Three Newport Beach sports moms have had a fever for more than a year now. And the only prescription is more PomBell — a cross between a pom-pom and a cowbell they created that’s become a burgeoning business.
The birth of the PomBell happened organically, at a Corona del Mar High freshman football game last fall. Jessica Susolik and Lara Srinivasan were sitting in the stands watching their teenagers compete in the Battle of the Bay against rival Newport Harbor.
“Jessica handed me a cowbell and a pom-pom,” Srinivasan said. “I guess I’m just not coordinated enough, but it seemed like a lot going on. I said, ‘I kind of wish these were together, so I could use my other hand.’ And Jessica said, ‘Well, it could be!’ She started tying the pom-pom to the cowbell, jerry-rigging it together.”
They called their friend Deanna Seery, who saw the vision immediately, and the PomBell concept was off to the races. Srinivasan sketched out a prototype on paper, and they got on the phone with a patent attorney.
After spending a year figuring out the business side of things, the trio officially launched the Pombell on Sept. 7. They have their own LLC, called Moms and Poms.
Combining the pom-pom and the cowbell creates both a visual and audio element for superfans everywhere. And what started just in their community has blossomed to 17 states and five countries, while continuing to grow.
“What’s beautiful about the three of us is that we all bring different skills to the table,” said Seery, an attorney who has helped make sure all the enterprise’s ducks are in a row. “We’re a really well-rounded team. All of us have dabbled in entrepreneurship along the way, so we all have some of that in us, but the three of us together — wow, we’re unstoppable, really.”
There are 10 different bells and about 25 different pom-pom variations, along with customizable stickers, Susolik said. The build-your-own PomBell costs $29.95 plus tax and shipping, with an additional $10 fee for personalized text on the cowbell.
There’s also an all-white Wedding PomBell, which features a “Just Married” sticker.
Susolik said with a laugh that she was a cheerleader at Newport Harbor High, so of course a product like this would interest her.
“I think the No. 1 thing that we all have in common is that we love cheering on people we know and love, whether it’s family members or friends,” Susolik said. “What makes this product so exciting, and why people are responding so well to it, is because it’s a fun thing. You use a PomBell to cheer on someone in any capacity, whether they’re an athlete, or they have a party, a celebration, a wedding or a marathon, something they’ve been working really hard on. This has just been the most fun. We all love being a cheerleader, and this is the most fun way to do it.”
The PomBell’s uses can stretch beyond games to weddings, for example, and the women have also used a fun Instagram page to grow their product. They made sure there were PomBells at the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk at Fashion Island in late September.
Stephanie Walsh, whose son plays football at CdM, has seen the PomBell grow organically.
“It’s turned into something bigger,” Walsh said. “But also, what I appreciate, being in the community as a parent volunteer, is that it’s bringing people together. That’s what I love about it. It’s becoming a symbol for spirit and support, and they figured out a creative way to give our kids a fresh way to cheer. It helps our kids feel proud to be a part of this community. I can’t wait to see where it’s going to expand further. I think it’s amazing.”
PomBell has signed a deal with Mississippi State, Susolik said, and will be working with the women’s softball team there. The women have also taken the product to Anaheim Ducks hockey games and Sacramento Kings basketball games, to good effect, and are hopeful to continue working with those franchises in the future.
Plus, the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are on tap.
“It’s not ‘if,’ it’s ‘when,’” said Seery, who previously launched a self-stick paint can label company. “That’s how confident we are in this product, because of everything it stands for, for us who make them but also the people who buy them or receive them. The energy and excitement — having a PomBell, it just changes the game.”
Susolik said many moms also have bought PomBells just to send to their kids in college, to place on their bookshelves as an accessory. The women want to expand the product into the booster club and nonprofit space, to use for fundraising.
People familiar with the Will Ferrell cowbell sketch from “Saturday Night Live” may appreciate the T-shirts the women created that read “More PomBell” on the back. Srinivasan said they have also trademarked that slogan.
“I say this to my kids all the time, but you show up for your people,” Srinivasan said. “What better way to show up for your people than something they can see and hear? And what better way to show up for your people en masse than to see a wave of their colors? They know exactly where their people are.”
Source: LA Times
