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INNOVATION RESOURCES

Step 'n Wash

Breakthrough:
The world’s first ever retractable step for public restrooms to help children reach sinks and soap dispensers.

Inventor:
Joi Sumpton, United States

Financial reward:
$1 million +

The Story:
Step 'n Wash

Joi Sumptons’s story will be familiar to many inventors. Her innovation was born out of a frustration in her own life. Namely, the difficulty washing her children’s hands in public restrooms. So she out to create a product that is now benefiting millions of families across north America, and she learned a lot about the business of inventing along the way.

Big Steps

Step ‘n Wash is a safe retractable platform for children to stand on to wash their hands in public restrooms. It is a boon to parents who no longer have to struggle to ensure their small children can reach the taps, and businesses benefit by increasing their customer service, and restroom floors stay dry and slip free.

Sumpton’s eureka moment came in 2004 when she was struggling to wash her son’s hands in a Barnes and Noble restroom. She had adopted the usual position which involved using her body to balance him against the counter whilst turning the taps on with her hands. But he started to cry. Sumpton hadn’t realized how much the counter was pressing into his stomach and she noticed that the water was all over his shirt and the counter. Surely there must be a better way? she thought. And seeing that she couldn’t think of a single reason why she shouldn’t have a go herself, embarked on her innovation journey. Talking with other mums about her restroom wrestles further convinced her that she was onto something big.

Research

Once Sumpton had confirmed that there was indeed a need for her idea she visited businesses to ask why they didn’t provide steps for children in their restrooms. The most common answer given was that conventional plastic steps can be dangerous as they can slip out from under a child. That convinced her that the step had to be fixed and secured to the floor.

As a flight attendant Sumpton had no experience of product development, but her head was buzzing with ideas. She met with a patent attorney, who she figured would also be a great source of information. He gave her details of someone who could produce the technical drawings for the patent, and that person put her in touch with a prototypist.

Finding a Manufacturer

When she needed a manufacturer Sumpton asked the company that made the Step ‘n Wash prototype to recommend one and was given a list of three. Further research revealed that one of them had been mentioned by an entrepreneur in a newspaper article. She called him to get his thoughts on working with this particular company, and he gave them a glowing reference. Her decision was made.

The learning curves were many and chief amongst them was that Sumpton originally had no idea of the number of different regulations governing products installed in commercial restrooms. So she became an expert on the types of permitted materials as well as the product signs and warning labels to ensure she was compliant with all ADA regulations. But as this was a new product some of the regulators were stumped too.

Problems

The biggest problem in the entire concept to product process came during the initial production run of 100 units. Sumpton discovered a spot on the device where a child could get his or her fingers pinched. As there was no way to fix it without a subtle re-design $15,000 worth of product had to be thrown in the dumpster.

Product Launch

Sumpton came up with her Step ‘n Wash idea in 2004 and it took about a year before the first units rolled off the production line. She arranged for Atlanta Zoo and the Atlanta Botanical Garden to test them out, and after receiving positive feedback asked every parent who used her device to tell their friends. The oldest marketing trick in the book worked wonders and soon the orders were coming in. Initially she sold Step ‘n Wash to businesses in her hometown of Atlanta, but now they are marketed across the USA and Canada through her website and via distributors.

Dealing with Naysayers

There were many naysayers who told Sumpton that she couldn’t do it. This including one rude company rep who said she would be an incredible sales woman if she ever managed to sell one of her products. For a while it devastated her, but she picked herself up, trusted her gut feelings and now has a very successful money making product.

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