Three Friends Step Up And Pull In Restroom Revenue

This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.

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Welcome to a brand new week with a strong story. Really excited to bring this one to you. Actually got a bunch of strong stories this week. It'll be a really great week. But here is today's story, issue, problem, solution, et cetera.

That issue is how to open the restroom door. I mean a public restroom door like at an office. And I wonder about this all the time. You know, it's like you just washed your hands and like, do you wanna go and then open that door handle? Well, in airports, at least some airports, they are increasingly designing little circular pathways into the restroom to avoid the whole problem.

And I think that's a great solution, but of course it's not practical everywhere. I imagine a small office, imagine a school, imagine anywhere where there has to be a door. Well, in this story that I'll tell you about, three coworkers notice this problem and take action. They go on to invent a simple solution that is a step above the rest. It's pretty cool what these guys have come up with and they're being rewarded for it as well.

This is Side Hustle School, you know, we're all about solving problems, meeting needs, making the world a better place, but also yes, making money. Now, before we dive into that two important reminders, today is happier labor day. It's happier labor day in the United States, but let's just say it's happier labor day everywhere. Why not? I talked about this a lot yesterday, so I won't go into a ton of detail.

Just wanna mention that if you have an idea or a thought or a tip about how to celebrate your work or how to improve your work, how to be happier, healthier, more productive and more creative, go and share that tip using hashtag happier labor day. I'll be posting some myself and also reading your comments and your stories and liking those posts. And then also be sure to check out the current episode of happier with Gretchen Rubin. This is her initiative, happier labor day. I had a short conversation with her and her sister Liz myself that might be featured in that episode, but of course you should listen for the rest of the episode.

I always enjoy learning from Gretchen. She always has a little tip or something that I can take away. Also, Melissa Urban's Whole30 starts today. Talked about this a couple of days ago as well. If you have never done a Whole30 or if you're interested in recommitting to a healthy routine and habit after a busy summer full of travel and unpredictable schedules, which is kind of my life, the September Whole30 is a simple community-supported way to do that.

It is fun and absolutely free to participate. If you wanna learn more about it, just go to whole30.com. It is whole30.com. We're gonna link both of those things up in the show notes. And of course, if you're listening later, they are still relevant.

You can always think about your life. You can always think about your health. Okay, so onto the story. It's called "Three Friends Step Up and Pull in Restroom Revenue." That story is coming right up. Stay tuned.

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Mike Selwell was working for a cell phone company along with two friends, Ron Eli and Kelly Coddington. Part of Mike's role at the company was to maintain the building they worked in. This many spent lots of time walking the halls and interacting with staff. There are 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 use paper towels to open the door when leaving the restroom, which makes sense because after all, restrooms are dirty. Although most people wash their hands before exiting, not everybody does. And 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 paper towels 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 door 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. And 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 step and pull. And that's actually what it's called.

I'm not pulling your leg. Now 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. But with the vision and that prototype, they were willing to take this idea one step further. They each invested $2,000 to see if they could turn step and pull into a side business.

First, they consulted a local metalworker who advised them that aluminum would be better than steel. It was cheaper, lighter, and easier to work with. They took that advice and purchased a 10-foot stick of aluminum and jumped on the tools. After a few iterations, they came up with a version of the step and pull they were confident in. It was another step in the right direction.

To further validate the concept, they installed their new device in the restrooms at their workplace, with the boss's permission, of course, and it was an instant hit. Now on to step two. With a working prototype and validated product, it was time to start selling. They contacted a few local news publications to see about getting some media exposure for the step and pull. They didn't know what they were doing, but perhaps because they didn't follow the usual process, it worked.

During Thanksgiving, a few months after starting, they received their first published story, closely followed by their first real customer. That customer was the local health department who placed an order to put step and pulls on all their restroom doors. Even better, they were only the first of several orders they received that year. The three friends manufactured the product in their own garage. In that first year, they made several hundred units that way, not that they were counting their steps, but it wasn't sustainable.

It was time-consuming, costly, and hard to produce consistently. They kept doing it off and on until two years later, when things became overwhelming, they took real steps to avoid the problem. The team was 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 that helped make the step and pull even more revolutionary. In addition, they spent time securing a patent for their invention, knowing that copycats could spring up at any time. 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, Menards, McMaster Car, and online through Amazon.

As the number of outlets grew, so did the money step and pull was earning. As of today, what started as an idea to improve their own office has stepped up to become a real moneymaker. Each month, they bring in $20,000 in sales with a profit of about $7,000. While not enough for them to quit their jobs yet, they're all still working at the same office where they conceived the product, it has allowed them to hire a part-time employee who takes care of social media as well as paid advertising on Google and Amazon. And going full-time is definitely in their plans.

In fact, Mike, Ron, and Kelly see the step and pull 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 consistent effort every step of the way. [Music]

A practical solution to a very real, very common real-world problem, the step and pull. Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here first.

I have never actually seen one of these in operation. It makes total sense to me because I'm one of those people who doesn't wanna touch the bathroom door with my hand, but I also understand if there's 1,000 people in the airport bathroom every day and there's 1,000 paper towels times however many airport restrooms, times however many airports, et cetera. So it sounds pretty cool and I hope they are able to scale it. A final reminder that it is happier Labor Day, hashtag #HappierLaborDay. And of course, if you're listening later, you can go back and see what people have posted and you can still examine your life and work at any time.

That's what's so fun about this. It doesn't have to be Labor Day precisely. It doesn't have to be January 1, et cetera. You can always think about how could you be happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative in your work life? And also, what do you wanna accomplish in your upcoming year of work?

Today or anytime you think about your labor, why not celebrate it? As well as consider what kind of changes you'd like to make. Last but not least, I wanna give a shot to Mike Binkovich, one of the writers on our team, really high per capita usage of puns in this story. He did a great job. Almost all of that was from him.

So thanks a lot, Mike, good work. And listeners, inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is better. I want you to take action just like the guys in this story. They saw this problem, they went and they made a solution. If you wanna see the show notes for today's episode or more about the step and pull, about Whole30, about Happy Labor Day, anything else, just go to sidehustleschool.com/975.

Thank you so much, my friends. I'll be back tomorrow. Every day is Labor Day for me. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School.

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From the Onward Project.