental process involved”.

Today, having lost holographic developer Polaroid, and because “the market is so competitive and buyers are so conservative,” Robinson is focused on optical technology with an expansion of Lightrix’ line of kaleidoscopes. Beyond Lightrix, Robinson has taken on the role of Managing Director of US Operations for Plastwood, a toy manufacturer based in Italy famous for its “magnetic Lego” product called Geomag.

A contact at Polaroid put her in touch with Plastwood, a marriage that Robinson feels is mutually beneficial, “It is an established company, so I can focus on design and marketing. The product is exciting and is established in Europe, but I’m working on catering it to the American market.”

Though excited about the new possibilities, Robinson is surprisingly content with her life. It is surprising because her satisfaction has less to do with her entrepreneurial success than with her exposure to the world. Robinson explains, “If I didn’t do one more thing in my life, I’d feel so totally rewarded to be exposed to the travel and cultural opportunities I’ve had.” Creativity, a nose for opportunity, and a level head? Now, that’s a winning combination.

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