But who stays home all day? And kids don’t save their misbehavior for when they’re at home. It didn’t take long before Lisa realized that “time-outs” in public weren’t working. Her kids saw the weakness in the system, too. It was as if they were thinking, “Ha, ha. I can do whatever I want.” It got really ugly.
Not wanting to be beaten by a two-year-old, Lisa decided that she needed to provide a place for them to sit during time-out—wherever they were. So first she looked for a fold-up chair that she could carry around and use when they were out and about. She came up empty-handed. That’s when she decided she needed to go to the mat for a solution. Her friends agreed and encouraged her to design and patent the very item she was shopping for.
Lisa worked on product development for eighteen months. After coming up with a mat design, she involved focus groups and tested different materials, sizes, and portability. With some materials, kids would slide the mat around. Not good. After all, time-out isn’t sit-and-spin-around-on-the-floor time. Lisa’s time-out mat could not be fun.
Lisa found what she was looking for in mouse pad material. The rubber bottom keeps it in place, and if it’s left on the floor and someone steps on it, he or she won’t slip and fall. The material folds easily and can be stuffed into a purse or bag. Also, it’s waterproof, so if you’re at the mall and the floor is dirty, or at the playground and the ground is wet—who cares! You’ve got a clean, dry spot for your child to sit. This material is incredibly durable. Lisa knows; she’s been using the prototypes for three years. She washes them in the washing machine frequently and they still look brand new.
“The Take-Out-Time-Out (TOTO) has not only helped me when we’re out, but it’s helped me at home. I’ve been able to be consistent with the time-out spot because I’m able to move the spot. Now, if I’m cooking dinner and one of my boys shows unacceptable behavior, I just place the mat on the floor next to me in the kitchen. If I’m working on the computer, I place the mat next to me at my desk. I don’t need to stop what I’m doing. TOTO has simplified my life. My discipline method is consistent, and my kids’ behavior has improved as a result. I keep one in my purse, one in my car, one upstairs, and another downstairs.”
Lisa tried four different manufacturers to find a source that could make a good product quickly and efficiently. She wanted to keep it in the U.S. but it would have tripled her cost, so she’s manufacturing the TOTO overseas. The amount she’s invested almost makes her want to cry and, at six to eight hours a day, the mat business is a full-time job added to her already full-time mom job. “Ironically, though, without TOTO, I couldn’t do it—it wouldn’t work, or I’d be neglecting my parenting, which I don’t want to do.”
Lisa’s sales background and entrepreneurial bloodline (her grandfather and father each started businesses) keep her going. She tested the TOTO with mom’s groups when going through product development. She recognized this as a crucial step, saying, “Once the product hits the market, you’re building a reputation. It took a lot of time, but it’s paying off.” Once she had the product, she focused on advertising and the press. Then, after getting the word out, she worked on distribution. Getting it into retail stores has taken some work because it’s an entirely new product. So she’s focusing on building the awareness. After that, she’ll work on branding.
Over the years, competitors stole her idea and even lifted her website copy verbatim. Her husband, Joseph, warned her to be prepared, that others might imitate her idea. The best approach is to take every imitation as a compliment. Her job is to focus on keeping the lead. Lisa has also found that imi-tations help build awareness, educate consumers, and increase customer base—she’s working hard to be sure it stays her customer base.
Lisa has put a great deal of time and money into her TOTO mats and she’s not giving up. Lisa is in this for the long haul and there are no time-outs in sight.
Roadside Message Board™
Frustrated Inventor, Sign Here
As a manager of an Exxon service station and a tow truck driver for fifteen years in New York, Fred Fink saw his share of cars abandoned on the side of the road. (Fred says AAA estimates 25 million breakdowns a year in the U.S.) Fred has spent countless hours talking with police officers who stopped at his station, trying to find the owners of abandoned cars.
In today’s go-go world, stranded motor-ists no longer wait for a tow truck. They use their cell phones to call a family member or friend to pick them up and get them where they need to go. Most figure they’ll take care of the car later. But they can’t take care of a car that’s gone. Police ticket or tow abandoned cars—unless the driver has left a compelling message.
Seven years ago, Fred invented the Roadside Message Board as a handy, portable way for stranded drivers to get their message out—before it’s too late. It’s a license-plate-sized board that fits in the glove box, under a seat, or over a visor. Its two suction cups hold it to a car window or on the dashboard. It comes with ten prewritten messages that can be displayed on the message board. It also comes with a dry erase marker so drivers can write their own message on the board. There’s even an emergency flasher that can be clipped to the sign or worn as the carless motorist walks along the road.
The preprinted messages Fred chose are the most common ones he encountered as a tow truck driver. These phrases of desperation were often scribbled in crayon or lipstick on a napkin or on the back of a receipt. The messages read like titles from a series of roadside sleazy novels: Car Trouble, Battery Dead, Out of Gas, Flat Tire, Overheated, Went for Help, Please Do Not Tow, Please Do Not Ticket, Be Back in __ Minutes, and—in case someone is just looking to get rid of the car—For Sale.
Fred knew the secret to success would be promotion. To keep costs down, he had his product manufactured in China, spending $15,000 for a mold and placing a large order of 10,000 units. The product arrived from China in pieces; then Fred hired companies that employ handicapped people to do the assembly work.
His first prototype was a flasher with a belt clip. Then he glued the flasher onto the board. But the handicapped workers weren’t allowed to use glue because it might impair them. So he went back to his drawing board and came up with the solution. Fred modified the board to hold a clip-on light. That was just the ticket to keep his customers from getting a ticket.
At first, his family and friends were very excited, but didn’t realize how much it would cost to proceed. Overall, he has spent $1 00,000 in the last seven years. It took five years to receive the patent at a cost of $10,000. (He was told it would cost $5,000, but it got rejected the first time and had to be resubmitted.) The mold cost $15,000. Liability insurance costs $2,000 a year.
With the bills adding up, Fred recently decided this venture was experiencing its own emergency. “I’m lucky if I make 50 cents per piece,” he said. After paying for the patent, making the mold, manufacturing the product, traveling to conventions, incorporating, and keeping liability insurance, there’s not much left in profit for this idea man. So after selling 9,200 of the 10,000 units he had made, Fred closed his corporation because it took too much money to keep the business running. If he wanted to promote the Roadside Message Board, he’d have to spend more money to travel and hire salespeople.
At this point, Fred is waiting for people to contact him. He thinks it would be a great giveaway for car insurance companies. And the board provides a space to promote a product, leave a message on a store window, or occupy kids in the car with a game of tic-tac-toe. He’s looking to sell the remaining Roadside Message Boards. He has them on a website, MarketLaunchers.com for $9.95. His dream is that a company will buy the