Notes from Chris

Episode 815

Like all of our profiles, Tracy Bech is a side hustler. She’s also a working mom with a job in marketing, and once had an online jewelry store. But we’re not going to talk about jewelry today. We’re going to talk about a more personal problem faced by millions of women who wear shapewear.

Shapewear—for the guys out there or anyone else who’s unfamiliar—are those super-tight undergarments that some women wear after surgeries or just to look more slimming under a fancy dress.

After experiencing her own issues, Tracy looked around online and found comfort in the thousands of women complaining that it was way too easy to make a mess trying to pee while wearing shapewear. The small opening for getting business done just doesn’t work—there had to be a better way.

And there was! One day when Tracy was cooking dinner, she noticed something that looked almost perfect: a kitchen funnel.

Tracy gave it a shot, and sure enough, she left the restroom feeling clean and confident… and then she told her husband that the funnel shouldn’t be used for cooking anymore.

It was obvious, however, that a kitchen funnel wasn’t the best long-term solution. There needed to be an easier and faster, not to mention more portable way for women to relieve themselves while wearing shapewear. And as a side hustler, Tracy wanted to be the one to invent it.

She’d read all about how Sara Blakely of SPANX solved a common problem millions of women experience and became a mega-millionaire (you may have seen her as a shark on Shark Tank), so Tracy figured her idea was worth going after.

She took the problem to her husband, Tyler, who conveniently worked as a professional product designer. They began working on prototypes. It took a few rounds of 3D printing—as well as a handful of awkward conversations—but they finally landed on a design that functioned smoothly just two months later.

While the manufacturer was getting everything set up, Tracy applied as a seller on Amazon and listed her prototypes under the brand name peeLUX. And, a bit to her surprise, they sold organically—without any ads—in just a couple of weeks!

Sixteen months in, the new product brings in just over $1,000 per month—and sales are trending upward. But while the growth is exciting, it’s not the most rewarding part.

Answering the call of nature in shapewear is no longer an anxiety-inducing activity for women across the country—and for Tracy, that’s the greatest prize of all.

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• peeLUX: Don't let tight shapewear get you bent out of shape—pick up a peeLUX of your own over on Tracy's website!

SEE ALSO:

• Delaware Woman Solves Embarrassing Problem: When the summer heat brings sweaty streaks, this aircraft company employee finds a way to wipe away the moisture. Bonus: this episode is presented by Whitney Korenek, our longtime Content Manager
• Strap-Saving Invention Helps Women Get Their Bounce Back: A pair of female inventors are bringing clothes back to life with a simple gadget that saves straps with no need to sew—then using it to send a positive message about women’s health
• Woman Sells Hair Grips to Orthodox Jews & Drag Queens: It begins as a product for Orthodox Jewish women. It goes on to serve cancer patients, Broadway performers, and drag queens, earning “fringe benefits” and $4,000/month

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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