Wow, this is awesome — great job developing your product and website so far — and in only 4 months!!! How about Babies R Us? They are the biggest retailer around where I live (New England), and where we all shop for baby shower gifts! This product would fit right in. Good luck!! I have a product idea that just went R8 with EN, so I need a “Plan B.” I would love to talk to you re: how you got your product manufactured, etc. Again, great job and best wishes — I think it will be a big hit! Thank you from a fellow inventor mom.

Playin’ the Devil’s Advocate here…

Maybe I’m missing something here, but what exactly is the sufficient reasoning of having a BPA-free tube cleaning brush? As oppose to a normal tube cleaning brush which are available for purchase practically anywhere?

Just wonderin’ is all…

I was wondering the same thing. Small brushes are used in the medical industry all the time..

http://www.brushescorp.com/Medical_Brushes.htm

I believe nylon used in the brushes are BPA free. I know nylon can be used in baby bottle manufacturing and claim that.

even if you used a brush that wasn’t bpa free, wouldn’t just rinsing after, which you would do anyway, be sufficient for a non bpa brush ?
Just playing devil’s advocate.

Wow! Go away for a weekend and come back to multiple posts. First off, thank you Roberta for the support. I’ve had an overwhelming response these last two weeks from people like you in both the public and retail settings, and my business has taken off so much faster than expected! In a matter of a few days I have registered 28 wholesale accounts and sold over 5000 brushes! This is very exciting for me.

To all the rest that responded, I thank you for taking the time to post your entries! I’m always open to constrctive criticism and willing to talk to you further about my product. In doing research and MANY months of surveys and questionaires to mom’s groups and organizations it was agreed that there was a definate need for a product like this in todays market.

Yes, you are correct in saying, that there are small brushes out there already. There are brushes for cleaning test tubes, and pipettes… and even to clean gun barrells. BUT… there is not one BRUSH available in the “BABY” secton of department stores to clean the insides of pesky “gunky” curded milk or moldy applejuice filled sippy or thermos straws. I’m not trying to re-invent the wheel here… but rather manipulate product to serve a better function. I think you would have to agree, that that is the basis for most inventions these days! I have made changes to my product… width, diameter, adding handle - to make the product both safer, user friendly, and allowing it to universally fit ALL sippy cup brands.

As for being BPA free… there are many studies out there that will explain the risks and health hazards of having BPA in plastics. All you have to do is google BPA and hundreds of thousands of links will show up. I am very health concience and only wanted to develop a product that would be both safe for me and my children to use. Therefore… choosing my product to be certified as BPA free was an absolute priority for me.

Jennifer, I wish you the best. Sure there are products that can be used to clean the straws already out there, but you are packaging and marketing it directly to the sippy cup consumer. If all nylon brushes are BPA free, it still doesn’t hurt to mention it. It may appeal to someone who didn’t know that. It becomes a feel good statement.

Go to a sporting good store and you will see nail clippers on a lanyard. They call them line cutters, but they are just nail clippers and cost three times as much. Just like your product, it comes down to marketing. And I think you have a market and you have already sold 148 cleaners and have wholesale accounts. You are on your way.

By the way, my kids all drank out of German steins, so I didn’t need to clean sippy cup straws :) My oldest is named Okto Berfest Anderson

Thanks Colonel… needed that pick me up!!! I couldn’t agree with you more.

Oh…. and LOVE LOVE Octo Berfest!! :)

I guess I was typing when you were posting. This is great news. I wish you continued success, Jennifer.

Jennifer your sales are beyond exciting! All I’ve done so far with ANY of my hundreds of inventions is submit to EN recently. Before them, I had no idea what to do to even get to step #2…..The step right after having the invention in my head! LOL
So, were you chosen by EN, did you manufacture the brushes yourself? How in the world did you get wholesalers to order? Tell me EVERYTHING!
(I’m a stay at home Nana)

If you have sold 5000 brushes you obviously doing a good job yourself.

I would recommend joining marketingprofs.com

There are a bunch of marketing guys there shooting ideas and brainstorming there.

good luck

”As for being BPA free… there are many studies out there that will explain the risks and health hazards of having BPA in plastics. All you have to do is google BPA and hundreds of thousands of links will show up…Therefore… choosing my product to be certified as BPA free was an absolute priority for me.”

Well, again, I think you’re totally missing my point here! Although your statement above is true and factual, your message here is a bit deceptive regarding the need for a BPA-free cleaning brush…Seriously, why would anyone actually need a “BPA-free” cleaning brush to begin with…Especially a “certified” one?!

Again, I thank you for you comments, but i’m not really sure why I need to defend my product to you anymore. If you’re not interested in it… then why comment, and let’s just leave it at that.

I’ve done the research on how plastics leach BPA and are a health hazard to those that ingest it…ie, that is why almost all baby bottle manufacturers have converted to BPA free bottles. The Sippy Straw Brush Cleaner will be coming in DIRECT contact with the mouth area of the straws, in which I wanted to make DARN sure no residual BPA would be left behind for ingestion. THEREFORE…for the safety of children AND adults that decide to use the brush cleaner… I HAD IT CERTIFIED AS BPA FREE!!

You GO girl!

Hi Jen,

I think that people are just trying to play devil’s advocate for you since these are questions you may encounter when trying to sell your product, one’s maybe you haven’t thought of a “selling” response to. Generally, everyone at EN tries to be helpful, and it is a great community, so constructive criticism can only benefit you. If I were trying to market my own product, I would want folks to be brutal so I can be prepared for any questions/comments retailers might ask me. Defend your product in a “non-defensive” way. When people ask you “why” questions, your response might start with " I can understand why you might ask that question" and then proceed to enlighten them. Now these are just my thoughts.

“The Sippy Straw Brush Cleaner will be coming in DIRECT contact with the mouth area of the straws, in which I wanted to make DARN sure no residual BPA would be left behind for ingestion. THEREFORE…for the safety of children AND adults that decide to use the brush cleaner… I HAD IT CERTIFIED AS BPA FREE!!”

Hmmm…? Well, first of all, several factors determine whether BPA will actually leach from material produced with BPA. Which include the quality of the material and polymerization process, exposure to heat and age of the material. But, Ok, fine…Fair enough! Since you’ve done ALL the research regarding bisphenol A (BPA) exposure, especially regarding the nature of “leaching”…Can you please enlighten me concerning the potential of nylon bristles and BPA contamination?!

Seriously, I really don’t know?!

As a mom, just wanted to tell you, I love your idea and your website. I’m past the sippy cup stage (thank god) but best of luck to you. You deserve it! :-)

Well, since you refuse to engage in this discussion any further, maybe you could possibly have Norma “You GO girl” Haygood post something of relevance on your behalf, regarding my inquiry!? Or even better yet, perhaps Tori Spelling herself – who possesses about as much common sense as a dung beetle – could post something here and explain why she’s tweet’n this particular product as being a “must have product”!?

Oh well, I know you’re not going to respond to this, so, I’ll just have to assume that there is no actual connection between your “BPA-free certified” nylon bristle tips used on your product and the possibility of bisphenol A contamination/exposure from any other nylon bristle brush cleaner on the market, other than yours…

Maybe I’m just not getting it yet?!

To Edward/Devil’s Advocate: Here’s my 2 cents as an observer here -
As both Jennifer and the Colonel said, she is packaging and marketing directly to the customers who would shop in the “baby” section of stores, for the convenience of those who buy things for babies and toddlers; admittedly not reinventing, but manipulating a product to serve a specific function. While it is true that hers might not be the only BPA-free brush, with all the recent concern about BPA it’s a brilliant selling point and I think completely honest marketing to mention that her product IS BPA free. Too bad for you, and the other brush companies, for not thinking outside the box and appealing to this customer base before - but it looks like Jennifer has done her research, developed very creative marketing, and has found a real niche and is doing well. If I were head of a marketing company (which I’m not), I’d hire her!
Jennifer: Another “You go, girl!” Good luck — I think you’re doing great!

I think one of the best things about EN is that MOST people treat others here and their ideas with respect. If someone doesn’t get your product (actually I do get it) it is probably due to their own frustration that none of their own “ideas” have come to fruition. Remember the “pet rock”? That should be a lesson to all of us. And your product does fill a niche, I actually use baby bottle brushes to clean lots of household things, but the nipple brush is too short and basically useless, the short ends always bend and I end up scraping what I’m cleaning with the wire that twists the bristles together. Yours does not have that problem, and can be used to clean bottle nipples also. It’s another selling point for you. Can you expand your package to include a bottle brush also that is BPA free, dual use brushes?

I like the idea of this product and I’m a dumb guy that is a father of three who has used and is currently using sippycups. I think the packaging, the marketing and the product placement make this product a winner. I absolutely would buy this and will buy this.

When someone is shopping for sippycups and this product is placed alongside them, the average concumer can’t help thinking about “how are you really going to clean these crazy shaped sippycups with these funky straws”…and then they buy this product.

The BPA Free certification wouldn’t influence me one way or another into buying this product but I’m sure it would influence others into buying it. With this said, I think it is only smart to use this certification to influence other buyers. It won’t distract from the number of potential buyers, it will only add to this number of buyers.

Maybe you can find a brush that is designed and marketed for some other purpose that can possibly do the same job as the sippy straw cleaner. The problem is that brush IS NOT being target marketed for the purpose of cleaning sippy straws. The consumer won’t think of that other brush when they are on the sippycup aisle at the babystore shopping for sippycups…they will only see and think of Jennifer’s product.

I say…Congratulations for identifying and solving this common problem that all parents face…“How to we clean these crazy sippycups with the funky straws”.

Thinking ahead – I think you should develop and market a brush to clean all these new fancy reusable water bottles that are being sold. You can use your same successful model for the sippycup straws and go after product placement next to these water bottles. They are also a big pain in the - to clean.

Best of luck. Please keep us all posted of your successes…it helps motivate the rest of us!

“Maybe I’m just not getting it yet?!”

Actually, this was said with great sarcasm, which I should have guessed you guys would miss! Obviously, you guys are just not getting it!? Carry on…

When I had sippy cup aged kids, I would have purchase this if it were placed next to the the sippy cups too. I don’t know that I’d consciously seek it out though. It seems like I remember having one somehow. I’m thinking one of the sippy cup manufactures provided one or I used the nipple cleaning brush that I had used for their bottles. I guess my first thought, based on having had one is that they already existed. My second thought was about why BPA free would be necessary. But even if it weren’t necessary, if I were standing looking at these on the shelves next to the sippy cups, I would probably buy one on impulse. And even if BPA free weren’t necessary for this product, I would likely choose the BPA free over another because… well it’s my kids, why take the chance?? That’s great packaging and marketing! Great job Jennifer… continued success!

Final entry regarding this subject matter…

Roberta “Bobbie” Roffo wrote: “…admittedly not reinventing, but manipulating a product to serve a specific function.”

Actually, Roberta, apparently you totally missed the headline of this thread!? Mom invented BPA Free SIPPY STRAW CLEANER…Although it’s not officially written anywhere here regarding postings, perhaps you might consider using this as a guideline – if nothing more – when posting on the forums…Have a relevant point!
___________________________________________________________________

Bill LaFratta wrote: “I say…Congratulations for identifying and solving this common problem that all parents face…“How to we clean these crazy sippycups with the funky straws”…”I think you should develop and market a brush to clean all these new fancy reusable water bottles that are being sold. You can use your same successful model for the sippycup straws and go after product placement next to these water bottles. They are also a big pain in the – to clean."

Oh yeah, Bill, as problematic an issue as this may be, in the meantime, perhaps you could consider these as an alternative…Although I can’t verify that they’re 100% BPA-free?!

Pipe Cleaners 

I need to clean my bong stem!

Edward, as I see it, YOU are missing the point! I don’t CARE if Jennifer claims she invented it, manipulated it, reinvented it, improved it; or whether she just improved the message and packaging and placement of an existing product to meet the specific needs of a specific target audience — that’s OK, too. EN’s invention contests allow one to improve on an existing product or idea, by the way; and Jennifer did that through creative packaging and merchandising. Busy parents might not hunt down such a brush in a medical supplies or chemistry/test tube catalog, but on the other hand might grab this item if it were in the store right next to the sippy cups — so she was smart enough to capitalize on that idea. By the way, I’ve tried the pipe cleaners for cleaning and find that they bend too much; sometimes you need a brush with a sturdy handle that is less likely to bend.
I’ve had a relevant point all my posts here, but the point apparently went over your head, so here it is in black and white: Jennifer thought of a successful idea; and so far you didn’t — so stop knockin’ her and put your energies into thinking of your own successful idea, whether it’s an absolutely new and unique invention or an improvement/adaptation of an existing invention — either one is OK.

jennifer, first of all—WAY TO GO!!!…i am excited about your new adventure….you might want to talk to jim debetta because taking that next step, which you referred to in your post, is exactly what he does…he’s already doing it for other moms…

and my whole take on the BPA thing—kudos to you for finding an angle to market…because honestly, it really comes down to how you market your product which makes it successful…..and those who understand the BPA thing will ‘get it’….and there will be a market who does not care about the BPA aspect, and still buy your product because they either think they need it or really need it….your job is to appeal to an audience, and you are doing it…i haven’t used sippy cups or baby bottles in a long time, but don’t they also market the fact that there is no BPA in their products as well?…and if it works for them, why not for you?—-so stay course and do not falter….

(personally, i have used vinegar and water for plastic bottles and straws—it’s an old fashioned home cleaner that is not toxic in anyway…but alot of people don’t know that : )

Jennifer, great job thus far. If people listened to critics we would never get anywhere as a society. Remember those TapLights that came out in the 90’s, I’m sure they were probably criticized but sold millions!

Brush the haters off and keep marching towards your goal. Good luck.

Hi Jennifer. You might already know this but there’s a company called Cision which took over Bacon’s Media Service. It’s a great avenue for getting Free Press which turns in to sales. I did this for a product I invented years ago and the phone rang off the hook. The ad would have normally cost $5,000 for the space and because the editor liked the story they ran it for Free in the Los Angeles Times Newspaper. Cision works with Newspaper, Magizeen, TV and Radio editors and supply the list and or software that you can use. You’ll need a Press Release, Great Photo’s and a Cover Letter a.k.a Press Kit. Here’s a link: http://us.cision.com/ By the way loved your video on your site. Congrats and Best Wishes!

Hello Jennifer, congratulations on your product and success. Its great how you got it all going so fast. I have something that I am at the point of patenting and am looking for manufacturers in either China or India. Could you tell me how you went about finding a manufacturer you could be sure of. thank you.

Mary :o)

I have done some selling-via-website and would like to offer some thoughts about your site

1.) The “Shopping” button isn’t obvious as being a ‘buy now’ button. I missed it the first time and had to scroll to the bottom of the page to find out the price and how to buy. Saying “Buy Now – Only $3.98” is acceptably bold. Be obvious – net shoppers easily skip over something that doesn’t forcibly grab them.

2.) This is admittedly vague but; To drive some net-based sales, try locating some websites that cater to your market (child products) and see if you can place/buy an ad there. Also look into Google AdSense as a way to get your add shown on relevant sites. You might look at Google Adwords also although I’m not sure how well that would work for your target market.

I’d be happy to share my experience in web-sales if there’s any interest – contact me by email.

Hey Jennifer, love your product. Will definitely have to buy a couple :) By the way is the little baby on the website yours?…she is just precious :) Good luck on your endeavors. I also would like to add that even if the PBA free issue does not make that big of a difference in the cleaner, when a health concerned mom has to choose from 2 items in the store and one says PBA free, she is more likely to choose the PBA free B/C it never hurts to be too careful with your kids :)