Three Friends Step Up, Pull In Restroom Revenue

Mike Sewell was working for a cell phone company along with two friends, Ron Ely and Kelly Coddington. A part of Mike's role at the company was to maintain the building they worked in. This meant he spent lots of time walking the halls and interacting with the staff. There were over 160 people working there so it was quite the job to keep the place going.

Mike noticed an interesting trait among the staff. Many of them used paper towels to open the door when leaving the restroom. It makes sense … after all, restrooms are dirty. Although most people wash their hands before exiting, not everybody does! In fact, research shows many restroom door handles are covered with bacteria.

The avoidance of dirty door handles was understandable but the solution the staff came up with, using a paper towel, wasn't ideal. Mike knew there had to be a better way. So he, along with Ron and Kelly, made it a personal mission to find one.

They knew using hands wasn't an option, so their attention quickly turned to ways in which the doors could be opened using your feet. They went through a few versions that involved hooking the foot to the door or dragging it over something from the side. In the end, the solution lay in a counterintuitive idea.

Mike took a piece of C-channel steel and bolted it to the bottom of a door. By making the edge serrated, it allowed them to step down and pull the door open. It was the Eureka moment! They named their invention the StepNPull.

They had a successful prototype, but it was only a baby step. The version Mike created was heavy, clunky, and would have cost a fortune to produce. They each invested two thousand dollars to see if they could turn StepNPull into a side business.

First, they consulted a local metal worker who advised them that aluminium would be better than steel. It was cheaper, lighter, and easier to work with. They took that advice and came up with a version they were confident in.

To validate the concept they installed their new device in the restrooms at their workplace—with the boss's permission—and it was an instant hit.

With a working prototype and validated product it was time to start selling. They decided to contact a few local news publications to try and get some media exposure. During Thanksgiving, a few months after starting, they received their first published story closely followed by their first customer. The local health department placed an order to put StepNPulls on all their restroom doors.

The three friends manufactured the product in their own garage. In that first year, they made several hundred units. But it wasn't sustainable—it was time consuming, costly, and hard to produce consistently. Two years later, they were approached by a local manufacturer about taking on their production. They agreed, and that relationship enabled them to think big picture.

Now they had space to refine and improve the product. They added powder coating and an embossed logo, along with several structural improvements. They also spent time securing a patent for their invention.

As the number of outlets grew, so did the money StepNPull was earning. Word of mouth brought in more customers. It also resulted in them being stocked in stores like Lowe's, Menard's, McMaster Carr and online through Amazon.

As of today, what started as an idea to improve their own office generates twenty thousand in sales per month with a profit of seven thousand. While not enough for them to quit their full time jobs yet, it has allowed them to hire a part-time employee who takes care of their social media accounts as well as paid advertising on Google and Amazon.