We don’t give much thought to the items we use every day but maybe we should…That’s exactly the kind of thinking that helped me take an extraordinary idea to innovative inception. In this case: reinventing the fitted sheet. From folding a fitted sheet in a nice little square to sheets that pop off the corners of the mattress, no one likes the elastic bundle of fabric.
After a few challenging rounds of changing my newborn daughter’s crib sheets, I asked myself: how am I supposed to change the sheets without lifting the mattress all the way out? Then, it hit me: a zipper is the solution! So how did I take this revelation to reality?
Talk it out
I began discussing the idea of a zip-on sheet with trusted co-workers, friends and neighbors and received reassuring support I was on to something. I listened to critical questions and received valuable feedback that helped me understand the components needed to make the product valuable to consumers. At the end of the day, my strategy focused on making sure it was all about the people, not the product, necessarily. I wanted to make sure I offered a product that provided my audience with value and benefit.
While “talking it out” might seem like a no-brainer step for Colorado entrepreneurs, it is easy to get stuck in your own thoughts as an innovator. Thoughtful feedback from trusted sources can make or break your idea. It can provide new perspectives you perhaps haven’t thought of. Ultimately, your idea is contingent on your target audience investing in your service/product, so hashing out details of your idea with others in your network ensures that marketability is possible.
Mock it up
I had a vision in my head of what I wanted the sheet to look like but I needed to see it mocked up in order to start refining it. After creating one at home with my neighbor’s help, I hired a prototype seamstress to design an example of the zip-on sheet. We went through many rounds of fabric and zipper options to best capture our vision. It was hard to find the right materials and working with minimal resources tested our patience. At this same time, I submitted a patent application, so I was already down a committed pathway to inception. I couldn’t give up now.
Test at trade shows
Once a prototype was at a point where we could show it and we were working with an overseas manufacturer on our first run, I tested it at the Juvenile Products Manufacturer Association trade show. The response was overwhelmingly positive and QuickZip landed distribution in the One Step Ahead Catalog–and boom: our first sale! Shortly thereafter, we received an endorsement from Good Housekeeping Magazine, which garnered national attention and established positive credibility.
We also participated at other consumer and twin shows including the Mothers of Multiples Society (MOMS) and the Junior League of Denver Holiday Mart to get additional consumer feedback. We heard a lot of “Oh my gosh, why didn’t I think of that?” reactions, which reassured us that we had a solid product with legs.
This was an awareness building effort for us. The trade shows helped us figure out the trigger for people to buy and allowed us to refine how we presented the product in-person. The sooner we could help the listener “get the product,” the better our chances of selling it…And trade shows were a great platform to work on those skill sets.
In addition to public-facing efforts, we started selling on babycenter.com and BuyBuyBaby.com (Bed Bath and Beyond’s online baby store) because those were two of the most prominent baby sites at the time. Setting up this dual presence helped us garner attention in person and online, which I believe set us up for success. Sales escalated on babycenter.com because the site provided helpful content for visitors and provided solutions and recommendations for families and BuyBuyBaby.com helped us reach a larger audience.
Identify manufacturers
Momentum started to accelerate, so we had to step up our game. During our trade show participation and online sales, we identified larger scale manufacturers that were a good fit. While our first few manufacturers didn’t work out (we ended up losing thousands of dollars due to errors in product consistency on our first order), we knew we couldn’t give up just because of a few failures. In fact, it was a learning opportunity and we moved forward. We finally found a manufacturer that was cost efficient and travel time was better. Success! We were ready to sell to the masses.
Seek out distribution channels
In addition to selling on babycenter.com and BuyBuyBaby.com, we sought out small, local boutique stores across the country, many of which we knew from our trade show participation. However, after a few years, we noticed the product was selling better online than in boutique stores. About five percent of sales were from boutiques while wholesale online distributors stuck around 50 percent, so we dedicated our focus online. In three years, after adding BabyCenter, BuyBuyBaby (and successors, which include Amazon), sales in online channels showed more than an 800 percent increase. Total sales in our third year doubled from the previous year!
Keep at it
I did all of this while still working another full-time job and raising a family. What helped us make such a positive transition from idea to inception were our efforts that put the product directly in the spotlight both in front of people and online. All of our experiences interacting with customers, vendors and partners allowed us to see additional opportunities to make the product great and expand our line.
We heard and saw how QuickZip sheets helped people from all walks of life, from families with infants and children to elderly individuals with arthritis. Prior to investors, we generated more than $400,000 in revenue and I believe that is because we had a product that solved an all-too-common problem for people. While we didn’t have much experience in marketing and sales, taking an idea to innovative inception can often center on the people you know and good ol’ fashioned common sense. The process requires a lot of moving parts to work together, often simultaneously and in many directions, but when customers say the product “saves their life” we know we’ve done our job.
This stuff doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of trial, error and failure to get ahead and those learning experiences will make your business and product/service that much more valuable at the end of the day.
Today, QuickZip sheets have evolved from crib sheets to bunk bed sheets to adult sheets. It turns out many people are looking for a comfortable fitted sheet that is also easy to change and fold, and QuickZip has become the answer. As a mom, I saw a need, took a chance on my idea and created a company that not only solves a pain point for many but also confirms the old adage that “mom truly does know best.”
QuickZip is sold nationally and online at www.quickzipsheet.com.
Elizabeth Sopher, founder and co-owner
Elizabeth started her career in the unlikely area of geochemistry and hazardous waste cleanup, but found her way to sheets after her first child was born. Her mantra, “Friends don’t let friends smash knuckles” has been her driving force since 2001. Her experience in science and project management serves her well at QuickZip; making sure our products are designed and made right. (And she can read the reports from the lab). Elizabeth is the investor in innovation, commissioner of customer connection, and skipper of spreading QuickZip to new markets.
