Notes from Chris

Episode 975

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. And so, during a long, hot summer, they got together to work on it.

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, which presumably would be covered by shoes. 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, though, 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 a Eureka moment! They named their invention, the StepNpull® … that’s what it’s called; I’m not pulling your leg.

The three friends manufactured the product in their own garage. In that first year, they made several hundred units this way—not that they were counting their steps or anything. But it wasn’t sustainable—it was time consuming, costly, and hard to produce consistently.

However, it wasn’t until two years later, when things became overwhelming, that they took real steps to avoid the problem. At that time, the team was approached by a local manufacturer about taking on their production. They agreed, and that relationship enabled them to think big picture.

As things improved the product itself quickly became their best marketing channel. 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 the number of outlets grew, so did the money StepNpull® was earning. As of today, what started as an idea to improve their own office has stepped up to become a real money maker. Each month, they generate $20,000 in sales with a profit of $7,000.

While not enough for them to quit their full-time jobs yet—they’re still working at the office where they conceived StepNpull®—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.

Going full-time is definitely in their future plans. In fact, Mike, Ron, and Kelly see the StepNpull® as a path toward early retirement; they hope to have the business running without them or to sell it for the right price.

They’re proof that you can build a helpful, profitable side hustle as long as you keep a consistent effort every step of the way.

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• StepNpull®: Step on over to Michael's website to learn more about this problem solving solution!

SEE ALSO:

• “Home Haircut” Invention Becomes Viral Moneymaker: When this 13-year-old created a hair-grooming tool, he had no idea the success it’d have sixteen years later—but not before it nearly crashed and burned due to too much demand
• Physical Therapist Sells 57,000 “Neck Hammocks”: In trying to remedy his own workout injuries, this physical therapist invents a portable device to relieve pain. He then patents the device and sells 57,000 of them
• University Director Turns Draining Problem Into Profitable Power-Up: He panicked whenever he saw his phone battery running out, but he could never find the right power bank to fit his needs—so he decided to power-up and make his own

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

Yours in the revolution,

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