There are some moments as a founder where you stop for a second and think, Wait… we’re really doing this.
Being featured in VoyageDallas’ Rising Stars series was one of those moments.
This month, VoyageDallas shared my story as a mom of two, entrepreneur, and creator of ParentPing — including where the idea came from, what it has taken to bring it to life, and the very real challenges happening behind the scenes.
And the truth is, ParentPing started with a problem that felt incredibly small.
Until I realized how much it mattered.
It Started in the Nursery
ParentPing was born during those exhausting nights when I was trying desperately to get my baby to sleep.
After 30, 45, sometimes 60+ minutes of rocking, patting and attempting the perfect transfer, I would finally reach the point where I needed my husband.
But how do you ask for help without ruining everything you just worked so hard for?
Turning on my phone could light up the room. Calling or yelling could wake the baby. Leaving the nursery could mean starting bedtime all over again.
I remember thinking over and over:
Why isn't there just a button I can press?
A simple way to tell your partner, I need you.
No phone. No yelling. No leaving the room.
That thought eventually became ParentPing.
From an Idea to a Real Product
I started working on ParentPing in January 2026 and launched just a few months later in April.
Since then, ParentPing has taken me places I absolutely did not expect this quickly.
I auditioned for Shark Tank.
I was featured on CBS.
Our videos have reached more than one million views across social media.
And now, my founder story has been featured by VoyageDallas.
It's exciting to write those things down.
But what I loved about this interview is that it also gave me the opportunity to talk about the part of entrepreneurship that doesn't always make it into the Instagram posts.
Building Something From Scratch Is HARD
I'm bootstrapping ParentPing while working, raising two young kids and figuring out an entirely new world as I go.
Manufacturing. Packaging. Certifications. Shipping. Retail. Marketing. Social media. Customer service.
Every time I think I've figured out what I need to know, I discover five more things I didn't even realize I needed to learn.
There have been manufacturing problems and delays. There have been financial stresses. There have been plenty of late nights working after the kids are asleep instead of spending time with my husband.
There have also been moments when the stress has forced me to recognize that building something you believe in cannot come at the expense of yourself.
That part matters to me because ParentPing has never really been about a button.
ParentPing Is About the Parents
There are thousands of products designed to help babies sleep.
There are monitors to watch them.
Sound machines to soothe them.
Swaddles, bassinets, blackout curtains and endless bedtime gadgets.
But what about the exhausted parent sitting in the dark nursery?
Who is helping them?
ParentPing exists for those tiny moments when you need another person but don't want to reach for your phone.
When you've finally gotten the baby to sleep on you and realize you need a pillow.
When you're nursing and desperately need water.
When the diapers are gone.
When you're handling a toddler meltdown.
When it's 2 AM and you just need your partner to tap in.
Press the button, and the ParentPing hub in another room lets your partner know you need them.
That's it.
And sometimes, simple is exactly what exhausted parents need.
The Biggest Thing I've Learned So Far
You do not need to know exactly how you're going to build the thing you've been thinking about.
I certainly didn't.
There will always be another problem you haven't anticipated, another decision you don't know how to make and another moment where you wonder whether you're completely crazy for doing this.
You just have to take the next step.
Then another.
Then another.
Eventually, you look behind you and realize those tiny steps became something real.
ParentPing is still at the beginning of its story, and I have no idea exactly where this road will lead.
But seeing our little idea featured as a Rising Star is a pretty incredible reminder to stop every once in a while and appreciate how far we've already come.
Thank you to VoyageDallas for giving me the opportunity to share not only the ParentPing story, but the messy, exciting and very real experience of building it.
Read my full Rising Stars interview with VoyageDallas to hear more about the story behind ParentPing, entrepreneurship, motherhood, risk, and what we're building next.
Voyage Dallas Rising Stars - Meet Dominique Austin, Founder of ParentPing
And to every parent trying to do everything alone:
You were never supposed to do it all yourself. Ask for help. 💜
— Dominique
Founder, ParentPing