Mom Invented

Meet Joi Sumpton, a mother of two, and the inventor of a product I could have used myself many times! The Step 'n Wash is the first and only self-retracting step for public restrooms that enables children to safely reach the sink for quick, safe and easy hand washing. How many times have you found yourself trying to lift your child on one knee, reach the soap, wash his or her hands, all while balancing yourself on one foot? Joi has solved the problem for kids and parents. Read her inspiring story, learn about the risks she took, the personal challenges she faced, and celebrate her milestones… like getting into Whole Foods.

Describe your company and your product:

Step 'n Wash is the first and only self-retracting step for public restrooms that enables children to safely reach the sink for quick, safe and easy handwashing. For parents, Step 'n Wash means no longer having to struggle to lift their children up to reach the sink to wash their hands. For businesses, Step 'n Wash increases customer service and also helps to keep restroom counters and floors dry which increases safety.

Why did you start this company and when?

On October 28th, 2004 I brought my 2 children (Chloe and Carter) to story time at Barnes and Noble. When story time finished, we stopped at the restroom before leaving. When it came time to wash their hands, I first picked up Carter and assumed the usual position of balancing him against the counter while holding him in place with my body and using my hands to turn on the water, get the soap and wash his hands. All of a sudden he started to cry and while I didn't realize it I had been leaning too much against him and the counter edge was pressing into his stomach. When I sat him down to comfort him I noticed his shirt was soaking wet from all of the water that was on the counter. I was so frustrated and I looked over at one of the other mothers and remarked that somebody needs to invent a step for kids so they can wash their hands without parents having to pick them up…she agreed. On the car ride home I thought to myself…why don't I do it? Since I couldn't think of a good reason not to do it, I decided to go for it!

What were your initial goals?

This may sound crazy but in the beginning I didn't really have any goals. After talking with other moms I knew for sure that I had a really great idea and since this was my first time developing a product I was so overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done…finding a patent attorney, an engineer, prototypes, manufacturing, setting up a company, etc.

Describe yourself and your family. What is your background and how does it relate to your company?

Parents struggle to wash children's hands in restrooms without Step 'n Wash

I am 41 years old and am blessed to have a great family which includes my husband Paul and our 2 children…Chloe who is 7 and Carter who is 6.

In addition to being a mom and a business owner I have been a flight attendant for 20 years. As a flight attendant I talk with hundreds of people a day from all over the world and this experience has really helped me to feel comfortable during sales presentations.

Have you ever experienced an epiphany that changed the direction of your life?

Absolutely! That morning at Barnes and Noble (in the restroom of all places!) changed my life. I can remember driving home in the car and having this feeling that something big had just happened to me. I walked into the house and told my husband that our lives were about to change. He thought I was crazy.

What process did you follow to develop a prototype?

The best advice that I can give to anyone with an idea is to ask lots and lots of questions. When I met with the patent attorney I figured since he had seen first hand so many ideas mature into products he would be a great source of information. He put me in touch with someone to do the technical drawings for the patent and that person put me in touch with someone who specialized in creating prototypes.

What process did you follow to determine your product's marketability?

The majority of products today are created because the inventor wants to solve a problem that he or she is experiencing in their own life. The idea for Step ‘n Wash was born out of my own frustration of always having to lift up my children to wash their hands. Once I had the idea, I asked other mothers if they all felt the same frustration that I did and everyone said yes. Once I had established that there was a need, I went around to businesses to ask why they didn't have a step stool in their restrooms. The most common answer was that regular plastic step stools are considered dangerous because they can slip out from underneath a child so I realized that I would have to create a step that would be secured to the floor.

What process did you follow to find a manufacturer for your product?

Step 'n Wash helps children easily reach the sink

I asked the company that created the prototype if they could recommend a manufacturer and they gave me a list of 3 manufacturers. I went home and Googled each one and found a newspaper article about an entrepreneur who was using one of the manufacturers. I looked up his company and called him to ask his thoughts about working with the manufacturer. He had so many great things to say about them that it made my decision very easy.

Were there any setbacks in product development that had to be overcome?

By far the biggest set back was deciding to go ahead with a production run of 100 units and soon after discovering a spot where a child could easily get their fingers pinched. There was no way to fix it and $15,000 worth of product was sent to the dumpster to be scrapped. To this day any time a design change is made, regardless of how small it may be, we only manufacturer 1 unit to make sure everything is perfect. It costs a lot to make only 1…but it's a lot less than $15,000!!

What was the biggest learning curve in terms of developing your product?

I had no idea that products that are installed in commercial restrooms were subject to so many different regulations. Everything from the types of materials that are permitted, how much weight it must be able to support, product signs and warning labels, to making sure it is compliant with all of the ADA regulations as they relate to wheelchair access. Step ‘n Wash is the first product of its kind which made everything even more complicated because at times even the regulators weren't sure what to do.

Through what markets are you selling?

We sell directly to the customer and recently started selling through distributors. It used to be that companies bought Step ‘n Wash only after we sent them a sales package but in the past year so many businesses find out about Step ‘n Wash because they see it in a restroom somewhere else.

What secrets have you learned in terms of publicity and marketing your product?

In terms of publicity, every entrepreneur has a story to tell. You seldom see a magazine or newspaper article just about a product…rather the focus is on the entrepreneur and their story. When you create a press release try to find a way in which your product is making a difference in peoples lives.

What was the biggest learning curve in terms of marketing your product?

I was unaware of how long the sales cycle with large companies can be. I have worked with many customers for over 1 year before the decision was finally made to purchase Step ‘n Wash.

How long did it take to get your product from idea to market?

It took about 1 year from the time I came up with the idea to when the first units were manufactured. I decided to only sell to businesses here in Atlanta in case there were any problems, which turned out to be a good decision.

How have you managed to juggle the roles of business owner and mom? What falls by the wayside?

In addition to being a business owner and a mom, I still work a few days a month as a flight attendant. In March 2005 my husband Paul was diagnosed with a brain tumor and although he has recovered 100% we depend on the medical coverage that my job provides. He left his job in software sales last year and now works full time for Step 'n Wash. As every mom entrepreneur knows there is never enough time in the day to get everything done and I just try my best to prioritize my list of things to do.

What kind of support system do you have in place personally and professionally?

My husband has always been my best friend and he is now also my business partner. His calm, easy going demeanor is a great counterbalance when my emotions get the best of me.

How did you finance your business?

I always joke that I could never have started my company without my 2 angel investors…American Express and Visa.

How much money have you invested so far? How do you feel about that?

In the beginning the business required a lot of capital. I invested well over $100,000 in patents, prototypes and engineering and design. It was scary but I never doubted for a minute that it wouldn't all work out.

What is your company's current financial picture and what are your projections?

Step 'n Wash has been installed in almost 500 businesses in the USA and Canada. Our goal is to be in over 1000 businesses by 2010.

What has been your greatest success or “high point” in the process?

I received a wonderful email from a woman whose 12 year old daughter is a little person. They were on vacation and visiting a zoo that happened to have Step ‘n Wash installed in the restroom. Her daughter walked up, pulled down the step and stepped up and began washing her hands. Her daughter was so excited because it was the first time that she had been able to wash her hands in a public restroom without her mom having to lift her up. The mom wanted to thank me for making a difference in her daughter's life. I must have cried for 20 minutes after reading her email. It was such an amazing feeling to know that something that I had invented was actually making a difference.

Have you experienced a “low point” and if so, how did you rally yourself to get back on track?

Early on I had contacted a company that I thought would be a perfect fit for Step 'n Wash. I must have spent 1 week putting together the perfect sales package. When I called to see if I could set up a meeting, the person that I talked with was extremely rude and said to me "we have been in business for 20 years and no doubt we will survive another 20 years without adding Step ‘n Wash to our restrooms." He also added that I must be one hell of a sales woman to be able to sell such a product. I was devastated and it took me a long time to recover.

Fast forward 3 years and I received a call from his boss who had seen Step 'n Wash at another business and he wanted to meet with me. The person who had been so rude to me was at the meeting and he wouldn't even look at me…I loved it!

Who has been your biggest source of inspiration?

My mom owned her own businesses and growing up I always wanted to follow in her footsteps. I catch myself doing things and get the feeling that this is exactly how my mom would have done it.

What keeps you going?

There were a lot of people when I started out who told me that I couldn't do it. I used to work so hard to try and prove them wrong. After a while I realized I did this business for myself and my family and that I didn't have to prove anything to anyone. It's hard but I try not to listen to the naysayers.

Did anyone in particular help you along the way?

I'm not sure where Step 'n Wash would be today without our engineer. He not only came up with a great design but he always figures out a way to tweak the design to lower the manufacturing costs. He's been like my guardian angel.

What advice would you offer other moms developing their products?

Always trust your gut feeling. If something feels wrong or you don't think someone is looking out for your best interests…they probably aren't. In addition, try not to take everything too personally. If I did a sales presentation and the company decided not to install Step 'n Wash, I would take it as a knock against the concept. It took some time but I eventually realized that not everyone is going to buy.

What surprised you about this process?

Everything takes so much longer than you think it will. I had no idea that 4 years later I would still be improving the design and making little changes. Now when I see other products I can really appreciate all of the hard work and time that I know must have gone into development and bringing it to market.

Is there a resource that proved to be invaluable that you would like to share with other moms?

Like so many other mom entrepreneurs that have been featured, Tamara's Mom Inventors Handbook has also been such a valuable resource for me. Since none of my friends are entrepreneurs, I always look forward to reading the featured mom of the month to try and learn from their experiences. I would also recommend reading Fortune Small Business, Entrepreneur and Inc. magazine.

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Tagged as: featured mom, interview, kid-inspired, product business, product regulations, success story